Twenty Years Ago Today... *PIC*

...Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play. Oh sorry, wrong bulletin board. On this date twenty years ago (July 16, 1983) a monumental event occurred that would have a profound effect on American History.
I was promoted to engineer on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
They way this played out was sort of weird and anti-climatic. Back then we worked an 11 on, 3 off schedule. The last day I worked was Tuesday, July 12, 1983 when I drove a van of passengers to Antonito (called at 745am). I then fired 488 for Marvin Casias on Train #1 (then called the Colorado Limited). We had 7 cars and I ran from Sublette to Osier. After lunch Marv and I kept the 488 and worked #3, the New Mexico Express, to Chama with 11 cars. I ran from Osier to Cumbres. After arriving in Chama, Marv drove the van of passengers back to Antonito; I turned 488 and tied up at 500pm – 9 ¼ hours on duty.
I had taken my 3rd Fireman’s Exam a couple weeks back and was told I passed with flying colors and that was the was the last I thought of it. Anyway, I was off 3 days and on Friday, July 15 I went down to the yard to get next week’s schedule and watch the train come in. I met Supt. Gary Getman in the yard and started talking to him about “stuff” including the RMRRC trip coming up in the next month. He asked if I had gotten next week’s call sheet. I said, “No, that’s why I’m here”. He went into his office and came back with a copy and gave it to me. I looked at it and said something like “uh, Gary you screwed up here…it says George is firing for me tomorrow.” “No, I didn’t. Congratulations, you are now an engineer on the C&TS.”
Cool.
It was a bit of a hollow victory as for several weeks I had been trading with the engineer and running as much as firing and as we didn’t have a real seniority system, I’d be running with one of the guys I had been firing with for the last couple of years. But now and the days I was engineer, I got to choose when I ran. Oooh.
Saturday, July 16, 1983 was the big day. I was engineer on 489, George Knauff fired for me. We were called in Chama at 900am for Train #2. We had 10 boxcar coaches and a gondola – 187 tons, which was a cakewalk for 489. I recall I ran out of town and traded with George at Cresco – which was customary. At Cumbres, I took the train down the hill to Osier. After lunch, George and I took the 489 on east to Antonito with #4 and 7 cars. I ran down the canon to Sublette, where I turned it over to George again. Drifting down the hill through Lava, he hopped of the right hand seat and said “Captain, take your ship into port”. I ran on into Antonito. We drove the vans back to Chama tying up at 630pm – 9 ½ hours on duty.
I was now an Engineer…
The picture was taken by an unknown person who gave it to me. It actually might have been taken by Russ Fischer with my camera. It shows us barreling across Highway 17 just out of Chama. George has her and hot popping off (which was pretty easy to do in 489). I’ve got the whistle tied down for the crossing. The only recognizable form of me is my hickory stripped shirt I wore (other guys didn’t where them then).