Steam & Excursion > C&TS Visit Late June 2019

I spent a week volunteering with the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec (Work Session D, June 24-29)  Had a chance to get a few (thousand) photos but will just share a handful hoping these aren't views you are used to seeing.

1) Eastbound train on Sunday, June 23 with the 484 leading 8 cars up the grade approaching the cabins at Lobo Lodge (near the Dalton Grade Crossing).  I've only been here one other time in June but don't remember seeing as much snow on the mountains in the distance as we see here. Perhaps Roger can opine on the snow levels this year.

2) The same train is about to round the final curve before arriving at the summit of Cumbres Pass for a water break. Chama is 13 curvy miles in the distance, not to mention being more than 2,000 feet below Cumbres. Sunday, June 23, 2019.

3) Timeless scene in the yard west of the Chama depot, looking east.  Stock cars, narrow gauge, coal tipple, water tower, mountains, trees, afternoon clouds.  Sunday June 23, 2019.It was the beginning of a great week.

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Scene three with the cattle cars is a classic.
Bob

Don't think the nearest car is a cattle car.

Out

callum_out Wrote:
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> Don't think the nearest car is a cattle car.
>
> Out

It is for cattle with very short legs.  Lots of old time ambience around Chama well captured in the picture.  Thanks.

JBWX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/19 14:31 by jbwest.

Or sheep.

Single deck stock cars were for cattle, double deck were for sheep.  Back in the day, sheep were frequently loaded using a "Judas goat."  The goat was trained to go up the loading chute, make a circle through the car then come back down the chute.  The sheep would follow the goat into the car, hence the name "Judas goat," then the goat would "escape" back down the chute, the door of the car being shut behind the goat.before the loaded sheep could follow.  One of many practical solutions thought up by people back in the days when people still had common sense to figure such things out.