Did some more digging and found an artical from CLASSIC TRAINS winter 2002 "Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Finale" by Al Chione..most text taken word for word
1968 season...
First run west out of Alamosa was April 23. Doubleheaded K-28s 476 & 478 and a caboose on a break in run after both locomotives overhauled.Locomotives went as far as Lava Tank and tunred around on reverse loop.
Second run west out of Alamosa was May 28.
Doulbleheaded K-28s 476 & 478 with through freight pipe train to Durango bound for Farmington.
Two substantial freights in June but only one each in July and August, plus a work train from Alamosa to Phanton curve, west of Sublette and return on August 19.
Al mentions that the last true narrow gauge freight was on August 31 with 483 making a Farmington turn.
September saw only trains operate for two movies "Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid" and "The Good Guys And the Bad Guys"
October had some remaining movie trains, but only "through train" was 473 running light Durango east to Chama then to Alamosa October 10 for major overhaul.
As soon as 473 was done the Alamosa shops closed.
November saw National Parks train on 23-24.Train consisted of 483, caboose, one 60's built coach, combime 212, and buisness car B-7.
Now details of final movement west from Alamosa.
December 5th was picked for moving day because a bad storm was to come over the Conejos Mountains.
so it was dispatched, from Denver, that 473 would depart Alamosa 7am, with 481 and the cars from National Parks trip, for Durango.483 would lead west of Antonito to buck drifting snow with pilot plow
7:15a.m. Two engine leave roundhouse travel though yards to train waiting in front of Depot.
Crews for 473,Engineer Lee Otteson and Fireman Stan Smith. 483 had Engineer Eldon Morgan and Fireman Jim Shawcroft. Conductor was Harly Gilliland and Road Foreman of Engines Jim Pierce. Train consist was five box cars,481 pulled dead in consist, four more boxcars, a flat bottom gon with flue tubes, three passenger cars from Parks trip, and three cabooses. 481 was picked for possible use on Silverton line pending bridge upgrades.Overhaulded in 1966 but never used,481 was stored serviceable.Train pulled out of Alamosa at 7:45 a.m..
To monitor 473 correctly they would stop every five miles to check bearings and fittings. A minor injector problem caused a short stop at La Jara, but soon was back under way arriving in Antonito at 9:30a.m..
483 was moved to point and both locomotives took on coal and water and headed west.
Train maded it to Sublette around 1p.m. and took on water, here brakeman Denny Cummings cut down a Christmas Spruce and threw it on the roof of caboose 0540. Left Sublette at 1:45p.m.. Arrived at Los Pinos at 3:45a.m.. Slow pace from Sublette was due to making two more inspections on 473.
At Cumbres 483 was cut off and run light to Chama, 473 followed fifteen minutes later. By 6 pm everything was in Chama.
Friday Dec. 6th. had to thaw out 473's frozen ashpan by building fire between rails and backing over it. Then, both engines serviced by crew and 483 wyed to return to Alamosa with two cabooses, 473 reconfigured train. Behind 473 was five boxcars,481,gon full of tubes ,three passenger cars and the caboose. At 8:45a.m.. 473 took last train west out of Chama.Around 12:45a.m., the train made it to Gato for a lunch break. After taking on water, 473 pulled out of Gato for the last time. The last water stop was made at La Bloca around 3p.m.. It was dark when train pulled up in front of the Durango depot. The 473 cut off and went to the roundhouse..... it was over.
The crew made one last task for the night and gave the tree to Denny's mother in Durango.
Monday a bad storm hit the Durango-Alamosa area dumping up to two feet of snow.
Dan K-28473
