John,
I purchased a picture a probably 20 years or so from Mrs Ried in Telluride that had been part of her husband Homer's collection. It showed one of the 28's going thru a cattle guard, and was labeled as running on the RGS.
I later talked with her about the possibility of it being on the Silverton branch instead, as it looked an awful lot like the old highway crossing below Shalona. She wrote me later, and told me that was exactly what it was, and her husband had mislabeled it.
I wonder how many others she passed on before tho..labled incorrectly. Perhaps this contributed to part of that rumor?
Just a thought.
Doug