As I recall what happened, Jack Rentfrow, the D&RGW roadmaster in Durango at the time, was told by Denver to keep only a handful of freight cars for the Silverton. Jack was a company man to the core but had strong feelings about what was needed for the Silverton. He set about getting all the cars he could stash in the sidings along the Silverton branch and those were saved. The scrapper was busy in Durango but didn't touch the cars Jack wanted. I talked with Jack a number times then as well as the years that followed. Jack remained as the D&RGW man in charge until the day in 1981 that Charlie Bradshaw took ownership and that was the day Jack retired. He had been asked by Bradshaw to continue, but in the preceding year had met Bradshaw and decided he wouldn't like the man and took his retirement instead. I credit Rentfrow with keeping the Silverton branch as intact as he could. Bradshaw, to his credit, actually added locomotives and cars, added sidings, built the roundhouse addition, the new shop building, and other improvements. He expanded service, added trains, put in the Cascade wye, and the new Cascade train, and reached a peak in passengers carried in about 1993 that has not been achieved since. The years under Harper ownership deserve comment, but not now.