Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec - FriendsOfCumbresToltec.org

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San Juan Train #216 departs Chama Depot headed to Antonito, Colorado. Locomotive 487 pulls 8 cars including a spare gondola and starts gathering momentum to haul its load up a 4% grade. The temperature in Chama is a brisk 59 degrees and it is a bit cloudy. Probably another day of late afternoon mountain showers during the return. A bright orange speeder is parked at the ash pit. The driver is seen dousing hot coals from an earlier dumping. He is also washing down the concrete alongside the grate to rid it of dirt and gravel for safer use. The speeder then heads to the north end of the yard and waits for the train to pass. Once the train passes, the speeder driver follows the train and extinguishes any fallen hot ashes or minor flames caused by the locomotive.
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I watched the Wine Train depart @ 5pm yesterday. I watched him return after 11pm. Boy do those dynamo powered engine lights light up the night yard good.
I'll be @ Chama [Heaven on Earth} by noon tomorrow if all goes as planned. I will get to greet 215 @ 4 pm, and the Botany train @ 6:pm. Frank [The Waver}

I imagine they took the newly re-furbished open car to Antonito for the Botany train tomorrow.

We got 215 at Cumbres today. By the fact that the parlor is fully showing, should be a 9 car train.

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Sharon is right with her prediction of a 9 car train. San Juan Train #215 entered the north yard at 4:08 P.M. and was pulled by Locomotive #489. The loud husky blowing of her whistle should be enough to tell us it is #489. She pulled quickly through the yard, but not quick enough to avoid the reset by the tipple north camera. The south view of #215 moving toward the Chama Depot is seen through the heavy smoke from her stack. It is not until the train has come to a complete stop does the engineer give his signal, which is a single blast of the whistle. Stopping the train is a balancing act performed by the the engineer working two independent brake systems, the engine brake system and the brake system for the cars.
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The speeder is a work horse or pony, depending upon your view, often used by yard and track personnel to access and complete work assignments along the 64 mile long railroad track. Today we saw its driver at work at the ash pit. Roger Hogan posted a video showing the use of the speeder by track maintenance personnel. It is informative and shows off our beautiful San Juan country. Suggest you watch and give it a thumbs up on YouTube.



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