Re: List of equipment at the start of the C&TS

>I’ve often wondered about the all the large machine shop tools listed, like the planer and lathe, how many of these were delivered to the C&TS. Supposedly there was a small warehouse near the Antonito terminal where some of these were stored.

The "small warehouse" could be Ft Knox, the cinderblock building across from the Antonito car shop, and currently used as the workshop for the historic car restoration. The building was stuffed full of parts and tools that we were told came from the Alamosa shops. In 1994 or so, there was an agreement with the Commission that if the Friends helped clean that out, they could use it as a workshop, as the year before the "RIP track" had been built on the west side of the building. Tools and parts that could still be used were loaded in gons and flat cars and sent to Chama. We actually had Gary Getman (who had come to volunteer) help us determine what was what. It's been too long now for me to remember exactly what we found, but there might have been a lathe, but I don't think there was a planner. I can remember numerous 480V motors that we determined there was little use. Not everything in there came from Alamosa, there was a big pile of wood-framed windows that came from the 1st set of flat-top coaches that apparently had been replaced; we found they were the perfect size for 0579's cupola.

Photo is of the cars being set out on the new RIP track.

Bill Kepner