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Cumbres And Toltec Shops Up-Dates
2007

November week-3

 

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We are loaded and have backed into track one to allow Ronnie to roll by on Diesel 19.

As soon as we finish loading, we will back into Antonito and let Ronnie on Diesel 19 clear the mainline track. We will then water up and head for Milepost 293.50. The 4 ballast cars are equal to about 8 or 9 passenger cars, so 488 is working hard all the way! 

We are stopped on the mainline loading rock when Ronnie arrives on Diesel 19.

Another truck unloads its rock for us.. delivered track side just for us.

You can see the elevation of the curve in this shot.. Locomotive 488 has been performing beautifully on the Ballast trains. 

We are below Milepost 294 and have 3 cars dumping ballast. We have just finished a dump in reverse and will depart back to Antonito for a reload. We always dump in reverse and downhill as it is easier to maintain a smooth slow speed. 

You can see the fresh ballast ahead of the Locomotive.

Its a cold morning and locomotive 488 is working thru Lava Curve.. 

4 cars and locomotive 488 loading in Antonito.

4 cars makes the job alot easier.. but they are heavy.

Another dump is done and we will back down to Antonito.

A look at the fresh ballast, we dumped kinda heavy so the track crews will have lots of rock to work with. 

It can at times seem like we are getting nowhere, but after a dump like this we are making progress.

Slowly but surely we are getting the railroad covered with rock..

Just below milepost 295.

Doesn't it look great to see ballast getting spread over the railroad.

It takes about 45 minutes to load the 4 ballast cars...

Cumbres & Toltec locomotive 488 loading up in Antonito.

Its early morning and I am heading to a ballast site with 488.

How do you turn a Tamper around... here we go!!

Its turning around...

JC lifts the tamper into the air with its built in turn table and Avery pushes the machine around.

Thats a quick way to turn a machine around, no need for a wye or loop!

Cumbres & Toltec locomotive 488 on MOW service..

Early morning, Antonito and 488 is getting ready to haul rock.

Locomotive 488 has been doing great.

Thanks to the guys in the Antonito shop, we now have 4 cars to haul ballast.

We finished our ballast dumping this year at 293 and now we finished our ballast dumping this year at 293.

Cumbres & Toltec locomotive 488.

Once again it will be nice to show you this area in the spring as this has all been upgraded with ballast. 

We are stopped just east of Phanton Curve.. these shots were taken on the Fall Madness special..

All this area has been upgraded and will sit solid all winter.. next summer we will get to share with you all the great trackwork between Mud & Rock Tunnel. 

Cumbres & Toltec locomotive 488 near Calico Cut... The Fall colors are looking great!

Once we made the summit, we broke the triple header train into three sections to safely back it down.

I am on locomotive 484 and we will head up to the summit of Cumbres to take on water..

Locomotive 488 broke off the rear of the train and has backed down the mountain already.. now locomotive 487 and the cars ahead of it are uncoupling from us. 

We are above Hamiltons Point and you can see the two other locomotives and freight rolling up the hill behind us. 

All three locomotives are visible in this shot..

I love how these shots came out.. it is so nice to see three locomotives working together up Cumbres. 
 

We are rolling thru the curve just west of Milepost 336.

In these shots, I was on 484 leading the triple header up Cumbres.

I hope you have liked these shots...

More to come soon.. Carlos

 

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