Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec - FriendsOfCumbresToltec.org

Locomotive 488 is heading to the coal dock in the early morning with a nice steam display due to the cold air. Where do they try to meet the 215 when they go all the way to Antonito?

The 488 takes the student freight out of Chama as the 489 moves to the ash pit to get ready to take 216 east.

A rare sight - actually not sure I've ever seen them do it at the water tank, a blowdown while 488 was there this morning.

2nd screen cap - quite a meeting of the students in front of 488.

Is 463 parked out back of the engine house? Have not seen it since early last week.

Sharon Evans wrote:Is 463 parked out back of the engine house? Have not seen it since early last week.

487 is, as far as I know tracking on cams, is inside the left bay of the shop. 463 may be behind her, or outside - either way has definitely not been seen since the charter of last week. I wish we could get rid of those trees that block the view of the back of the shop. Maybe someone on site could verify for us!!

Larry, I think that was the "class picture".

Sharon Evans wrote:Larry, I think that was the "class picture".

Good point Sharon - I didn't think of that. Thanks!

It is so quiet in Chama right now that all you hear is the rustle of the leaves as the wind blows.

484 leads train 215 into Chama on a very quiet afternoon.

Appears some heavy equipment is staged up at Cumbres today.

Today's daily video recap --

08/18/15 - 488 up early for the school train, and a rare blow-down at the water tank. Usually they go out just beyond the yard switch and do this. First time I think I've seen it at the tank.


08/18/15 As noted by Sharon above, great smoke this morning in the cool air - so got a bit of 488's morning preparations.


08/18/15 488 heads out with the Engineer/Fireman school train as 489 comes to the ash pit to start her day.

08-18-15 - As noted above, very unusual to see a locomotive blow-down at the water tank - never seen before, so of course 489 had to do the same thing - just to make a liar out of me!!!


08-18-15 Train 216 Departure - South cam only, North cam had frozen on me a couple hours earlier.


08-18-15 After a very quiet day in the yard with no hot locomotives for the first time in a while, #484 brings in train 215


So for this evening, 488 and 489 are in Antonito, 484 is hot and in Chama and 463 and 487 are both cold and undergoing some maintenance work.

Sharon Evans wrote:Locomotive 488 is heading to the coal dock in the early morning with a nice steam display due to the cold air. Where do they try to meet the 215 when they go all the way to Antonito?

Usually the meet is at Osier with the students getting an early lunch. This is also true the following day when meeting 216. However several years ago when I was going through the engineer school we were held at Toltec siding to meet 216 because 215 and a speeder tour by the Commission preceded us. We had a very late lunch but a wide selection of deserts.

Larry Gibson wrote:Appears some heavy equipment is staged up at Cumbres today.

They are probably going to be leveling (removing) the piles of ballast prior to the movie shoot.
Also there are several panels of track sitting in front of the ballast. These may have been removed from the siding in front of the section house to facilitate the installation of the French drain.

Sharon,

I just finished the Engineer School and in answer to your question, on our trip to Antonito we stop in Osier and pick up a box lunch and then meet 215 at Toltec siding. Coming back to Chama on Wednesday we are ahead of 215 and eat lunch at Osier, then leave as soon as 216 arrives. We remain ahead of 215 to Chama and arrived about 20 minutes before 215 in time to turn the train on the wye.

Thanks Jim for that nice bit of information.