Re: Bernie Watts' Boxcars....

Mike,
Bernie & I both worked the swing shift in Durango, Summer of 1982. During that time Bernie told me that he was the one who had bought quite a few of the boxcars left in Farmington. How many and what year? I don't know, but sometime between 1973 & 1978. He did move them to Chama and I believe some were in the yards and some were on his property. He told me that one of his cars was #3333 and it had burned. I was always under the impression that it was in Chama when it burned. Bernie sold his boxcars to Bradshaw and I think they arrived in Durango during the Spring of 1983. After they were unloaded off the trucks they filled the yard tracks up around the depot. They were all moved to the siding at Home Ranch and stored until a place to put them was constructed. They were to be put along the fence in the South yards. When the track was ready I fired the engine that brought them back to town and pushed them on their new fence track. A switch was not installed, however, the track on the balloon loop was taken apart and slid over to tie in with the new fence track. We pushed them in place and the section guys put the loop back together.
Thanks to kb466. I had forgotten about the boxcars at the Aztec highway yard. I can picture them in my mind. I think they may have been moved before I got my drivers license and could get around. I got my license Summer of '72.
For what its worth...
Ray Loose
Durango, Colorado