Re: Dual-gauge ops, Alamosa - Antonito (dates corrected)

Earl Wrote:
--------------------------------------------------
> At one time there was considerable agricultural
> business in the Valley. There were produce sheds
> in La Jara, Romeo, Antonito and other places.
> During certain times of the year daily turns were
> made down the valley picking up reefer cars full
> of produce. These trains were crewed by men off
> the Narrow Gauge Board and would have either
> NG or SG power on the trains. The produce was
> loaded into SG cars to avoid transfer in Alamosa.


Earl et al -

Tom Gildersleeve caught narrow gauge #491 hauling a long string of empty standard gauge reefers and boxcars south out of Alamosa on October 17, 1960.  Note the idler car immediately behind #491's tender, equipped with couplers for both gauges, which enabled this operation:

Photos copyright © 1960, 2005 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.

A second idler car near the middle of the train allowed several empty narrow-gauge tank cars bound for Chama and a long string of cars loaded with oilfield supplies for Farmington to bring up the rear:

Photos copyright © 1960, 2005 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.

Apparently the reefers were spotted on sidings somewhere south of La Jara; the remainder of the train made good speed on the three-rail "racetrack" to Antonito.  The train was split upon arrival there, and the engine took water at the tank:

Photos copyright © 1960, 2005 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.

. . . and then, with the help of more dual-gauge idler cars, spent the afternoon switching the various industries in the area:

Photos copyright © 1960, 2005 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.

Although Tom doesn't have photos, the narrow-gauge half of the train was apparently hauled to Chama that night and on west to Durango on Tuesday, 10/18/60 by #491 and another engine.*  Tom's next slide is a night shot of #491 near the water tower in Antonito, followed by #483 heading north (RR east) to Alamosa, and then several shots of #494 en route to Farmington on Wednesday, 10/19/60:

Photos copyright © 1960, 2005 by Tom Gildersleeve - All Rights Reserved.

- Roosso

*   Does Jimmy have records for October 17-19, 1960, that would verify my conjecture?  The normal procedure by the mid nineteen-sixties was for a freight from Alamosa and a freight from Durango to meet in Chama, and the following day the trains would continue on, manned by the crews returning to their respective home towns.  If there was heavy traffic east the crew from Alamosa would haul one or two "Cumbres Turns" up the hill from Chama, and then return to Alamosa with the rest of the eastbound traffic on the third day; the Durango crew would handle a round-trip freight to Farmington on the third day of the sequence, which was usually Mon-Tue-Wed and/or Thu-Fri-Sat, with Sundays off, but it seems that things were running a half-day late that week – probably due to the Cuban missile crisis . . .    



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2017 12:22PM by Russo Loco.