Re: Desperate Narrow Gauge Adventures in Winter - 1964 (1 of 4)
| January 12, 2021 06:17PM |
The light is about to fade as pusher 488 comes across the second crossing. Engineer Eldon Morgan has 488 working hard to lift this mix of empties and lumber loads to Cumbres. After 57 years both Eldon and 488 are on the list of survivors.
On the drive back to Chama, Frank invited me to dinner at his house, which I happily accepted. I wish that I had taken a photo of Frank and his wife in 1964, but I did not do it. Here is a picture of Frank probably taken some 50 years later
Frank had been making 11 x 14 inch prints for display at a bank in Santa Fe, and I got to see many of his wonderful photos not just of the Rio Grande narrow gauge, but also of narrow gauges in Central America. As I was about to return to my last night at the Shamrock Hotel, I noticed an 11 x 14 print of 498 leading a double headed freight through the big S-curve on the westbound climb out of the Florida River bottoms. I asked him why he was throwing it away, and he said that it was a little too light, and that he had done it over. It looked beautiful to me, and asked him if I could have that print, and he said "sure". That print is still my favorite photo of my favorite narrow gauge engine, 498.
The next morning the crew was called for 9 o'clock, but I was up early to watch the hostlers turn the engines on the wye and to get the engines ready for the road.
488 (with 480 in tow) returning from the wye on the freezing cold morning of February 1, 1964
480 getting a bit more than a full tender load of water
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2021 05:26PM by Olaf Rasmussen.
On the drive back to Chama, Frank invited me to dinner at his house, which I happily accepted. I wish that I had taken a photo of Frank and his wife in 1964, but I did not do it. Here is a picture of Frank probably taken some 50 years later
Frank had been making 11 x 14 inch prints for display at a bank in Santa Fe, and I got to see many of his wonderful photos not just of the Rio Grande narrow gauge, but also of narrow gauges in Central America. As I was about to return to my last night at the Shamrock Hotel, I noticed an 11 x 14 print of 498 leading a double headed freight through the big S-curve on the westbound climb out of the Florida River bottoms. I asked him why he was throwing it away, and he said that it was a little too light, and that he had done it over. It looked beautiful to me, and asked him if I could have that print, and he said "sure". That print is still my favorite photo of my favorite narrow gauge engine, 498.
The next morning the crew was called for 9 o'clock, but I was up early to watch the hostlers turn the engines on the wye and to get the engines ready for the road.
488 (with 480 in tow) returning from the wye on the freezing cold morning of February 1, 1964
480 getting a bit more than a full tender load of water
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2021 05:26PM by Olaf Rasmussen.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.