Chama New Mexico and the Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad. Oct 19 - 22

Thursday morning after our morning routine of coffee and computers, and Ray's still editing tons of pics lol, We hit the road and fuelled up before heading down the Highway 160 to Pagosa Springs and then on Highway 84 to Chama. A rather short run of just over 2 hours today, but the scenery is spectacular. Highway 84 is really a country backroad with ups and downs and lots of corners, but still comfortable in the MH.

Rocky Mountains

Coming down into Pagosa Springs

At Pagosa Springs we turned onto Highway 84, definitely a back road. lol

We arrived in Chama around 11:30 am and set up at the Rio Chama RV Park for the next 4 days. It sits right on the Rio Chama, a beautiful setting. The train tracks are on the other side of the river and go over a bridge, so a great shot from the campsite of the train.

I saw this engine going by about 1:45 pm

View out the front window of the MH. Fabulous.

After setting up, we headed out to find some lunch at the Boxcar Cafe. Next up a stop at the Train Station to find out the train schedule over the next couple of days so Ray can get some pictures before our scheduled train trip on Saturday. I have enough leftovers for Ray's dinner. We both were in bed at 9pm again. Still recovering, I think, from the busy two day train ride. 

There's a small herd of deer visit the grass area nearby.

Today I'm staying at camp, doing laundry, washing floors, baking bread and prepping our Roast Beef dinner. I definitely need a day at "home".

Ray headed out just after light for some pictures. He returned by 10 am, and waited for lunch ... homemade bread. lol  This sure is a pretty RV park.

The bridge the train goes over just down from our campsite.

Cumbres and Toltec Railway History:

An Extension of the Rio Grande

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s narrow gauge San Juan Extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains in southwestern Colorado. The inability to interchange cars with other railroads led the Rio Grande to begin converting its tracks to standard gauge in 1890.

Stalled by the Silver Mining Bust

However, with the repeal of the Sherman Act in 1893 and its devastating effect on the silver mining industry, traffic over the San Juan Extension failed to warrant conversion to standard gauge. In the decades that followed, the railroad was mostly stagnant, although its last major upgrades in equipment and infrastructure happened in the 1920s.

A post-World War II natural gas boom brought a brief period of prosperity to the line, but operations dwindled to a trickle in the 1960s. Finally, in 1969 the Interstate Commerce Commission granted the Rio Grande’s request to abandon its remaining narrow gauge main line trackage, thereby ending the last use of steam locomotives in general freight service in the United States.

Saved by the Preservationists

Most of the abandoned track was dismantled soon after the ICC’s decision, but through the combined efforts of an energetic and resourceful group of railway preservationists and local civic interests, the most scenic portion of the line was saved.  In 1970, the states of Colorado and New Mexico jointly purchased the track and line-side structures from Antonito to Chama.

The C&TS began hauling tourists the next year.

Nine steam locomotives, over 130 freight and work cars, and the Chama yard and maintenance facility was purchased for $547,120 in 1970. The C&TS began hauling tourists the next year.

Here are some pictures of the Chama Trains Station.

The only operational coal tipping tower left in the US

After taking his shots at the station Ray headed up the highway to scout out where to catch the train later this afternoon. Gorgeous scenery.

The Cumbres Station

While Ray was gone I saw this little doe walking in the river right in front of the coach. 

About 1:30 pm he took off again up highway 17 to Cumbres Pass where he will catch the train coming back today from Antonito. Ray's become a "train chaser" lol

Ray came back at 4:45 pm with a huge smile on his face. He said the scenery is gorgeous.

Round and round we go! The cut below the train is the highway

Here's the video of the train coming to the crossing after coming down the mountain.

Here it is coming into the Cumbres Station

Next is the S Curve

Coming back to Chama over the bridge by the campsite.

I'm still working on laundry and have our dinner ready to start cooking. Prime Rib with Chinese Fried Rice stuffed squash with asparagus. Nice to have time to play in my kitchen again, I've been missing it.

Saturday morning we left at 9 am to the train station, 5 minutes down the road. At first it didn't look too busy but then 2 bus loads of people showed up as well from Antonito. Busy on the last day of the train this year.

After a little late start, 10:15, we were on our way. As this is the last train trip of the year, apparently all the coach cars and caboose will be wintered in Antonito. So are train took them all with us, 2 which were empty plus the caboose. This required two engines to pull up the mountain. Once at the summit the crew unhitched a locomotive and returned to Chama.

View of people in our campsite waving to us.

View of our rig from the train.

Palour Car, beautiful.

These next two pictures are from old movie sets. The first one Indiana Jones.

Old Homestead

After the flats, we started our climb over the Laboto Trestle and on up the mountain. The trestle's weight rating can't hold two engines so one engine crossed by itself and then the other one pulling the train. Then the crew hooked them back together again. This took about 10 minutes to complete.

The rear brakeman watching the caboose

Next after Lobato Trestle is Windy Point. The colours are spectacular. Apparently we are really lucky this year, as last year at this time the leaves were off the trees and the snow already on the ground!

Train Chasers

Some of the aspens are so close to the tracks you can reach out the window and snag some. Of course this is not encouraged.

Once at the Cumbres Summit (3,053m/10,015ft), we stopped to unhitch the locomotive and send it back to Chama. Now for the descent in Antonito.

Onto Los Pinos

One of the many "bends" along the route. This one is called Tanglefoot. You can see both sets of tracks.

Los Pinos Water Tank

The docent pointed out a Bristlecone Pine normally found at high elevations. The docent informed the passengers a small forest of Bristlecones once thrived here.

Next up is the Cascade Trestle, at 41.8m/137ft, it's the tallest one on the route.

Onto Osier Train Station for Lunch. 

Old coal deck. The pioneers shoveled the coal into a railcar, shoveled it on to this deck and then onto the engine's coal car

Picture from Google

This stop is halfway between Antonito and Chama and featured a small community to service the train tracks. Now they have a huge restaurant owned by the rail line to service the passengers. They can serve up to 600 people at a time, buffet style. Lunch is pretty good.

Restaurant upstairs

After eating we took a wander around the old buildings. This is the train station before the rebuild. They used to collect a toll from the trains going by. The living quarters are up in the loft.

Picture on the wall showing the Durango Silverton Train 100 years or so ago.

After about 90 minutes, everyone boarded their perspective cars and we're off again for the second half of our trip.

Rio de Los Pinos, with the track following the river.

Osier to Toltec Gorge

What this road looks like is pretty much what the train tracks look like!

Rock Tunnel

Toltec Gorge viewed from high above showing groves of aspens, so gorgeous.

Next up is the Lava Flow and Rhyolite formed from it. This volcanic ash was deposited millions of years ago by a volcano only 30 miles away. Snow, wind and rain made these "sculptures" over millions of years.

This formation hangs over the tracks, held together by duck tape according to the docent.

Lots of minerals in the lava, hence the colour

You can see the rail line going between.

Mud Tunnel

The Toltec part of the run.

We stopped at Sublet Train Station for more water.

By Big Horn Peak, showing the dormant volcano. Once again we're on the track looking at the other part of the Whiplash Curve track.

Ray finally came and sat with me in our Parlour Car as the scenery became an arid valley floor with sage and rabbit bush. The area get less than 25cm/10in of precipitation annually.

Margarita time!

This last hour of sagebrush and nothingness, left everyone just ready to get off the train. We arrived in Antonito at 5 and quickly boarded our bus. They seemed to take forever to get rolling, in fact not until 5:30 before we hit the highway back to Chama. A pretty trip back on the bus though, as the sun is setting. Took about an hour and 15 minutes. We arrived back at the MH at 7 pm. What a long day.

We were too tired to even eat dinner and after a cold beverage, both of us in bed at 8pm. A great trip though.

Sunday, Ray woke really early, about 3:30 am, with a very sore back and splitting headache. He did not drink enough fluids yesterday on the train and with the high altitude he is suffering today. I got up about 5:50 am. Both of us just puttering around today with working on the blog and tidying up for hitting the road tomorrow.

We had a knock on our door, they are shutting the campsite down as of tonight ... water will be off. No problem, fresh water tank is full and my laundry is done. :) We are the last ones left on the creek, us and the deer. 

On to Taos, New Mexico tomorrow.