Re: Pagosa Shay

Hello Mr. Coker & Web
We are in luck to be able to answer the possible final demise of Argentine Central Shay Lima #1561.
Thank to microfilms of Lima Service Department file card records we get the following status, but some actual entries are not actually dated.
No date is on the Town Card (they filed the whole country by town name) "Dulce, NM, The Pagosa Lumber Co., kind of business-Lumber, Shay: 1, Climax: 1, Baldwin Co.:1. [my guess #37 was gone or out of service]
A visit card to New Mexico Lumber Co. ElVado on Dec.09,1923 by C.C.Ring Remarked "Cut out and moving plant to Dolores, Colo. Shay 1561 sold to Pagosa Lumber, NM." on the same card the next line entry read: "Aug. 02, 1926 at McPhee, Colo. by C.C.Ring #1062 scrapped." This is very valuable information to change the text and roster in my story of the NML Co. in RGS Story Volume VII that everyone should read. The number plate of #6 #1062 was then put on Lima #1063 the mate which was at McPhee. Another visit card in 1/14/1930 confirms this as it shown road number #6 being Lima #1063. More later on what corrections that requires in the publication.
Back to answer question of demise of #1561: The detail Pagosa Lumber Co. profile card was dated by JED October 22, 1924 and listed three engines: "1561 Road #1, built 1905 Shay 37-2 Lima (Scrap) [and this had a pencil line through line.] Next line: #732 road #7 -- -- weight 28 Climax. Next line #1533 road #70 -- - Wt 50 Baldwin." Last line make some important questions as to whether this is a true typo! Remember #70 was Baldwin #5133 not 1533. But H&H #6 Climax is Climax #1533. Did the new Climax #6 also come over from LaMadera for a short visit before going to Idaho and SV RR.???? Joe Hereford feels, with his data, #6 went direct to Idaho from LaMadera.
Back to #1561: Visit Card dated Oct. 14, 1924 at Dulce, NM by C.C.Ring: "Boiler of Shay 1561 has been condemned by insurance inspector, Dismantling mill". To the reader: dismantling the mill did not mean the end of railroad logging as the entire new Mundo Contract began in 1923 and ran at least into 1927 cutting 30,649,886 feet. At this time I have the suspicion that many of these logs were hauled to Chama and fed to the new mill we all remember at Chama. We need to interview the oldest people in the Chama area!
The end may have been that #1561 was one of the five engines cut-up at Dulce by Bernstein Brothers after Nov. 17, 1928. (see my prior posting of 1/15/2001 to this group.
These 8 rolls of 16mm microfilm of Lima records can be obtained from Smithsonian for about $125.