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With two days left in the season we have a long train set waiting and some opening working going on. The loader is working the coal pile and the RPO display is opened. A partly clear morning before clouds are expected to roll in. A big day on the RR ahead.

488 is first out this day for the long 216.

The early sun lights the fall colors in the north yard as 488 is fueled and the second loco is at the water tank. Later the dust from the fuel is washed down from the tender just before 484 follows down the main.

This speeder comes into the yard and 484 has to wait for it to pass before it can come down for coal.

After the speeder gets by, 484 and 488 are side by side in the nice light.

488 slides up to the train set as 484 moves onto the fuel dock. The sun lights the "Flying Rio Grande" logo on 484's tender.

While we wait for the train to leave, the Cumbres cams have caught the Antonito bound bus as well as some MoW critters sitting up there.

This is the last departure that I will have a chance to see this season, so will be watching not grabbing shots.

My first catch of a locomotive on the Antonito cam this year!
Thanks for all the coverage this morning Sharon and Larry - nice to come home after work and be able to quickly catch up on the happenings. Looks like video recorded all morning too, so I may add that into the day's coverage. Hard to believe we are about 30 hours from season's end.

Awaiting the Highball!!!

I caught that also but you got the shot up first.

Bitter sweet to watch the longest train of the season leave Chama on the last Saturday of the year. Tomorrow I will be driving home at departure time so will look forward to Larry S's video of the final Chama departure of the season.

And then there is just one 216 left! Longest 216 of the season heads east!

Ridin' the Cumbres to Antonito
Mountain railroad, Saturday mornin' rail;
Fourteen cars and a mess of happy riders,
Three conductors, hear those whistles wail.

Rich Murray wrote:Ridin' the Cumbres to Antonito
Mountain railroad, Saturday mornin' rail;
Fourteen cars and a mess of happy riders,
Three conductors, hear those whistles wail.

Nicely done. I knew the melody instantly.

One of my favorite videos is Earl Knoob and Ed Stabler singing Earl's version of that song.

Jason Rose wrote:

Rich Murray wrote:Ridin' the Cumbres to Antonito
Mountain railroad, Saturday mornin' rail;
Fourteen cars and a mess of happy riders,
Three conductors, hear those whistles wail.

Nicely done. I knew the melody instantly.

One of my favorite videos is Earl Knoob and Ed Stabler singing Earl's version of that song.

would those lyrics be ok for family listening?

Smoke a coming! Audience waits for the show on top!!!

Rich Murray wrote:

Jason Rose wrote:

Rich Murray wrote:Ridin' the Cumbres to Antonito
Mountain railroad, Saturday mornin' rail;
Fourteen cars and a mess of happy riders,
Three conductors, hear those whistles wail.

Nicely done. I knew the melody instantly.

One of my favorite videos is Earl Knoob and Ed Stabler singing Earl's version of that song.

would those lyrics be ok for family listening?

Of course. I'll post the video later.

Larry Sullivan wrote:My first catch of a locomotive on the Antonito cam this year!
Thanks for all the coverage this morning Sharon and Larry - nice to come home after work and be able to quickly catch up on the happenings. Looks like video recorded all morning too, so I may add that into the day's coverage. Hard to believe we are about 30 hours from season's end.

bandicam 2015-10-17 11-37-17-845.jpg

Larry,
Very nice, I also noticed steam this morning earlier when they were hooking up to the passenger consist.
John

Larry Gibson wrote:488 slides up to the train set as 484 moves onto the fuel dock. The sun lights the "Flying Rio Grande" logo on 484's tender.

A ways back some folks were talking about the amount of coal be filled into the tenders. Probably just my fading eyesight, but it looked to me like both the 488 and 484 were less than full up this morning.
John

At 14:31 by the cumbres cam time you can see cars in the picture in addition to the MOW equipment. Anybody tell which ones they are?
John

John Hamman wrote:

Larry Gibson wrote:488 slides up to the train set as 484 moves onto the fuel dock. The sun lights the "Flying Rio Grande" logo on 484's tender.

A ways back some folks were talking about the amount of coal be filled into the tenders. Probably just my fading eyesight, but it looked to me like both the 488 and 484 were less than full up this morning.
John

Looking at the video from this morning the tenders look pretty full to me. Back a week or so ago when a comment was made about them being a scoop or two short you could really tell they weren't quite full. Also yesterday, or maybe Thursday I heard a delivery of coal. I'll have the video up after 215 arrives.

John Hamman wrote:At 14:31 by the cumbres cam time you can see cars in the picture in addition to the MOW equipment. Anybody tell which ones they are?
John

14:31 camera time is actually 15:31, so could well have been 215 you were seeing.

489 brings a late 215 in around 4:41.

Here's today's video review - one more day to go after today, and it looks like 9 cars are left on the main - so we may have a doubleheader to end the season.

10-17-15 Morning yard preparations for today's 216. This one runs about 18 minutes.


10-17-15 Train 216 Departs with 488 as road locomotive and 484 as helper.

10-17-15 484 helper locomotive returns


10-17-15 Train 215 arrives in Chama