Here is how the repaired and re-ballasted track section looked on a later (October) visit when I found 497 approaching the west switch of the Cresco siding. The two gondola loads of black cinders are clearly visible in the track surface.
After watching the section crew do their work, Ernie, Joe, and I piled back into my none-too-spacious VW beetle (luckily we were not using tripods back then), and followed 498 to Chama. Unfortunately I had left NMSU at Las Cruces on fairly short notice, as Ernie's narrow gauge alerts usually arrived by postcard since long distance phone calls were fairly expensive. I left with one 20-exposure roll of Kodachrome 25 and figured I could get more in Chama. This, however, turned out not to be a good plan as Kodachrome slide film was not to be found in Chama. During the lunch stop I was able to snag one roll of 20-exposure Kodacolor print film, which saved at least part of the run to Alamosa as far as photos were concerned.
After lunch, presumably at the favorite Chama hang out of Kelly's Bar, we watched the engines being turned and serviced for the run to Alamosa, and 498 making up the train for the second trip to Cumbres. Here is 498 switching the two empty cinder gons to the front of the train (Ernie's photo). No lumber loads this trip - Rio Grande Motor Ways must have gotten to the mills first.
Here 484 is the road engine again, in charge of engineer Lira and fireman Stanley Smith. 498 is pushing on the rear of the train with engineer Ken Faucette and fireman Otteson.
The long train of empties is approaching the road crossing at Dalton
The train is approaching the sharp curve above Dalton. The countryside was pretty open back then and access to the meadows was not jealously guarded like today. That fence on the right side was not much of an obstacle, and we frequently climbed higher on the hillside for pre-drone photos.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2020 09:25PM by Olaf Rasmussen.