Steam & Excursion > Any Illini RR Club members on this board--Need help with a trip

I have some film of a trip on the D&RGW Narrow gauge.  This was an excursion for 3 days from Alamosa-Durango-Silverton-Durango-Alamosa.
It was a short train powered by 484.  Someone told me they read somewhere that a short excursion left Alamosa on June 8, 1964.  Does anyone out there have any pictures or dates that might line up with the films.
Thanks in advance.
Greg Scholl

Hi Greg:
I forgot to look this up......

June 8, 1964, Chama, NM
Passenger Extra 484 West
Called 100pm
Eng. Holt
Frm. Gibbs

To Silverton June 9
To Farmington June 10

June 11, 1964, Chama, NM
Passenger Extra 488 East
Called 1145am
Eng. Degani
Frm. Jim Shawcroft
(short train, no Helper)

Passenger equipment deadheaded back to Durango for Silverton Branch
Deadhead Passenger Equipment 473 West
Called 115pm
Eng. Holt
Frm. Gibbs

 


 

Earlk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Greg:
> I forgot to look this up......
>
> June 8, 1964, Chama, NM
> Passenger Extra 484 West
> Called 100pm
> Eng. Holt
> Frm. Gibbs

Well that could be it since its the Chama call book. But not sure about the rest. See below
>
> To Silverton June 9
  The guy rode behind 484 West from Alamosa-Durango, then the next day to Silverton  riding 478.
> To Farmington June 10
No footage of Durango to Farmington.
>
> June 11, 1964, Chama, NM
> Passenger Extra 488 East
> Called 1145am
> Eng. Degani
> Frm. Jim Shawcroft
> (short train, no Helper)

This is baffling, cause the 484 was used from Durango to Antonito, not 488.  No helper.  So the dates could be correct, but not the engines
on the last day, and no Farmington film.  There were runbys on the Durango-Chama portion on the last day!!!
Thanks Earl.  Still not 100% solved yet.  Does it say who sponsored the trip?  Probably not noted, as crew didn't really care.
Greg

>
> Passenger equipment deadheaded back to Durango for
> Silverton Branch
> Deadhead Passenger Equipment 473 West
> Called 115pm
> Eng. Holt
> Frm. Gibbs
>

What day was this deadhead....Would have had to be the 12th if they were EB on the 11th??
Maybe 488 was used on the deadhead after the excursion train.  I don't think this is the time slot, cause
they rode a full-sized train to Silverton after reaching Durango with the short train.  Thus I suspect the Silverton train
was already operating.
>  
>
>
>  

gregscholl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Earlk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hi Greg:
> > I forgot to look this up......
> >
> > June 8, 1964, Chama, NM
> > Passenger Extra 484 West
> > Called 100pm
> > Eng. Holt
> > Frm. Gibbs
>
> Well that could be it since its the Chama call
> book. But not sure about the rest. See below
> >
> > To Silverton June 9
>   The guy rode behind 484 West from
> Alamosa-Durango, then the next day to Silverton
>  riding 478.
> > To Farmington June 10
> No footage of Durango to Farmington.
They must have gone to Farmington on 6/10.  Otherwise there is "down day" in the trip.  An unlikely event. 
> >
> > June 11, 1964, Chama, NM
> > Passenger Extra 488 East
> > Called 1145am
> > Eng. Degani
> > Frm. Jim Shawcroft
> > (short train, no Helper)
>
> This is baffling, cause the 484 was used from
> Durango to Antonito, not 488.  No helper.  So
> the dates could be correct, but not the engines
> on the last day, and no Farmington film.  There
> were runbys on the Durango-Chama portion on the
> last day!!!
> Thanks Earl.  Still not 100% solved yet.  Does
> it say who sponsored the trip?  Probably not
> noted, as crew didn't really care.
> Greg
Then, the 484 film is of a different trip.  484 did not get back to Chama until June 17, and that was a freight train.
>
> >
> > Passenger equipment deadheaded back to Durango
> for
> > Silverton Branch
Forgot date..... June 12, 1964
> > Deadhead Passenger Equipment 473 West
> > Called 115pm
> > Eng. Holt
> > Frm. Gibbs
> >
>
> What day was this deadhead....Would have had to be
> the 12th if they were EB on the 11th??
> Maybe 488 was used on the deadhead after the
> excursion train.
Engine on deadhead was 473 as shown above.
 I don't think this is the time
> slot, cause
> they rode a full-sized train to Silverton after
> reaching Durango with the short train.  Thus I
> suspect the Silverton train
> was already operating.
> >  
> >
The Illini (or whoever it was) trip had to be done before the regular Silverton service started.  In 1964 there was only one train set.  Work had begun on the cars for the second train but they weren't all on line until later that summer.  It there is footage of a full length (10-12 car) Silverton Train, it was taken a few days after the Illini Club trip, or on a different trip altogether.

If anyone out in Train Orders Land has a list of years that the Illini RR Club ran trips to Colorado to ride the narrow gauge, I could look of the dates in the Chama Crew Call Log 1961-1967, and get the rest of the story. 
> >
> >  

Could this link be of any help?


https://books.google.com/books?id=ROxEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA54-IA151&lpg=PA54-IA151&dq=ILLINI+RR+Club+ran+trips+to+Colorado&source=bl&ots=8oRqRZ65FQ&sig=ACfU3U3VpzX6o6AivC3gOYPNUy-5EjOG9w&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv27GwgLfnAhWVWM0KHRe6DD4Q6AEwAHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

Danny McLean
Center, TX