Derailed in the snow.
April 25, 1999. The radio crackled with the news that "We're on the ground." Gerald Blea the trainmaster responded, "How many wheels?" Marvin Casias the engineer responded, "All of them." The 484 hit ice just west of Los Pinos tank and almost turned over. Fortunately no one was hurt, but it would be 2004 before 484 would be repaired and back in service. And this was the last time the C&TS used railway equipment (including the rotary) to open the line in the Spring. The risks were obvious, and the job could be done more safely with dozers and front end loaders. It was one thing to plow fresh snow as the DRGW did, and quite another to plow spring snow that had had all winter to turn into ice. But also something was lost in terms of the ability of the C&TS to recreate the past winter struggles of the DRGW.
