Re: Walking the tops west of Sublette

John West Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was thinking about that picture when I wrote
> my post, glad you posted it.  Have no idea why,
> but I bet he had a good reason. So far as I can
> remember that is the only picture I have seen
> of Rio Grande trainmen walking the tops while
> out on the line.


Thank You, John -

IIRC, you are quite familiar with that location – the curving cut on 'Powder Cache Hill' just west of Sublette – where you captured the so-called 'Mad Dash' heading west exactly three months previously.*

In spite of being a bit dark, "Slippery Footing" has long been one of my favorite photos.  It's probably the only one I've ever taken that's of real historic importance in that it documents a once-common practice that essentially no longer exists – at least in the United States.  It definitely was not staged — in fact it was taken so hurriedly after the one just before it – and I was so focused on protecting my camera from the light rain – that I didn't even notice the brakeman until the first time I projected that set of slides.  I also forgot that Olaf was taking movies over my shoulder until I saw them on the TRAINS magazine Narrow Gauge Freight Trains video many, many years later.

- El Abuelo Histœrico, Greengo y Curmudgeoño de los Locomoturas Viejos y Verdes,
aka Der Grossväterlich DünkelOlivGrünDampfKesselMantelLiebHabender

*  Newbies to the NGDF not familiar with the First Freight of '68 on the D&RGW narrow gauge – AKA 'The Mad Dash' – please see Ernie's photos at [ngdiscussion.net] et seq and John West's album at [chasingtrains.smugmug.com] for further information.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/2021 05:21PM by Russo Loco.