Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec - FriendsOfCumbresToltec.org

After yesterday mornings busy times, today was more normal. 484 leads an 8 car train out and up the hill. Some switch work appears to be going on below the tipple as well. Sun poked out of the clouds a bit as 216 headed out.

488 is doing some south yard switching. You need to be watching as all this goes on since it seems whistle signals are optional with this crew. In the crews defense on this, they were using the radio to talk between conductor and engine. Final result, they moved 2 box cars from south yard to the track where the Friends sometimes work on cars. Also the entire time I was watching this, a crew was doing something on the engine lead in the dead zone by the coal tipple.

Well someone found the bell at least!! Interesting the no whistle, through much of the switching we see they often give a quick 2 toots to acknowledge radio comm. Unusual though to be this quiet.

Could they be working on the switch that leads to the swamp tracks which go toward the engine house?

Cumbres CDoT cam of 215.

A little dance of the K36's just occurred. 488 which was on the left side moved over to the connector track. Then 487 moved to the right side and pulled the cold 489 out and moved it over to the left side where both of them sat.

463 comes in with a 9 car train this afternoon.

What is on the track right now at cumbres? Looks like one car and I cannot make out whether there is a second car or engine. Looks like it might be a hopper - saw a loader up there earlier over by the pile of ballast.
John

I just notice a work train a Cumbres on the CDOT camera at 4:27 PM with one of the diesels (out of Antonito?). If I knew how to upload a photo I'd upload a screen capture.

Bill Hoss wrote:I just notice a work train a Cumbres on the CDOT camera at 4:27 PM with one of the diesels (out of Antonito?). If I knew how to upload a photo I'd upload a screen capture.

Still there here's a capture. Thanks John and Bill for the heads up on this one! I haven't checked those cams all day but the piles of what I think was ballast seem to be gone. It does look like they loaded it to the hopper. Has to be #19 for the locomotive out of Antonito.

Here's today's video review -

Train 216 heads out right on time, another nice cool morning with good smoke.

488 did some afternoon switching -




463 brought train 215 in today, 9 cars - and I didn't see them move one to the South yard, so there is a potential for another doubleheader tomorrow. We'll just have to watch and see!!!

Larry Sullivan wrote:

Bill Hoss wrote:I just notice a work train a Cumbres on the CDOT camera at 4:27 PM with one of the diesels (out of Antonito?). If I knew how to upload a photo I'd upload a screen capture.

Still there here's a capture. Thanks John and Bill for the heads up on this one! I haven't checked those cams all day but the piles of what I think was ballast seem to be gone. It does look like they loaded it to the hopper. Has to be #19 for the locomotive out of Antonito.

Thanks Bill and Larry, I thought it might be the #19 doing ballast work and now that I look again at the capture Ialso think that is what we are were seeing.
John

That does look like the 'pineapple' on the ballast train at Cumbres. It is so named since it came from Hawaii. I noticed a front end loader moving around up there most of the afternoon.

Larry Sullivan wrote:

Bill Hoss wrote:I just notice a work train a Cumbres on the CDOT camera at 4:27 PM with one of the diesels (out of Antonito?). If I knew how to upload a photo I'd upload a screen capture.

Still there here's a capture. Thanks John and Bill for the heads up on this one! I haven't checked those cams all day but the piles of what I think was ballast seem to be gone. It does look like they loaded it to the hopper. Has to be #19 for the locomotive out of Antonito.

As of Sunday, October 4, setting on the Los Pinos siding was a 5 car string of cars featuring two high sided hoppers like the one in the capture. Perhaps this is one or all of them.

Larry Gibson wrote:

Larry Sullivan wrote:

Bill Hoss wrote:I just notice a work train a Cumbres on the CDOT camera at 4:27 PM with one of the diesels (out of Antonito?). If I knew how to upload a photo I'd upload a screen capture.

Still there here's a capture. Thanks John and Bill for the heads up on this one! I haven't checked those cams all day but the piles of what I think was ballast seem to be gone. It does look like they loaded it to the hopper. Has to be #19 for the locomotive out of Antonito.

As of Sunday, October 4, setting on the Los Pinos siding was a 5 car string of cars featuring two high sided hoppers like the one in the capture. Perhaps this is one or all of them.

What we were seeing in the CDOT cams was ballast. A significant amount went into filling the trench for the French drain, leaving a still substantial amount. If they are cleaning this up, they might be getting serious about the proposed movie shoot.