488 to the Rescue - Adventures in Mountain Railroading. Locomotive 488 rumbles across the Lobato Trestle with westbound Train 3, just after 6PM on September 23rd, 2009. The train is over 3 hours late and the passengers have certainly gotten their money's worth. The 488 actually started her day in Chama, pulling duty as a helper locomotive, double-heading with 484 on Train 2 up to Cumbres Pass in the morning. Shortly thereafter, the real fun started. She received a distress call from Train 3 out of Antonito. It seems that the daily westbound was in the vicinity of Sublette (essentially, the middle of nowhere!) when her loco, the 487, broke a spring hanger. The resulting displacement of metal parts fouled the valve gear on the left side of the engine. Train 3 was going nowhere. And, if that wasn't enough heartburn for a day, a pesky low pressure area over the four corners was starting to dump snow on the high country. Things were getting a little sporty out where Train 3 was stuck....and did I mention that these trains have no heat? Well, the 488 crew had some hoofing to do. They beat feet for the eastern side of the line, grabbed Train 3 and headed back west in the face of a September snowstorm, with several inches already on the ground. Fortunately, once they got past Cumbres Pass, things started to lighten up, and the remainder of the trip to Chama was just big flakes that don't stick to the ground. And what became of the 487? She somehow limped over to Chama and the crew there worked on her for 48 hrs straight. Two days later, she was double-heading up the hill again with 488. It may be the 21st century, but running trains across the Rockies after Labor Day is still an adventure.....as the fine folks on this train found out first-hand.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are all that remains of the legendary Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. Here you'll find some of my favorites from these two beautiful railways.
