We took an afternoon drive on Sunday and the signs of the time
of transition a season is ending and another easing in. When we arrive in Chama we will find the
temperature has already fallen ten degrees from the time we left just three
weeks ago. Temperatures in the low 80’s
have fallen into the high 60’s and the night temperatures are now in the
40’s. Forecasts indicate the night
temperature will drop into the mid 30’s by mid-September, the end of our short
visit.
Last year we saw the beginning of the change in the Aspen,
this year should be about the same but next year we leave Chama in
mid-September and in 2018 the first of October.
Everything closes in Chama on October 1st except for two businesses. Tourist traffic falls off as the folks in
Chama are there for only a day and then travel on. The snow starts any time after Labor Day but typically
doesn’t accumulate until sometime just after mid-October.
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| Chama Depot with Rotary Snow Plow in left background |
After the first of October things start to freeze up which
means the hotels, laundromats, and everything else has to be winterized. In winter Chama huddles as cold winds blow
and snow accumulates several feet deep and more where it drifts. Medical help is 50 miles distant on mountain
highways and it is not unusual to lose power or water for extended
periods. This brutal winter lasts for 90
days or less and then relents by early March.
Cumbres Pass at 10,015’ was notorious for the prodigious
amounts of snow accumulation, 20 feet was not unusual in the worst of winters
on the D&RG San Juan Extension. The
railroad continually fought the problem and challenged it from the first with
Civil Engineering that placed the tracks on south facing slopes. Later the railroad constructed over thirteen
thousand feet of snow sheds and then removed them when that technique proved
incapable of controlling the problem.
They were replaced by snow fences which shifted the snow away from the
rails but were still ineffective. In the
end the railroad resorted to the force of steam driven rotary plows and
flangers with the power of multiple steam locomotives attacking the deep
drifts.
The worst of the problem was the area from Cascade Creek
Trestle through Los Pinos Section and on over the top at Cumbres across Windy
Point to near the Coxo reverse curve (Mile Posts 318 to 332). To this day sections of the rail below Los
Pinos Section House (Mile Posts 319 to 324) rattle your teeth in a manner
similar to a washboard as the train crosses the grooved track resulting from
snow fighting over the first 90 years of the San Juan Extension. Folks are surprised when it happens and if
not prepared tend to get a bit agitated.
The washboard nature was created when snow plows would stall in the deep
drifts.
Snow Train operations are a major undertaking. A"Snow Train" from fron to rear consists of: Rotary Plow, coal tender, one or two water cars, two to four or more locomotives, tool car, converted passenger/kitchen car, bunk car(s), miscellaneous maintenance of way cars, caboose and a crew of several dozen individuals. It self contained and the crew can fuel or make necessary repairs with minimum additional support. When in operation fighting snow, the Train is controlled by the Rotary Plow operaton.
The snow plow operator communicates with the trailing locomotives by way of the shriek of a shrill whistle. The pitch of the whistle is distinctive and very unlike that of a locomotive in order that its signal cannot be confused with that of a locomotive. If a plow stalls in a heavy drift the plow operator signals his stop by a single long blast of his whistle. That signal is then communicated down the line of following locomotives; remember there may be 2 to 6 locomotives pushing the plow. The communication of the signal repeats down the line and each locomotive in turn is stopped.
Stopping this string of equipment is not a jolt rather when
the plow stalls the locomotive ceases its forward motion but the driving wheels
continue to turn until the locomotive engineer of each locomotive shuts down
his steed. This must be in an orderly
manner, an engineer third in line cannot shut down his locomotive until the one
in advance has ceased. This all occurs
quickly as the signal is rapidly passed down the line and within a few minutes
or less the whole consist is stopped.
“Stopped?” how can a locomotive that is not moving forward
not be stopped?
The forward motion is relative to the operating conditions of the
locomotive. It is very possible that the
wheels on a locomotive, even a modern electric or diesel, are moving but the
relative motion of the train is static.
This is because the driving wheels are moving but the train is not. Wash boarding of track is also noticeable on
the Cumbres and Toltec where the train loses adhesion on the 4% grade between
Chama and Cumbres. In those instances a
train moving forward will slow when the drivers of the locomotive slip or spin
– loss of adhesion – due to condensation, excess weight of the towed
load or resistance to forward motion such as a snow plow in heavy snow. This can also be experienced when
an engineer is over zealous with the throttle when putting a train in motion. A liberal application of sand helps in
holding down wheel slippage but not much if too much power is applied.
In the olden days, before diesel, starting a passenger, or
freight, train from a stop involved a hard jerk to get the cars moving. A steam locomotive generates tractive force
sufficient to keep a train of a given length or weight moving which is
different than the tractive force to start the same train moving. Thus, to get a train moving the first thing
an engineer did was slowly back-up the train.
This put slack between the couplers of the cars. Then when the engineer opened the throttle he
was starting only one car at a time.
WHAT?
Yes, the little bit of slack in the couplers from backing
was pulled out of each car in turn. By a
few cars down the locomotive developed enough inertia to progressively speed
up. If you happened to be on a passenger
train and were ten cars or so back the jerk from the start-up could be
considerable – I remember it well from my youth.
When the diesels were put in service in the late 1930's the engineers followed standard
practice and back-up the train to put slack in the couplers. Then they applied power and promptly pulled
out a coupler a few cars back.
Diesel/electric locomotives have tremendous tractive effort when
starting thus a train has to be slowly stretched to pull out the slack before
applying power.
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| D&RG T-12 #168 Now at C&TS - Constructed 1895 |
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| D&RGW K-36 #489 Now at C&TS - Constructed 1925 |
Driving a steam locomotive is an art compared to the computer controlled modern locomotive. Locomotives of the same series and from the
same manufacturer differ in performance though they may have come off the
assembly line at the same time. It takes
a good engineer and fireman to get peak performance from each steam locomotive. The newest of the operating locomotives, K-36, on the Cumbres and Toltec are now 91 years old and the earliest,
soon to be operating T-12 #168, is over 120 years old. By the way, the K-36 has exactly twice the tractive effort and three times the weight of the T-12 built 30 years earlier.
The days of prodigious snow are now history, Global Climate
Change has altered the seasons to such an extent that winter is now but a few
weeks long and, though the snow can still be substantial and unlike days of old, just a couple decades ago, it melts off quickly. Though the equipment still works it was last
used for snow removal in the early 1990’s now a simple “flanger” – a car with steam
powered plow blades that extend from each side – does the job if a
significant amount of snow can be found on the line after mid-March.
The wash board rails are not dangerous and the railroad
could easily replace such rails to eliminate the wash board effect. I have already been asked why the railroad
doesn’t do that and I respond:
“The wash board rails remind us of a story of earlier
days. A story memorializing the
determination of our kind to build and maintain this now unique piece of
history.”
So much for railroad washboards…..
G and I are scheduled for a minimum of two rides on the
railroad on this visit. Because of the
time of year the possibility of snow at the top of Cumbres is real and has to
be planned for well in advance. Though
any accumulation will quickly melt it doesn’t represent a major concern for our
return trip with the Chama Cabin in tow but, we do have to be prepared for a
potential delay somewhere along the route.
This concern increases with each day after the 1st of October
since and local services in Chama are rare after that date. Everything closes, except two businesses
which are, The High Country Restaurant, which operates year round, and the
Cumbres and Toltec which operates until the third week of October and then
shuts down except for a Christmas Special train for the children of Chama and
Antonito.
We will not have Internet access in Chama so this will be
the last post until we return on September 12th. You are in our thoughts and ask you keep us
in yours as we bring the Chama Cabin back to Hardin in just a few weeks. Yes, I will do the scripture reading on the
first Sunday back and, come October, look forward to Mike and Deb giving all of
us a travelogue on their trip to Europe.
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The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
“In terms of length, scale of operations, completeness,
extensiveness of its steam operations, and state of preservation, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan
Extension, Conejos and Archuleta Counties, CO and Rio Arriba
County, NM is one of the country’s best surviving examples of a narrow gauge
system at the peak of American railroading, roughly 1870 to 1930.”
1. National Historic Landmark – The Denver and Rio
Grande Railroad San Juan Extension National Historic Landmark
2. The longest operating steam narrow gauge in
North America – 64 miles
3.
The highest adhesion railroad in North America –
10,015’ at Cumbres Pass4. The Last remaining Coal Tipple possibly in the world – in the Chama Yard
5. The last remaining twin spout water tank possibly in the world – in the Chama Yard
6. The last remaining steam driven rotary snow plows in the world – two in the Chama Yard
7. The heaviest grade of any operating narrow gauge steam railroad in North America – 4.0% Chama to Cumbres Pass (13 miles)
8. Voted the best train ride in North America – USA Today July, 2016
9. And the list goes on….
It is “A Place for Those Born too Late”
