Re: 491's 88th birthday today

I do love these beauties when they are clean....BUT they just don't seem to look "right" without a coat of soot and purple mountain's majesty. I remember the first time I saw the D&S back in 1984. We were on our way home from Yellowstone and had stayed at the Purgatory ski lodge the night before. We pulled into McDonalds in Durango to get breakfast, and when we pulled around the drive through, I laid my 12 year old eyes on a pair of K-28's that looked like they worked for a living! My first railfanning photos occurred in 1985 with a Kodak 126 p&s on the CC&V, GLRR, and D&S. Switched to a 35mm in 1986. That image of that working railyard with a stable of working locomotives did it for me. Been back many, many times since. Love this stuff! The 491 looks great shiny or gritty after a hard day's work!