A new Header Photo.

[Paul R.]

Okay I will be the first to bite, where-Como?  does this photo have a story.
Paul R.

[Lee Gustafson]

I can't give answers, but I have more questions. When was the photo taken and who was the photographer? There is a flanger in the consist which one is it? Since it has its blade that should be helpful in dating and determining location. I don't recall seeing this photo before. I'm very curious. Thanks in advance.

Lee Gustafson

[Jim Courtney]

I'm going to guess this is the last westbound passenger train run, in April 1937.  Number 60 pulled the train from Denver to Como, backing the train to the depot after turning on the wye.

Number 9 and a flanger were then coupled on to take the train on to Leadville as I recall.

[Keith Hayes]

Sweet pic. FYI, the RPO ran express end first bit ways that trip. Meaning...they turned the train on the wye.

[Mike Trent]

Lee, Flanger #015 was the only one left in service in the 30's.

And as is so often the case with every photo telling a story....

Look carefully above the center of the flanger, the lever is up, meaning the blade is down. Looking at the blade, the blade is most definitely down. The 1940 side view of flanger #015, which I relied on heavily building my model, also shows the lever up, but the blade has been fixed in a way that the blade will not drop at or below rail height. I'd probably have had to build the model the way I did anyway, as I couldn't operate the blade lowered. Oh well, as they say, "That's show biz."

At least I have evidence the prototype was modified.....  

More photos of the flanger can be found in a thread from last fall, search "Flanger 015". If you need one for Winter operations this year, you better get cracking....

And yes, "grondcover" continues in the Southern end of the yard.