Re: 65th Anniversary of the last San Juans

pd3463 Wrote:
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> Thats a big train! I assume that extras/empties
> were being moved to one end? Or was the last run
> that full?

They were expecting big crowds for the last runs. All the vestibuled cars were on the train behind the 488. One car already had been stripped of its reclining coach seats to benches were taken from the Alamosa waiting room and installed. Also on the tail of this train was a second parlor/dinette serving as a business car so that the officials could celebrate their victory of getting the train axed. The extra car was supposed to got to Gato, get turned and come back on the tail of the eastbound train. Imagine how long THAT would have taken at Gato: Set the car out, turn it, and put it somewhere where the eastbound could back in, couple up all the air, signal and steam heat lines, then head on toward Chama.. Everything was running late because of the snow and turning the Official's Car was scrapped. I don't recall if they went on the Durango or what happened.

There were some open platform cars on the other train set. Unfortunately the big crowds didn't materialize.

488 went west to Chama, where 478 (the engine that NEVER ran in Chama - so some say) took it on west to Durango. 484 brought the eastbound from Durango to Chama, then 488 and 484 doubleheaded the last eastbound over the hill.

With the exception of the baggage cars, all the cars survived either as cars for the Silverton trains, or Knott's Berry Berry Farm or in MOW service (the RPO cars). One open platform car ended up in Boulder, CO.