Volunteer Efforts

Tom,
I don't know when #268 was painted out of it's Bumblebee scheme, but by 1966 it was all black, and remained so until just a couple of years ago.
By 1966 #278 was in Montrose next to the Chamber of Commerce, and had obviously been painted by well meaning volunteers. As I recall it was pretty much the same scheme it had been retired in, but had "Chamber of Commerce" painted on the tender. I don't think it had silver cylinders, just the head covers.
The caboose at Ouray looked pretty much the way it does in the posted picture, as I remember it. The distinctive low flying herald and the white grabirons were it's most distinctive features.
#315 rested next to Main St. in Durango, wearing the fake baloon stack that was removed recently by it's volunteers.
Over the years, this equipment, like most all Park displays depended completely on some group of individuals who cared enough to keep it from falling completely into ruin.
John Bush did a lot of really good and extensive work over a period of years to several displayed pieces, including #278 when it was moved to Cimarron, #168 at Colorado Springs, and even some work on the Caboose at Boulder. Rick Steele did #71 at Central City. I was involved with a group that worked on #30/74 in Boulder, #60 in Idaho Springs, and #491 at Golden.
This is hard and thankless work, and you can only do it for your own gratification, because no one else will care a damn about it. My hat is off to others everywhere who have given their time and resources to preserve equipment left to otherwise decay into oblivion.