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Cumbres And Toltec Shops Up-Dates
2006

November week-3

 

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Looking thru the Handrails of the ballast cars to the depot at Cumbres.

Thanks to Phillip Walters, we have two more shots from the Motor Car visit to the Cumbres & Toltec..

Here are the Motor cars in the shed and on the mainline at Cumbres..

Welcome to Antonito and the cab of Diesel 19, it snowed over the weekend and is extremely cold, but contrary to belief.. the Cumbres & Toltec is not just a warm weather railroad! The work must go on even in freezing weather.

Take a look at the track, what do you think??? It will take a while, but the track is improving!!

A ground level look at the track...

Looking pretty darn good isn't it???

Diesel 19 with Prestone in its motors prepares for another day of ballast dumping!!

We added a second layer of ballast to the track here and Chad is working the rock..

He is spreading the Ballast to complete this section of the track..

There is rock on the rails, but he will clean this off later.

Chad is doing a bit more grooming on the ballast, he has the wings down and is traveling in reverse.

You can see the blades down in this picture.

Diesel 19 has arrived at the east switch of Lava to dump ballast...

We will start here and head downhill for milepost 287.50 and completion of this part of the ballast project.

The snow storm sits just up on Big Horn mountain as we depart for Antonito. That's the end of the work day for us.

November 13th and Tender 489 has been moved from storage to track 4.

I know, I know.. the tender looks bad, but just give us time.

Diesel 19 on track three and tender 489 on track four.

Its been moved here in preparation for its complete restoration and rebuild.

Nov 14th and we are chasing the Tamper back to the loading zone... Check out that track.

Okay now listen here... some people will like this, some won't... but, the Bureau of Land Management is re-routing the road to Ferguson Trestle. Anybody willing should be able to pace the train along the tracks almost all the way to Ferguson Trestle from Antonito.

In this shot, you can see the Bulldozer doing its thing!!

Hey anybody curious about this.... well as I was walking along the cars dumping ballast and I noticed this!  Its the cement culvert at Lava, not right at Lava, but below the loop. There used to be a siding at Lava and this is the culvert that is still wide enough to hold two tracks.. thought you might like to see it.

Rolling along on the 16th of Nov, I am riding the doorstep and Ronnie is running as we haul two car loads of Ballast to Lava.

We have just finished a Ballast dump at Lava...Ronnie, Max and I are hauling rock, ton by ton...

A look at the Ballast car just past the end of a Ballast drop.

We are just short of Milepost 283 and the Ballast regulator and Tamper are working the main line.

We are headed back to Antonito and are waiting for the machines to finish and then clear for us.

You can see the Ballast regulator putting up a bit of dust as it brushes the ballast.

Here are the Regulator and Tamper and Ronnie in the Engineer's seat of Diesel 19 as a shadow.

See I told you, we have to fix just about everything in the Antonito shop..

Marvin is making some welds and repairs to the Ballast regulator..

And now, we must say goodnight...

The sun sets on the Antonito Yard, I hope you have enjoyed the picture's of the track work... take care..

Trains Unlimited..... Locomotive 488 above Los Pinos..

Ronnie and Marvin dumped alot of Ballast at Cumbres, locomotive 488 sits on the new ballast at the East Cumbres yard limit sign.

Good Ole' 488.

Making our way downgrade at Windy Point..

Blowing down the 488 at Coxo, I got a bit of a rainbow there...

Over the coal at Cresco....

Another rainbow over the coal...

Locomotive 488 at Cresco Siding, had a sliding car in the train, had to stop to drop the retainer.

Locomotive 488 at Cresco...

Two Caboose's at the Osier Water Tank..

October 18th, thought you might like a few more shots from this day!

A view of Cumbres, Colorado.

Looking thru new construction to the Diesel 19..

Ronnie waiting on Diesel 19.

Marvin is on the loader and finishing up on the ballast cars.

We are loaded and rolling downgrade from Cumbres..

Making the turn at Milepost 329.

We will dump the ballast right here...

Diesel 19 rolls along as we dump the ballast... after dumping we will continue to Antonito.

We met the track crew at Osier...

Leaving the guys behind and heading for Antonito.

This isn't a good picture, but I wanted to show you the Icicles in Rock Tunnel.

Nearing Phantom Curve.

Coming out of the east portal of Mud Tunnel.

We will be stopping at Toltec Siding.

Stopped at Toltec Siding, Ronnie chats with Section foreman Rudy Garcia.

Diesel 19 and Motor car 012.

We have stopped at Sublette, New Mexico to pick up a tank car...

Ronnie checks the tank car before we take it home.

We used this tanker when the Stand pipe at Sublette had trouble, remember!!! Rolling out of the siding, I am on the tank car and Ronnie is in the cab.

Making the turn on the top of Gravity hill..

Past Milepost 288 and heading for Antonito.

We have stopped at Osier to oil the locomotives, This is the 23rd of October and we are taking equipment back to Antonito for the winter.

Mount Blanca from the tracks.... Welcome to another run over La Veta.

I was called for a Extra Freight over La Veta Pass as a conductor....

I love this, one day dumping ballast on the Cumbres & Toltec, the next riding shotgun with Earl over La Veta..

We have stopped at the Summit of La Veta Pass at Fir to set up the retainers.. that's Earl taking a walk to stretch.

SLRG 459 and a leaser locomotive made up our consist.

Good ole' SLRG Locomotive 459.

SLRG 459 has the Rio Grande logo on it...

Onboard and ready to roll....

And down we go...

Passing the east switch of Occidental.

Looking thru the window of 5824 with Maestas peak in the background.

459 and 8524 roll the train downgrade...

Maestas Peak thru the window of 8524....

Our shadow as we roll downgrade above La Veta...

Goodbye to everybody, hope you are continuing to enjoy the website, see you next week. Carlos Llamas

 

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