Hey Earl...

Jason,
I believe Earl Knoob told the tale of this trip. The C&TS had drop bottoms filled with cinders / Ballast readied for a work train to be dumped along the line.
The organizer of the trip and Earl (I believe - Earl correct me on this) came up with the idea, last minute, of adding the drop bottom gons and a third engine for the Three-Engine Run up Cumbres.
The Gons were set out at Cumbres and then down to Antonito with 484 and no caboose.
487 and 497 returned with the train to Chama for more runs the next day.
I personally was on a trip in 1989 with 487 and 489 where we also pulled a pair of Gons with cinders. We actually stopped along the line on the return off the hill and watched the crews dump the cinders along the right of way. Very cool.
Kevin Cook