Re: Chama N.M. January 24th-31st 1957

John:
Following newspaper account is from my snowfighting book notes. 57 was a bad year on Cumbres, but not nearly the worst. 1899, 1916 were worse...and the worst was 1932.
January 28, 1957, Monday
Heavy Snow Traps Trains Atop Pass
Twenty men and two trains were snow bound Sunday atop 10,922 foot Cumbres Pass on the Colorado-New Mexico border.
Nearly four feet of new snow has fallen on the pass since Saturday night. It was still snowing late Sunday.
Trapped in fifteen foot drifts were two Rio Grande Railroad freight trains with crews of 14 and 12 men.
One Sighted
Railway officials in Chama, New Mexico said a third unit—a rotary snow plow powered by three engines was within sight of one trapped train but it would be Monday before it reached them. Officials said all the men were supplied with food and shelter. They have been stranded on the pass since Saturday night. One train is atop the pass, the other is about a mi
les below it on the west side.
Amos Cordova, railroad agent in Chama, said the first train left Chama at about 9am Saturday. It was sent up the narrow gauge line with a spreader type plow to clear the track of snow. Pulled by two engines it managed the 12 miles to the top. One of its engines derailed trying to turn around in the drifts.
Rescue Failed
A second two-engine train left last Saturday night. It bogged down about a mile west of the top.
The rotary plow powered by three engines and manned by approximately 25 crew men left Chama Sunday afternoon.
Cordova said at first it was hoped the trapped men could be rescued Sunday night. However, crewmen called later and reported the train has traveled only about 8 miles in 4 hours. Cordova said he had talked with the trapped men in the second train by dispatchers telephone. He said they could see the rescue train far below winding up the twisting rails. They said the first crew was comfortable in the section house on the pass.