I guess these photos are of interest, and now I know when I took them. I do recall that it was right after Bradshaw took over. One of his first acts was to have the phony stacks removed from the 470s, and then the Alamosa engines were brought over that were part of the purchase agreement with the Grande. I think we were all impressed with the speed with which Bradshaw made things happen in those early days. He made promises and kept them, and at what price to his operating personnel is another story.
So, here are the photos, somewhat in order:
The 493 arrived on one truck and the tender on another. They arrived pretty much on time. One of these shots has the tender in the background with a pretty good sized stretch of rust on the side.
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Pretty impressive trailer. I think Bradshaw was doing well in the orange juice department at the time and it seemed like cost was no object:
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The fellow in brown taking a picture is Amos Cordova. Note that McDonalds was already in place by 1981.
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Two Durango locals are giving Charlie Bradshaw the once over. Charlie was there to see the big move, and this was before he realized that business suits were not the going form of dress around the railroad. He is the fellow holding the papers. He also did not like having his picture taken.
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And then some views of the roundhouse and the yard that Bradshaw inherited from the D&RGW. Note the expansive use of plywood used to clad the exterior of the roundhouse--a material that is not meant for long exposure to the elements, but was cheap and fast to install. And, it sure burns nicely.
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And last but not least, Charlie eliminated what had been a sore point with railfans for years--those god-awful stacks.
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