478, Probably Oct '68

Hi, Earl. Thanks for adding to the mix.
I looked again at the picture of the K-28 and I now think that engine is 478, not because of the whistle, but because, unlike I indicated in my earlier post (without going back to re-check), the rear corner of the tender does NOT have a cast step on it, it is a stirrup step. So, it IS 478.
So, if 478 went to Alamosa in October '67, this picture was taken in October '67, because this scene absolutely depicts preparations for the new loop, which probably started right after the conclusion of "Silverton" operations, also in in October 1967.
Here are some of my thoughts on other details visible in the picture:
1) The rail is being moved across the turntable to be used on the new constuction, which will include that stub being connected to the new loop behind the roundhouse, and the loop itself.
2) #50 has been moved to the end of the track where wheel sets have been stored for years previously. The wheelsets are now visible to the right of that track near the turntable. The reason it is that far back is probably to facilitate removal of rail near the new loop right of way. This is the track where #481, which arrived late in 1968 sat for so many years after the first four stalls of the roundhouse were torn down in 1971. There is probably a 6500 flat behind #50 to carry rail, it would have been able to pull a flatcar onto the turntable.
3) There are no Drop Bottom Gons on the ramp behind the coal tower. While this may have been a common sight while new cars were being switched onto the ramp, I have never seen a picture of the ramp with no cars on it, and I've looked at every picture I could find of the coal tower lots of times over the last 15 months or so.
4) There is a truck backed up to the side door of the coal tower. We know that some of the material inside the tower was salvaged, including the electric motor which operated it. In my view, with all else going on in the picture, this indicates that the tower is being gutted of salvagable parts prior to it's demolition, which had to be accomplished before the area was graded for the new track.
5) When has anyone seen a picture of so much activity in the yard? Something is definitely going on here that is way out of the ordinary, and the fall/winter/spring of 67-68 meets that criterea.
6) I still think the white area in the right foreground is snow, and there is snow in the turntable pit, so October is a real posibility.
Does anyone really know when the Coal Tower was demolished? We know it was gone before April '68, and it was still there until the end of the "Silverton" season in October 1967, but if this picture is what it seems to be, it didn't last much longer.
Thanks to all for your two cents and more. I've wondered about the demise of the coal tower for a long time, and this picture really seems to be a pretty good reference to reveal a lot of information.