Re: I am occasionally surprised

In August of 1964 there were 41 engines dispatched from Chama (both east and west)
In September there were 43 engines dispatched
In October there were 44 engines dispatched
In November there were 23 engines dispatched
In December there were 33 engines dispatched. The last train an interesting flanger/spreader train:

Dec 24, 1964

Snow Flanger East

488 Eng. Faucette, Frm. Smith
478 Eng. Otteson, Frm. Sais
493 Eng. Lira, Frm. Lucero
Called for 800pm

Probably the last time at 470 was used to buck snow. The same crew departed Extra East that morning at 845. They must of had trouble and came back to Chama, grabbed the flanger and made a run for home.

This was the last train over the hill until May 20, 1965. A Chama Turn from Durango was run with 498 on Jan. 4-5.

Looking at the numbers of engines dispatched, it is hard to tell when the oil stopped moving. Sept and Oct had nearly identical numbers. Sept had 7 dispatches involving passenger moves. Oct had only 2 passenger dispatches. There was still a small amount of stock being moved in Oct. of 1964 to inflate the numbers. By November things really started to slow down. Dec. was pretty busy with a couple of 5 day stretches of no activity. When the storm blew in on 12/24, Denver must have told him to pull the plug.