Re: 60 years of adventures with engine 476

After the August 1959 ride behind 476 from Silverton to Durango, it was a full year before another family trip to Durango made it feasible to make a full roundtrip.

Wandering around the Durango engine facilities, we encountered two snow plow equipped engines under steam, 499 in the roundhouse (well partially) and 484 outside. 464 was sitting cold on the other side of 484. A friendly hostler allowed a short cab ride on one of the engines as it was being serviced, my first cab ride since leaving Germany in the spring of 1957.





My dad decided to take some photos of 476 and the train as he and the rest of the family headed off on a hiking trip in the mountains. The first photo was at Hermosa which looked very different from today, just a water tank and section house in the rural valley.



The next stop was at the Shalona crossing, with 476 working hard to bring the long train up the grade (that is not snow in the second photo, just a damaged print)