This is kind of a footnote to this thread. After my comment about not remembering if Ernie Robart was on this particular trip, I took out my long-slumbering letter book, and found this letter from Ernie that answered the question. No. Since it is sort of an interesting letter, rather than quote Ernie, I am just attaching the letter. BTW this Mr. Rasmussen formality disappeared shortly. At this time we were still active mapping the logging railroads that connected to Southern Pacific's Cloudcroft branch, hence the reference to Wills Canyon (photo attached). We always regarded the Alamogordo-Cloudcroft-Russia branch as an honorary narrow gauge. With it's gradients of 5.5 + percent grades and 30 degree + curvatures it was even more extreme than the narrow gauge. And by the way, trains were equipped with automatic and straight air. All interchange cars had to be equipped with temporary straight air while on the branch.