The Last Winter

Chronicles of the last year-round long-distance steam locomotive show in the U.S.

Chama, New Mexico, 1963-1964

Photos and stories by Frank Barry.

Hard cover, 121/4 x 123/8 inches, 64 pages
$40.00 plus postage. 1000 copies printed.

Available online at Etsy, search for “FrankBarryPhotos,” or by sending a check made out for $45.95 to Fresh Dirt Publications, 41 Cayuga St., Trumansburg, NY 14886. For delivery outside of the U.S., please email to rebecca@rebeccabarry.net for a quote.

Fresh Dirt Publications
41 Cayuga St.
Trumansburg, NY 14886
www.frankbarryphotography.com

This book features wonderful black and white photos by Frank Barry and his recollections and stories of how they came to be, what they meant to him and how they were received by the Chama community. Most of these images were taken when Mr. Barry and his new wife lived in Chama while he had a Peace Corps job, which provided the opportunity to observe and photograph a lot of narrow gauge railroading. For this reviewer, the book packed an emotional punch with beauty of the photographs and the human side of the story that started right at the beginning with the preface titled “Married to a Railfan” written by Barbara Barry.

An introduction titled “Chama, New Mexico, Before the Last Winter” written by Frank Barry follows, along with his photographs from 1961 and the summer and fall of 1963. Three of the photos from 1961 of Toltec Gorge looking back westward along the line were stitched together as one striking image filling two pages. The caption notes the inability to capture the vast scene in a single shot and explains why there appears to be a second train following the train photographed on the rock wall at Toltec Gorge.

This section also includes several photos taken on August 6, 1963, just hours after #492 struck a large boulder that had fallen on the tracks in Navajo Canyon west of Dulce, and the newspaper article that Mr. Barry had written about the incident. There are also well composed photos near La Boca, at Chama, the climb between Lobato and Cresco, the Wolf Creek Trestle, Phantom Curve and Windy Point just prior to sunset on the mountain, all accompanied by interesting narrative.

The book’s namesake section “The Last Winter” starts with a photo of the photographer in the snow waiting for a train. The following page carries the title “Steam and Snow, Chama, New Mexico, 1963–1964” and the author explains how trains were operated that winter, his approach to photographing them, and the records he kept. He arranged the images in order from Chama up over Cumbres and down to Los Pinos, and all are provided with context. Some of these photos are moody, others serene, some heroic and one or two mundane, but each is sure to capture your attention. How does one get a drone type shot before they were invented? How about climbing a 50-foot pine tree with the temperature in the 20’s and staying up there for two hours waiting for a Cumbres Turn to approach and go by? If you like steam and snow, this section is for you. If you aren’t sure, you like black and white photography, these images will likely convince you of the power a black and white image can contain.

An epilogue covers the demise of the narrow gauge, the resurrection as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the fact in 1988 Mr. and Mrs. Barry were passengers on that line celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. The next page is a photo of a double headed excursion train on the grade up Cumbres with the commentary that double headers were very rare the year they lived in Chama, as were trains that carried passengers. The last page of Acknowledgments is worth reading for more insight into the photographer. Included is a well composed image of a westward freight heading out of Chama with D&RGW Diesel #50 on the second flat car behind K-37 #492.

I purchased this book based on a few of the photos that were previously published. I was expecting a book with fine black and white images. I was not expecting the personal and human narrative approach taken though, and once I started reading, I was hooked. This book just plain has an emotional impact I did not expect, and I have picked it up and looked through it over and over. It is well worth the money.
-Dave Adams.

C&Sng Railroader’s Photos

Memories & Then Some Along the Old South Park Line

By Tom and Denise Klinger

2021, Hardbound, illus., 242 pages, $59.00, autographed. Check or money orders only, no credit cards.

Self-published, Available from Tom Klinger, 11735 W. 38th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033, www.railroadphotos.com.

Every so often Tom and Denise Klinger bring out a new C&S/DSP&P book. This is their fifth. This quality book has a cover painting by Howard Fogg with some 340 black and white photos, most previously unpublished. Many were taken by C&S workers while on duty. There are also approximately 23 segments of 1918 C&S ICC maps. The back cover has color images of the Como depot in 1978, and as restored in 2015.

After the Table of Contents, Dedica-tion, Introduction, Acknowledgements, and a Map of Como, the book is divided into nine chapters (called Galleries) and an Index. The chapters cover the town of Como, Boreas Pass and Breckinridge, Dickey, including Dillon to Keystone, Frisco, and Leadville, Garros with Fairplay to Alma Jct., more Como with Gunnison, more Como again with Platte Canon to Denver, and C&S scrapping operations.

I found the text easy to read and follow. There are numerous photos of locomotives, trains, and cars, but what really impressed me were the images of the people who worked on the railroad, lived, and worked by it, or rode on it. There are photos of folks in their work clothes or Sunday best having a Kodak snapshot made. I love the snapshot on page 103 of a couple sitting on a flat car. The woman has a nice clean white dress with a sailor’s scarf. There is a monstrous dredge on page 94. I didn’t know they used them in C&S country. On page 33 there is a photo of a family gathered around their Model T. Looks like their son is shy or has fallen asleep. Those of you modeling Como might want to add the Como Sluggers baseball team. They are shown on page 33 as well.

It’s amazing how many railroad artifacts have been dug up and preserved over the years. The book is full of images, of keys, coins, track parts and other items. These, along with the many tickets, timetables, train orders, photos, and track plans, make this book another in the Klinger’s must-have books for your Colorado narrow gauge railroad library.
-Bob Brown.

Australia’s Colourful American Locomotives

Their Art & Architecture

1876-1920

By David Fletcher, 2021.

Hard cover, illus., 160 pages,12x17 inches, horizontal format, $92.00 U.S. (depending on exchange) plus postage.

Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. (LRRSA)
P.O. Box 21
Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127
www.lrrsa.org.au
https://shop.lrrsa.org.au

David Fletcher is well known to GAZETTE readers for his many beautiful color drawings of steam locomotives. His most recent series illustrated Johnny Graybeal’s exhaustive articles on the locomotives of the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina (see page 48). David has also illustrated books and articles in other magazines, and does design work for Bachmann and Accucraft Trains, among others. He is a practicing architect and has a strong interest in the design and liveries of early steam locomotives.

David’s new coffee table book describes the design and liveries of American steam locomotives built for Australian railways between 1876 to 1920 with a detailed and thoroughly researched text, with some 58 color plans and 320 illustrations. The plans are not drawn to any one scale, or usual model railroad scales, but are printed to fit their space in order to highlight the intricate liveries. However, they are dimensioned and have scale bars.

The book begins with a discussion of classical Roman and Greek designs so popular in the late 19th century, with illustrations of Greek columns and buildings using Roman and Greek design elements. Then chapters describe how these design elements were applied to steam locomotives. Early designers like Stephenson had to worry about getting the things to work safely and run reliability. Once they did, they began decorating their locomotives with fancy capped stacks, fancy domes, and fancy liveries, aligned with the classical revival building design trends of the day.

Then David goes on to describe early Baldwin steam locomotives. Since most Australian American locomotives came from Baldwin, some 99 percent of the drawings in David’s book are Baldwin. There are a few Vulcan and Davenport drawings, but no Shays, Climax, or Heisler locomotives.

David made several trips to the U.S. to consult experts and visit archives to make sure he has been as accurate as possible. Where locomotives have been preserved, he tells you so, and since he is really describing the locomotives by Baldwin class he uses some examples of American preserved locomotives. There are several photos of Dan Markoff’s preserved EUREKA, and photos of the Nevada Short Line 2-6-0 and SONOMA at the California State Railroad Museum, among others.

When he is describing design and livery, Dave illustrates his text with drawings of domes, headlights, driver centers, cabs, numbering and lettering and striping from the original Baldwin documents. It’s really detailed information.

Several C-16 class locomotives are shown including D&RG PACIFIC SLOPE, #346 and a number of Australian C-16s. However my favorite is the little restored 0-4-2T FAIRYMEAD of the Fairymead Sugar Co. I have a 7/8n2 live steam model of this locomotive from Accucraft that David had a hand in designing. I can see her on a shelf above my computer. I also enjoyed the 11 pages devoted to plans, illustrations, and text on Baldwin steam motors (dummies). Several modeling projects are in there. Oh, and there is also a chapter on the Puffing Billy NA class 2-6-2s. It goes on and on!

However, I must disclose that the LRRSA, published a limited run of this superb book and they may be gone by now. So, bug them and maybe they will do a second run. I am fortunate to have a copy. It is a must purchase for any lover of late 19th Century motive power, whether in Australia or not. The book is chock full of information, illustrations, and wonderful scale plans illustrating colorful liveries.
-Bob Brown.