Re: Curmudgeons at Cumbres - Then and (almost) Now

Scott Lothes Wrote:
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> We've nearly finished processing John {Gruber}'s
> negatives at the Center for Railroad Photography
> & Art, and they include more than 2,000 views from
> his trips to the narrow gauge . . .  John had been
> there at least four other times in the 1960s prior to
> the Trains assignment, and I suspect a few of the
> regular posters here appear in some of his photo-
> graphs!  It might be fun to figure that out.


Railfans and photographers visiting Narrow Gauge Country in the early and mid-sixties included both regulars and irregulars, Scott -

And were far too numerous to count.  Among the frequent visitors whom John Gruber likely encountered were John West, self-proclaimed "El Curmudgeoño del Norte", whose first n.g. photos date from late January, 1960, and Tom Gildersleeve, "El Curmudgeoño del Sud" whose earliest photos are from mid-October of the same year, IIRC.  I haven't been able to track down any photos of John as a whipper-snapper, but did find one of him (by Olaf Rasmussen) taken in Brazil on Jan. 30, 1977, and another (photographer unknown) at Cumbres circa 2000.  The only photo of Tom Gildersleeve I could find was taken by Russ Sperry at Gold Hill on the Virginia & Truckee during Pete Lerro's February 2012 charter – that's Tom in the red hat in the third photo, below.  The second row shows Russ (aka Roosso Loco) on October 2, 1962, upon his return to the dorm at Colorado College after riding the front platform of the first coach behind engine #483 from Antonito to Alamosa on the last leg of the three-day Kiwanis charter.  The photographer in the red hat in the middle photo (by Olaf's friend Tom Koglin) is author Frank Barry, whose beautiful shots of the final full winter of D&RGW narrow gauge operations are featured in his book 'The Last Winter'.  The third photo in the bottom row shows the late Ernie Robart in the cab of "Union Pacific #478".  The photo was taken with Ernie's camera, probably by Joe Hereford, co-author with Ernie of Rio Grande Narrow Gauge — The Final Years', in Chama on October 9, 1968:


This second set of photos, all from 1968, features a few of the loose-knit 'Albuquerque Gang', which included a very young Olaf Rasmussen (top left) even though he didn't live there, Erica Enyart (top center), and Ernie Robart (oiling around "U.P. #478"), taken in late May, mid-July and early October, respectively.  IIRC they chased the narrow gauge in many different combinations starting around 1964 or '65.  Bottom left shows (sort of) Ernie's friend Stan Rhine (well-known author of 'Tin Feathers and Gasoline Fumes' and many other n.g. tales) and then Ernie a few minutes later in Farmington with #483 and the very last "Farmington Turn" in a photo taken with Ernie's camera, probably by Stan.  At the bottom right are Terry Ross & Jeff Stebbins, photographed by Ernie in Antonito on November 24, 1968, with the National Park Service Special behind them:


More recently, the top left shot below (stolen from regular NGDF poster Tank Smith) shows Ernie (back to camera), Terry (center) and Russ during the restoration of the track through The Narrows to allow passage of the first C&TS train to arrive in Chama, on September 6, 1970.  The top middle shot shows JBWX and Roosso at the west portal of Tunnel #2, waiting for green-jacketed #489 to emerge on May 25, 2010.  Top right shows the late Ed Stabler, who had been the hostler caring for #483 on her first night as a C&TS locomotive 40 years before as well as a member of the track restoration crew on September 02-06, 1970, expressing his appreci­ation of Roosso's caterwauling during their premier performance of The Foamite Song' a couple of hours previously as part of the Celebration of the C&TS Fortieth Anniversary.  The bottom left photo shows a somewhat more mature Olaf Rasmussen enduring a brief shower during a mid-September, 2009 excursion with DRHS 2-8-0 #315.  At bottom right are long-time friends Ernie Robart and Jeff Stebbins at Sublette on August 26, 2018.  Jeff was the engineer that day on the Trains char­ter commemorating the very last Rio Grande freights over Cumbres Pass fifty years earlier.  Very sadly and quite unexpected, Ernie passed away just four months later.


Both John Gruber and Jim Shaughnessy likely encountered more than one of the above ne'er-do-wells & curmudgeons (and Ernie or Erica, who did not fit in either category) during their visits to the D&RGW narrow gauge and / or the C&TS and Durango & Silverton from 1960 until well into the 21st Century.  IIRC John at least, if not Jim, visited the C&TS just a few years ago to reprise his 1967 trip, but I couldn't find the copy of Trains in which his story was published.  It's very likely that he encountered Jeff in the latter's role as a C&TS engineer, as well as noted videographers Roger Wigwam Hogan and Steve Forney, shown below left-to-right along with Steve's good friend Fred Oster (back to camera the third photo):


BTW, Fred was also in Chama during John Gruber's visit in August, 1967, and helped Roosso get his car back on the road after he drove into a ditch in the narrows to avoid rear-ending the car ahead when the driver stopped suddenly, apparently to allow his or her passenger to take a photo of the on-coming train.

- Sincerely, Willie  (Wm. Claude Johnson-Barr III, Esq.)  
          "Not All Who Have Cell-Phones Do Twitter *
          "Not All Those Who Ponder Can Think . . . "

          * Only TWITS Twitter!

p.s.  Speaking of cars, I forgot to include photos of the LocoMobiles* FoamerMobiles that probably intruded into Jim Shaughnessy's and especially John Gruber's photos.  Top left, below, is Ernie Robart's trusty Ford at Aztec in 1966.  It's tail-fins have been reported as hauling three or four narrow-gauge ties at a time during the volunteers' restoration of the railroad between Antonito & Chama during the summer of 1968.  Top right, at Monero in 1967, is Olaf Rasmussen's go-anywhere blue VW — with which he explored roads along the D&RGW that challenge even modern 4WD pickups (or so I've been told).  Bottom left, at the top of Cinnamon Pass a few days after being photographed by John Gruber in Antonito, is Russ Sperry's Moffat Green Triumph TR-4.  Not quite a match for Olaf's VW, it somehow enabled it's owner to go where few fans had ever gone before (in non-4WD vehicles, anyway).  Last but not least, at the bottom right is Gordon Chapell's T-Bird – AKA 'The ThunderTurtle' ** – as photographed by Ernie in scenic downtown Chama as it paused briefly during John West and Gordon's pursuit of 'The Mad Dash' freight that ran all the way from Alamosa to Durango in one very long day — May 28, 1968:


*  Name changed to protect the innocent (The Locomobile Co., 1899-1929) — and to avoid confusing the histœrical record.

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**  Gordon held on to it for many years, using it as long as it would run, and then storing it in his mother's garage in Sacto.  Eventually he very reluctantly sold it.  Back in 1968 as we left Durango in it after the "Mad Dash" and headed for California, I remember joking to Gordon that we were getting about 15 miles per quart . . . of motor oil.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2023 08:17PM by Johnson Barr.