Steam & Excursion > D&RGW #498 EB below Lobato, Aug. 1968

East up Cumbres Pass, K37 #498 with what would prove to be the last revenue freight for the narrow gauge. Late August, 1968, seen just West of Lobato, NM

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Well Drew, as an old buddy from Alabama used to say: "That's a whole heap beautimous!" Had no idea that you were shooting the ng then. Bet you are thanking your decision now.
That was sure a bad summer for steam...the NdeM quit both the use of the narrow gauge Consolidations & the last 17 QR-1 4-8-4s, and they did it right on the eve of the Summer Olympics. Hillcrest Lumber stopped using Climax 10 in August, the Magma Arizona had its last run of steam on September 4 and the Rio Grande was done with the narrow gauge.
Really fine steam pic, thanks!

Tom

Very nice shot. Thanks for posting it. I like the way the smoke arches over the two trees with the light on the hills with perfect placement of the engine.

The 484 should have been the rear end pusher. That was probably Carl Jack at the throttle but maybe Kenny Faucett or Lee Otteson. Great photo!

Yes it was. The 498, as I recall, came out of Durango, then worked with 484 up Cumbres. I think it was 483 that went back to Durango. They didn't double head out of Durango due to crew shortage, instead, 498 made two runs, one to Gato and the next day all the way to Chama.

Might you recall what the running time was between Durango and Chama? Were stops made for water between these stations? I recently viewed the drgw.net Trip Report of this line and noticed a couple of water tanks.

Any pictures from the 'missing link'?

Thanks,

* JB *

drew1946 Wrote:
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> The 498, as I recall, came out of
> Durango, then worked with 484 up Cumbres. I think
> it was 483 that went back to Durango. They didn't
> double head out of Durango due to crew shortage,
> instead, 498 made two runs, one to Gato and the
> next day all the way to Chama.

I have a lot of photos from the missing link, but they are currently in storage. It seems to me the running time was about 10 to 12 hours, maybe more. I know they took water at Ignacio and Gato (aka Pagosa Jct)and I woould think somewhere in or around Monero. When I shot a train around Monero in 1967, they made a stop there to take coal but in '68 the coaling facility was no longer maintained. I don't recall if there was water there or not.

I think, and 38 years of degraded memory does not help, that the Ignacio tank was an old locomotive tender up in stilts, but again, that could have been Arboles.

I will try to find some of that stuff in the next few weeks.

Nice shot of the 498. I was there in early June 1968 and caught three days of action. 478 with first pipe train Durango-Farmington and return. 498 the next day with empty box cars mostly Durango-Chama(took all day). Next day 498 took loaded pipe out of Chama in the morning back to Durango, which 483 and 493 had brought over from Alamosa the day before. We shot the 498 departure, then followed 483 and 493 with a long empty train headed up Cumbres Pass. There 493 ran ahead light, and we caught 483 at the Cumbres Loop, then waited at Antonito for helper 493 which we chased to Alamosa.

Question, do you or anyone else you know have movies of this trip, or any others from 1968. I would kinda like to do a production of the last year.

Greg Scholl

http://www.gregschollvideo.com