I'll take a crack at this. When I started in 1981, there was quite a bit of "stuff" laying around that never got used or set up. Some of which was eventually disposed of. The C&TS got into the State Surplus Property program and we got access to machinery being disposed by State and Federal agencies. We aquired some of the current shop machinery that way. A lot of the the old Alamosa backshop machinery was quite worn out, so when something better came available, it was installed instead of the old junk.
So, on to the list:
10 Freight car axles.......... probably were down in the swamp with the spare wheelsets. Probably didn't use them as we didn't have a wheel press, but we did have quite a few spare wheel sets.
2 Units Tractor Trailer Trucks.... I have no idea what this is.
1 Planer.... never saw this.
1 Radial Drill Press... I think this sat outside in Chama. then got disposed of.
1 Flue truck ..... Not sure what this is. It was not around when I got there.
1 Engine Lathe, La Blond... this might have been the lathe left in Chama by the D&RGW. Very worn out, replaced and disposed of.
1 Locomotive Unwheeling Hoist... The big hoist for lifting locomotives off their drivers. It never got here. The drop pit in the shop is a much better deal.
1 Wheel Lathe.... never got here. Too bad. We could have used that.
1 Slotter, vertical,...... never saw this.
1 Engine Lathe, 42"X16'... This might have been the lathe stashed in the boiler room. It had been set up to turn car wheels. Probably still there.
1 Vertical Lathe. I think this was the monster that sat on a flat car for years. Eventually, unloaded and disposed of.
1 Milling Machine, Reyerson. Horizontal mill. I believe it is still in the machine shop.
1 Turret Lathe, Bullard.... One of the best machines that came out of Alamosa. Still in the shop.
1 Wheel Press.... Also sat on a flat car for years, finally unloaded and sat for years on the ground, finally set up in the early 2000's in the old roundhouse.
1 Horizontal Boring Machine, worn, but used for boring crown brasses for years. Probably still there.
Coal Loader in Antonito. Didn't make it. Got cut up in Antonito. It's builders plate survived (on my wall at home).
Rolling stock.
We have 053 listed as a "Baggage Car" when it was part of OM's support train as a cook car.
No mention of RPO X65 at all.
04258 is a box-outfit car, not a flat car and is list twice.
There some cars on this list that didn't make it. Some cars were over in Durango (W493 and ballast cars X950 and X956) and of course the D&RGW was not going to run a train of stuff over from Durango for the C&TS. So other cars were selected to replace them. Some of the car numbers are not at all familiar with me, others seem to be missing. Bernie Watts rescued a bunch of cars from Farmington, that Scenic Rys bought, then sold/gave to the Commission. There were also box cars Bernie sold to private individuals who kept them in Chama, then eventually donated them to the RR.
I could spend a couple of days studying the car numbers, but that is enough for now.
I don't know if it was in the initial dream, but in the early days, the dream was to recreate a smaller version of the Alamosa backshop west of the Chama Wye. It would have had a transfer table and room inside for all the old Alamosa machinery as well as several tracks for repair work. It would have been a great addition. Alas, in the latter 1970's, the decision was made to build a much smaller shop and use the roundhouse machine shop space. It was adequate for railroad's need at the time, but left no room for expansion. This decision has condemned the C&TS to having too small a shop with no way to expand it.
