50th Anniversary of last D&RGW freights over Cumbres . . .

THANK YOU, Rod -

It's good to have company in promoting the idea of a 50th Anniversary commemoration of the last D&RGW freights over Cumbres Pass.

The last real freight westbound - hauling oilfield supplies and two flats of wallboard to Farmington - ran from Alamosa to Chama on August 28, 1968, with #484 as road engine and #483 helping. This would be fairly easy to replicate – just be sure that #484 is NOT wearing the 'semi-portable' plow, and renumber either #488 or #489 (whichever is NOT wearing the plow) as #483.   Of course it would be GREAT to have #483 restored in time to play herself in the reenactment, but that doesn't seem very likely to happen.


The last real freight eastbound - 14 boxcars of lumber from Durango - ran from Chama to Alamosa on August 29, 1968, with #498 as road engine and #484 as helper from Chama to Cumbres.  A boxcar of track tools, etc., and a bulldozer on a flatcar were added to the front of the train at Toltec Siding.  Again #484 can play herself – just be sure that she is NOT wearing the 'semi-portable' plow.  #498 hasn't run since that last freight in 1968, and is sitting - sans tender - behind the museum in Durango, so it's rather unlikely she'll be able to participate.  It's not very likely that either #497 or #492 will be available to stand in for #498, so the best chance of having a K-37 to play #498 is probably #491 – good luck borrowing her from the CRRM! – or maybe you can convince the D&S to let you borrow #493 for the day (in exchange for completely rebuilding her, of course).


- Abuelo Rooso

p.s.  As you can clearly see in this 2008 re-creation of the above shot, there's not much left of the snow fences near Apache Crossing:


Re-creating them in time for a 50th Anniversary run-by should keep Johnny Coal out mischief for at least a week or two . . .



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2017 12:56PM by Russo Loco.