Remarks: Doubleheading from Alamosa to Antonito. At Antonito both engines will take coal and water, and the helper will be cut into the train for the climb to Cumbres. It will be long after dark and probably close to 16 hours since going on duty by the time the crews tie up for the night at Chama. Only a few months later Yuri Alekseyevich Gargarin flew into space and circled the earth in the Vostok spaceship. The DRGW narrow gauge was an amazing time warp, even in the early 1960's....and the preserved D&S and C&TS portions still are.
Remarks: REAL BN green! The rear helpers are in dynamic as a westbound loaded grain train slowly begins its descent down Marias Pass toward Essex. Even in June fresh snow decorates the mountain peaks.
Remarks: A Tiefa Coal Mine Administration train of loads heads through the southeast quadrant of the junction at Sanjiazi enroute the connection with China Rail at Daqing. The SY pictured was part of a fleet of over 20 SY's that included two similar engines built in 1998, which may turn out to be the last steam engines built for regular service. Today the Tiefa Coal Mine Administration is mostly dieselized, but recent reports indicate it continues to use two SY's for their passenger service with two more in standby or overhaul status, including at least one of the 1998-built engines. Notice the modern rapid discharge hoppers making up the train.
Remarks: There is nothing dramatic about this picture, so what I believe appeals to me about it is it recreates the ambience of branch line steam railroading about anywhere along the Pacific Coast from Oregon to Southern California during SP days. I like the details. The steep canyon walls, oak and madrone trees (not to mention poison oak), the typical morning overcast, the cool air helping the steam condense, light branch line rail, the classic SP steam locomotive face, a heavyweight Harriman headend car. Niles Canyon Railroad (with the help of the Golden Gate Railroad Museum who preserves the 2472) provide a great setting for this kind of thing. And as they lay more track the opportunities will only get better.
Remarks: It is still early in the morning as EF Dona Teresa Christina (EFDTC) 1950 built Baldwin 2-6-6-2 No. 204 waits for its train to be loaded, while Lauro Mueller Mine 26 4-6-0 Alco 1920 shunts cars on the high line to the gravity loading arrangement. A year or two after this picture was taken a huge flood devastated the area, and although other parts of this meter gauge railroad reopened, this steeply graded branch was never rebuilt, and the 2-6-6-2's where set aside. Note the American style class slights of the front of the 204.
