The Return of D&RGW Rotary OY

February 27-March 2, 2020

Spring - Chama - Cumbres

Well, I think this is it... the pinnacle of railroad photography excursions. I can't imagine any event that could exceed the scenic beauty, uniqueness, professionalism, and camaraderie of this trip. From top-to-bottom, it was an absolutely incredible experience.

Thanks to John Cole, John Engs, and (especially) Don Atkinson, I was able to assist a bit with the restoration work on Rotary OY last October and therefore asked to help manage the photo lines. Don called us 'The Wranglers." The Railroad affectionately referred to us as "cat herders." Oddly enough, "CATS Herders" would have been perfectly appropriate but no one thought of that joke until after the trip.

In addition to herding/Wrangling the photo lines, we were also tasked with managing the parking lot at St Patrick's for the meals and the railroad parking lot on Saturday and Sunday, setting up and tearing down the gear for the night photo shoot, and loading and unloading the busses. This was a small price to pay for the privilege of being included in this.

Long-time friend Brian Jansky arrived at Camp Rose in Spring about 0345 Thursday morning and we set out for Chama at 0400 with visions of blizzards, howling winds, and icy roads in our heads.  While these conditions are certainly possible in north Texas and New Mexico, we only encountered beautifully blue and cloudless skies. It was cold, of course, but nothing at all like the conditions I'd prepared for. Onboard the truck we had: a deep cell marine battery, power inverter, cold weather gear, a propane heater (with extra propane), food, water, shovels, an axe, sand, gravel, several come-alongs, tow straps, and spare fuel. We were well prepared to do battle with the worst mother nature could throw at us. Fortunately she took the weekend off and we made the 1,000 mile trip in 14 hours.

Brian's excellent report and photography can be found on his website.

Video compilation covering both days

Video by: Brian Jansky, Bill Kepner, & Jason Rose

Day 1

Near Tierra Amarilla

Prior to the trip, the lack of snow was well publicized and lamented online. Our concerns grew as we neared Chama and saw only green fields and trees. However, just before entering town we found the snow. There was a fair amount on the ground in Chama and more than enough heading up the hill.

We checked in at The Hotel and then made a quick run up to Cumbres to see the snow pack. But, mostly we went up there because we're both sea-level flatlanders and seeing 5' of snow is a real novelty

Sunset over a very cold Cumbres Pass

2nd Crossing, looking east.

Parked at The Hotel again. Seeing this amount of snow will likely always be a novelty for me.

Before finding some chow, we walked the yard.

The owner of The Hotel (Joe Kanocz) is an old friend and he strongly recommended this new place called The Local.

So, we gave it a try and were happily impressed. The beer and the pizzas were superb.

Dave Schaaf parked next to me at The Hotel and I re-introduced myself. We last met at the Colorado Railroad Museum for Goosefest in 2012.

He joined us for dinner later and it was great to catch up and swap stories.

The ambience is more appropriate for Durango, but they may do well in Chama. Most of the visitors that ride the C&T are "mainstream" and this place may be more comfortable and familiar than say... Fosters (which I love). Part of what makes Chama so special is the rustic and authentic atmosphere of an old railroad town. But, most families these days aren't comfortable in that environment. So, if this new place (and others like it) will help boost ridership and the local economy, I'm all for it.

Day 2

Before meeting John Cole and Ian Kelly for breakfast, we took another stroll through the yard.

The cab curtains are a really nice touch. Though, I'm sure they're there for crew comfort, not historically accurate photos.

Breakfast at Fina's was phenomenal! Best pancakes I've ever eaten.

When we walked in I noticed Roger & Barbara Hogan seated with Steve Forney. I made my way over and got handshakes

and a hug from Barbara. They make a trip to Chama feel like coming home, and it was sure was great to see them all.

Back at The Hotel.

The novelty of seeing this much snow never wore off.

Parked on ice. That's a first for me!

With a full belly, clear skies, and warming temperatures, we got to work on our mission-of-the-day: restoring the Depot Cam.

Steve and I are working on the roof of the Bathroom building (above).

Brian Jansky, John Cole, and Tom Casper rounded out the work crew this day.

My sincere gratitude to each of them. Their help made a tedious task go much faster and smoother than if I'd done the work solo.

Steve and Roger had custom badges that gave me a chuckle.

John Cole and Steve Forney at the Bunk House.

OY at the ash pit.

With the mission accomplished, we set out for a few photos.

"The Swamp"

Brian

Bunk House

Most Chama businesses hibernate over the winter. In lieu of attempting to reboot the town for a weekend, the railroad decided it would be easier to provide all meals during the event. And they contracted Steven Flowers (from Osier) to do it! The first dinner we had was a traditional C&T lunch: turkey & all the fixin's or traditional meatloaf!

At this first dinner, Jerry Day gave a lecture on the history of Rio Grande snow fighting equipment.

The Wranglers arrived early to coordinate the parking. After my shift, I reserved a table for the Friends.

Before dinner, Craig Linn walked in with his buddy, Kirk, and gave me a bear hug. He's a cool dude and it was great to catch up and trade jokes.

Day 3

I watched sunrise from the parking lot at St Patrick Church, where all the meals were hosted. It was 18 degrees.

After chow and a safety meeting with the railroad staff... then another safety briefing for the passengers, we boarded the busses.

I was assigned to Bus 4 with Bill Kepner. Our drivers name was Adam and he was great. He's a middle school teacher and drives on the weekends.

All-hands Safety Brief with Stathi Pappas.

Snow-covered rolling stock

The passengers of "Bus 4"

Definitely the COOL bus.

The first photo stop at the First Crossing, near Ed Beaudette's house

Caption This!

Not pretty, but very simple and effective.

I did notice that they were not equipped with seat belts. So, it was best to wrap it up before heading out.

Well.... there's somethin' you don't see every day...

Back on the bus, headin' to the next spot.

This is how the day progressed and it was a blast!

Reloading

Unloaded and staged near The Narrows

NM DOT kept the roads clear and safe. When traffic did pass by, they were escorted.

Coming out of The Narrows

Lobato Lake

Lobato / Weed City

Lobato Trestle

Looking upgrade toward Dalton

Working up grade towards Dalton

Love this shot!

The long green line at Dalton Crossing

Approaching Dalton

Marvin Casias

Attempt at Art

Hurley's Curve

Attempt at Art

Attempt at Art

Approaching 2nd Crossing

John Bush gives instructions at the 2nd Crossing

Passing 2nd Crossing

I stood with Nathan Zachman to get these shots. It was great catching up with him. Nathan Holmes was there as well.

It's been almost a decade since I last saw them.

Just upgrade from 2nd Crossing

Ess Curve, before OY arrived.

Freshly plowed track

Just upgrade from Orgasm Point

I joked that it looked like the "Chama Yeti" was walking along with OY.

I asked Ed Beaudette and he surmised that the counterweights created the divots.

This spot near Cresco / State Line was the last stop of the day. The railroad contracted NM DOT for Saturday and CO DOT for Sunday.

So, we were limited by the state line.

It was also here that the temperatures started to drop precipitously. This was a harbinger of what was to come Sunday at the higher elevations.

Saturday Evening

Back in town, the train arrived in the nice afternoon light.

I got to the church early to direct traffic. That's a big ol' pile of snow behind RGX III.

That night Pete Lerro hosted a photo shoot.

After my turn in the photo line, I wandered down to the Depot to waste some time before heading back to clean up the lights and cables.

While tearing down lights, I was able to grab a quick shot from an angle that few others got.

Day 4

I watched sunrise from the parking lot at St Patrick Church again. It was 18 degrees, again.

It was cold, but quiet and peaceful. I can easily imagine living in Chama.

"The Wranglers" - from the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec

Left-to-Right

Jason Rose - Ian Kelly - John Cole - Rob Lenichek - Bill Kepner - Greg Coit - Marcus Brown - Don Atkinson - Scott McCoulloch - Bill James

A rare selfie.

I took this in response to a photo of my son that my wife texted me.

Windy Point as seen from Perry Pond, near Coxo

Approaching Perry Pond

Perry Pond

It's under all that snow... somewhere.

Near the old Highway 17 Crossing

Coxo Crossing

My buddy, Jon, found this piece of cardboard in the snow and couldn't resist using it for a bit of humor.

C&T President John Bush (facing camera)

C&T Assistant General Manager Stathi Pappas (center)

Being this close to OY when she bit into that snow pack was an incredible experience.

This machine is... violent... and AWESOME!

Unfortunately I had a video camera malfunction.

John Matthews

After hitting a tough spot, the outfit was stopped and the locomotives backed to the crossing.

Carlos Llamas

Checking the sand dome

Adding sand

Jon grabbed this shot of me grabbing a shot.

While the locomotives were being serviced, I went up onto the snow to chat with my friend Jon and several other

railroaders from the D&S, including Chase Bond. It was great catching up with Jon. I last saw him in Silverton

in Oct 2018 on a family vacation. The D&S guys came over for their first look at an operating rotary.

Jason - Brian - Jon

Continuing up the grade

While waiting for the next shot, Jim Reynolds (from the NGDF) approached me and introduced himself. We got to chat for a few minutes

and that was one of the neatest things about this trip. Many of the "regulars" in this hobby were present and there was ample

opportunity to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones.

Checking the trucks

Looking west at Coxo Crossing

One of my favorite shots

The man. The myth. The legend.

John Cole

(The most Texan Californian I've ever met)

After OY moved towards Coxo Curve and away from the cameras, the photographers restaged to get the up-coming photos on Windy Point. I was asked to be the end-of-line of a group that moved east of the highway, north of the crossing. To get out there (without snow shoes), I followed the packed down trail from the previous photo line, that was facing the opposite direction. All was fine for a bit. Then, lunch showed up. Nathan Zachman and Kirk grabbed most of us a box lunch from Subway. However, I needed water and my 250mm lens. Both were on the bus. The problem was that the hard-packed snow trail was now full of photographs and I was at the furthest spot out. The only way to get to the road was to go cross-country through all that soft, fluffy snow... in work boots.

As you can imagine, I took a few steps and promptly lost a boot. I was moving fast and took a couple of steps before realizing. Now I had a cold, wet sock! After fumbling around trying to dust the snow off my sock and get the boot back on, I got to the bus without much more difficulty. I retrieved my camera bag and a case of water for the photo line. On the return trip, I lost the other boot! TWO WET, COLD SOCKS!

Besides having wet socks, I looked and felt pretty dumb. Oh well... ain't the first time that's happened...

These views were taken from my spot at the end-of-line. Sure was purdy out there.

After a good long wait, the train came back into view.

Approaching Windy Point

Windy Point

OY was stopped and the photographers reloaded the busses for the run up to Cumbres. Adam, the driver of Bus 4, mercifully had the heat blasting and I sat in the front passenger seat and got my boots off to dry my socks. I didn't bring spare socks because I wasn't suppose to be in the snow.

While removing my boots I realized that the bottom 8" of my jeans were frozen solid!

With the line well-established, my presence wasn't immediately needed. So, I moved back to

the highway and took up this position looking down the grade towards the Section House.

Crossing the old Highway 17 trestle

Approaching the summit

Jon got another photo of me doing my best to record this event for posterity.

I'm standing on a narrow step that I packed down with my boot about 18" above the pavement.

The photo line is a good 5' above the parking lot!

"The money shot"

OY stopped about 100' from Highway 17 so we could restage. I moved back to the line and helped

the older folks down from the top of the snow. It was precarious and the going was slow.

I took up position near the end of the photo line again to wrangle. Fortunately, this put me in a pretty decent spot for a few photos.

We waited here for 45 minutes while the OY, 487 and 484 took water at the standpipe.

The ambient temperature wasn't too bad (around freezing), but the wind was BRUTAL.

Another of my favorite shots. Nice lighting.

More good lighting.

As OY approached the snow mound and the click-click-click of shutters increased, the front truck rode up on some ice in the flanges.

OY was stopped and carefully backed down onto the rail. John Matthews jumped down and took a look. Then, shovels and picks started to

drop down from the hatches on OY, followed by crew members. They spent several minutes trying to chip away the ice, before John Bush

arrived, took a look, and declared it was over. There was 60' of solid ice and only an hour remained before having to return to town.

It was an unexpected and abrupt end, but no one complained. The 2 days of this event far exceeded the wildest hopes of everyone there.

Attempting to chip out the ice.

Game Over

The busses were quickly reloaded, turned, and moved down the mountain.

Kodak Point

Coxo Crossing

Approaching 2nd Crossing

2nd Crossing

Sunday Evening

Fulfilling a Promise

Most the Wranglers gathered at the Gandy Dancer for dinner. I took orders for pizzas from The Local and Brian and I walked over to pick them up. Before leaving the hotel, I buried my ABA in the snow. I brought this along to fulfill a promise to Russ Sperry.

Craig Linn drove over to pick us up. THANKS CRAIG.

Craig - Bill - Bill - Don - Kirk - Brian - Ian - John

Our mission was accomplished. The camaraderie was thick. The stories were funny. There was good pizza and good beer.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Day 5

There were rumors of bad weather over night. It was snowing lightly when we walked back from the Gandy Dancer, but no ice.

We got up at 0330 and the weather was fine. So we packed up and hit the road around 0400.

For the first time leaving Chama in the pre-dawn hours, I didn't see a single deer. In fact, the only thing we saw was a rabbit.

The trip home was perfectly uneventful and we arrived about 1900: 14 hours.

This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Cumbres & Toltec. Michele and I were there for the 40th and I've had every intention of returning for the 50th. As of this writing (3/12/20), it's starting to look like world and familial circumstances may prevent that. But if I don't get back, I'll be fully satisfied with this trip. It was one for the history books and a helluva lotta fun. I was able to catch up with many old friends, while making a few new ones.

Doesn't get much better than that.