Re: Tracking Narrow Gauge Freights in Mid-Summer 1966

On Monday morning, August 15, 483 and 492 left Durango with Friday's string of freight cars, picked up the other 21 cars at Carbon Junction and headed up the 2 percent grade of Bocea Hill. I was waiting for the train at the highway crossing just below Falfa, and kept watching big clouds of steam and smoke below Bocea that didn't seem to get any closer. I thought of driving down the hill to see what was happening, but didn't want to give up what I thought was a good photo spot. After more delays and steam and smoke development, the train finally did come. Most noticeably, the engines were carrying red bags on the fireman side running boards that were not there when the train left Durango.



Eventually I found out that Jim Marcus had oiled the rails and set up his movie camera to get footage of the engines spinning out. I suppose that he did get action he was looking for as the engines spun to a halt. Both engines used up most of their sand to get the train re-started, but without success. The train finally backed to Carbon Junction where the round house crew delivered more sand to fill the sand domes, and provided extra bags, just in case. Needless to say, the engine crews were less than pleased with Jim Marcus' antics, and took revenge the next day that almost got me and Jim Marcus involved in serious accidents.

I wasn't too familiar with negotiating the back roads around Florida, Oxford, Ignacio, La Boca, Tiffany, and Allison back then, and only caught the train again near Arboles. Here the train is a few miles east of Arboles, approaching Gato. No photos on the parallel newly-built reservoir bypass section - it was just too much fun to pace along side the fast running engines.



Closer to Gato the tracks hug the water's edge of the San Juan River