Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec - FriendsOfCumbresToltec.org

The sun rises on another day in the Chama yard.



489 is out early this morning at the ash pit, will have to watch and see if anything beyond normal servicing happens.

Earlier this morning we had a couple mule deer resting by the sand box, hard to see except for their white hind sides. One was laying there for 1/2 hour or so before the 2nd one showed up and they moved off.

As Larry noted early start for 489 to do moves for the Friends










489 has gone deep into south yard to work. Can just barely see his smoke.

We also have someone weeding in the sand box this morning.

I would be kind of apprehensive as to what may be in those weeds. Wonder if they are going to put down some type of ground sterilent to prevent further growth.




Look past the depot and you can see 489 up on the depot house track for some reason.

Note the spreader has the blades out as well this morning.

Further morning moves in Chama and the FOTCT are busy little beavers all over the place today. Interesting that the 489 is doing a lot of work on the depot house track, which, of course, we cannot see.
With 487 out at the normal time for the road engine to get read, make me think its going to take 216 out and 489 was out to do extensive switching in the yard.






489 has now headed east on the main.

Note in the last photo that a new car has been added on the depot house track behind the RPO. This seems to be the net effect of all the shifting this morning.

Bruce McDowell wrote:Note in the last photo that a new car has been added on the depot house track behind the RPO. This seems to be the net effect of all the shifting this morning.

Wonder if its the water car the Friends have been working on set there as another display car.

Departure of train 216
Eight cars again this week. Wonder if the business is that good or they are just deadheading cars back to Antonito after the Geology train.


with that new car on the depot house track, it will be almost impossible to see a hi ball from the conductor.



487 blows to alert the conductor of the running brake test

Wow, the atmospherics were perfect today, you could hear 487's whistle all the way out to the narrows, that was cool!

Hah - got really lucky taking a peek at the Pass camera - 489 after turning.

Steve Ritchie wrote:Wow, the atmospherics were perfect today, you could hear 487's whistle all the way out to the narrows, that was cool!

It is kind of amazing how far out you can hear it at times!

Here's video of the morning switching. Unedited, runs about 18 minutes or so. Also seen are the Friends that start working on weeding the sand box, looks like they did a heck of a good job when finished!

More from the morning will come as I work it up.

Arrival of train 215 and other afternoon activities


The 489 is back from spinning the wye and the fire patrol speeder is following right behind



There are still a lot of folks riding in the open gon as 215 passes the coaling tower

Bruce McDowell wrote:Hah - got really lucky taking a peek at the Pass camera - 489 after turning.

489 stayed at Cumbres until 216 cleared and then proceeded back to Chama.

Word from the crew is that because of a shortage of grease for the bearings, the bearings were converted to use oil as a lubricant. They are working out the kinks before putting it into revenue service.

484 at the ashpit at 6:15 local time.

Pete Dahlberg wrote:

Bruce McDowell wrote:Hah - got really lucky taking a peek at the Pass camera - 489 after turning.

489 stayed at Cumbres until 216 cleared and then proceeded back to Chama.

Word from the crew is that because of a shortage of grease for the bearings, the bearings were converted to use oil as a lubricant. They are working out the kinks before putting it into revenue service.

That then explains what they were doing with 487 earlier in the month.

Posting these captures in the daily thread to document the change in position of the RPO car after the 215 arrived as noted by Jonathan Cordova in his contingent thread. Good observation!!!:)

Dusk falls on yard just before depot cam goes to B/W mode. Night shadows approach at 8:50 MDT.

More video of the day -- sorry so late, real life got in the way of the fun today, so couldn't be around this afternoon/evening - hopefully I've caught all the important stuff!!

Here's another short video of the morning yard activity, primarily showing the blades being opened on the Jordan Spreader - but also in the foreground the weeding of the sand box kicks into high gear, 489 is working by the depot, 487 is smoking away heavily at the shop as she's stocked up for her days journey, and lots of Friends out working on the various projects.



With some sounds from 463 as she headed back to the shop from getting water, we see 3 deer enter the yard, likely coming from the swamp, cautiously crossing the yard alert to all the activity around. After they go out of camera shot, about 20 seconds later with someone walking down to the North yard the deer decide it's safer over in the swamp and head back.



Train 216 departs with 487 in the lead.

A few other highlights from the afternoon -- along with all the Friends in the yard, a large tour group of some kind was being shown around, came from the depot then went over around the shop, some down to near the tipple, later a 2nd group the same. The brush that had come out of the sandbox was cleaned up, loaded onto the bucket loader, then brought to the swamp, and ending with 489 and the fire speeder coming back from their trips to Cumbres.



Train 215 returns, I only have the South cam for this one.



This is in the other thread already, but thought I'd put here for completeness of the day. Super thanks to Mr. John Cole, risking life, limb, and 1000's of bee stings to clean our windows on the Chama world! Thanks John, the effort is much appreciated by all of us.

One more to end the day -- was trying to catch some of the lightning in the area, no luck there but someone was setting off some fireworks, then right at the end of this some small critter walks down and across the ash pit - might be a cat, might be something else - anyway fun way to close the day.