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Lets start this weeks update with a shot of
Caboose 0579, I would like to mention that this will be the first
update shot entirely on Digital.. Thanks to a Very Generous Donation
by a Gentleman named Bill Noe, I now have the Software and Camera to
shot digital... I don't even know what to say, its a amazing camera
with 5 mega pixels and all the lenses I need.. I am just thankful
beyond belief, thanks Bill, you have my made my job here alot
easier.. Thanks. |
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Here's Soni and I on 487..... |
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Good Morning, its Thursday the 28th of July, The
third Cinder Bear Express is ready to depart the Station in Chama. |
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The Train is 14 cars long today... a Double header
with 484 as the Road Locomotive and 488 as the Helper and Road
Locomotive for the return Cinder Bear Train. |
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Caboose 0306 shines in the Chama Sun. |
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Caboose will bring up the rear on todays passenger
train with Cinder the Bear aboard. |
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Helper 488. |
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I just brought 488 over from Antonito on Wednesday
and now it will be the Helper Locomotive and return the Cinder Bear
Train from Cumbres to Chama. |
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Locomotive 488 is ready to roll, its has been
running really good.. |
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A look at the Jordan Spreader and the 484. |
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A shot of 488's Nose... |
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This one's for my Buddys, they know who they
are... |
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A look at the Locomotive's for this morning's
train. |
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A look at the Couplers together, that's 488's
coupler to the right and 484's to the left. |
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A look at 484's headlight and stack. |
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A look at the construction going on on Caboose
05365, I am pretty excited to see how it comes out. |
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Engineer Ronnie Lopez waits for departure time. |
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Diesel 19 sits on Track Three in Antonito after
its Traction Motor repairs. |
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Car 522, Cresco is in Antonito for window repairs,
its nice to have such big windows on these cars, but they are prone
to breaking very easily. |
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Diesel 19 is fully repaired and ran a Tie Train to
Lava, it hauled to flat cars with new ties to Lava, New
Mexico. Ronnie was onboard and said it ran great, |
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Thursday evening and the Nightwatch takes
over....... |
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Elipio Duran is a Veteran Nightwatchman in
Antonito. |
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He is such a great guy, always has a smile and a
laugh... he is one of the hidden, seldom seen, but Highly Valuable
Employee's on the C&TS R.R.. When all us Engineers and Firemen are
home sleeping, he is wide awake keeping the Locomotives fired up and
ready to roll.... |
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All the Engineers..... Jeremy, Ronnie, Marvin,
Conductor Sam and Fireman Marvin Valdez and I, all started as
Nightwatchman in Antonito. There is nothing more Magical than
to sit on the Doghouse roof or Tender deck and watch a Meteor Shower
at 3:00 in the Morning while nightwatching a Locomotive. |
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How about some detail shots of the Couplers on the
Idler car in Antonito. |
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You can see in the pictures the standard gauge
coupler and the two pockets for the narrow gauge couplers. There are
two coupler pull levers on one handle for the narrow gauge couplers
and one for the standard gauge coupler. |
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You can see the difference in the Regular Coupler
to the left on the Boxcar and the Adjustable coupler on the Idler
car to the right. |
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Another view of the Couplers, the narrow gauge
coupler is in the right pocket and the left pocket has the retaining
pin in place.. |
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Early Morning and 487 is almost ready to roll. |
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I have dropped the old fire and started a new one
for today's run to Chama. |
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Soni is on 487, time to clean the bell. |
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Beautiful blue skies behind him. |
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That one of Soni rituals, he likes to polish the
bell. |
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All done.. |
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Ready for another day on the Railroad, that's Soni
and I on 487. |
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Locomotive 488 makes a stop at Los Pinos. |
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I love this Caboose, thought I would get a few
shots of 0570 for you guys. |
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Doesn't it look great in the morning sun. |
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A detail shot.. great work, this caboose came out
great, the Guys did a fantastic job on this thing. |
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Caboose 0579 and the Colorado Blue Sky, can't get
better than that. |
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Now 488 is in Antonito and getting prepared for
the days Train. |
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Ronnie is cleaning the ashes and firing up 488. |
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She is ready to roll.... |
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With me watching the backend, Ronnie backs 488 to
the Coaling Ramp. |
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488 quietly rolls across the road crossing with
Ronnie at the controls. |
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488 has a big load today and Ronnie on the backhoe
makes sure we get a good load. |
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We are over ten cars today, so we make a Water
stop at Los Pinos. |
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The Tank spout is a little slow, so I have a
chance to get down and get a picture for you out there in Internet
land. |
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488 poses at Los Pinos Tank... |
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The Work is now finished, but they
got some stuff done in a day or two in Antonito. |
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The Mainline in Antonito, north to
Alamosa was worked on recently. |
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Crews came in and replaced alot of
ties. |
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You can see the Tie Inserter
machine working in front of my house. |
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And the guys coming behind setting
up spike's. |
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I love that little Rail car with
their tools, he had these huge wheels on it. |
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I am actually taking these
picture's from the roof of my house. |
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The guy on this machine was pretty
quick... |
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And here comes the Antonito Local
heading to Alamosa... |
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Two locomotives up front..
probably 804 & 805. |
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Those Locomotives are leased and
used to be on the Rocky Mountaineer. |
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Here comes a few empty tankers. |
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The material hauled in these
tankers is a chemical used to keep dust down on roads... it is
offloaded near the Cumbres & Toltec Area into Trucks. |
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And there goes the Lava rock, it
is mined near a place called No-Aqua, right off the old Chili line
and trucked to Antonito, where it is loaded into these cars. |
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It is good to see the Old Rio
Grande Logo's still riding the rails, Antonito is a great place to
see cars from almost every fallen flag railroad.. this Morning two
cars, one a Rock Island and one a Chicago Northwestern covered
hoppers went by. |
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Now that's the life, here I am
with Jessica and Samantha at the Springs in Pagosa Springs,
Colorado... See you next week and once thanks to Bill Noe, I don't
know how to repay you, thanks. |
