Cumbres & Toltec Historic Railway
Restored Steam powered railway thru northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
11/10/18 In conjunction with the hospital train to Antonito, the Heritage Rail Conference chartered
As a final exclamation point to this great 2018 season of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, there was a charter train today of 15 cars behind double headed K36's, 487 and 488, from Chama, New Mexico which ran in conjunction with the hospital train back to Antonito, CO. It was the Heritage Rail Conference which was meeting in Santa Fe who took advantage of this to ride as far as Cumbres Pass before re-boarding their buses for the rest of the trip to Antonito and tours of the shops there.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (5)
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad running between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. The line runs for 64 miles (103 km)over 10,015 ft (3,053 m) Cumbres Pass and through Toltec Gorge, from which it takes its name. Trains operate from both endpoints and meet at the midpoint. The train traverses the border between Colorado and New Mexico, crossing back and forth between the two states 11 times. The line was originally a portion of the San Juan Line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway, jointly owned by the Colorado and New Mexico since 1970. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad received the Designation of a National Historic Landmark in 2012 by the United States National Park Service.
The railroad line was constructed in 1880-1881 by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RG) as part of their San Juan Line stretching from Alamosa, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. The line was constructed with 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge track, matching several other lines in the D&RG system. The line primarily supported mining operations in the San Juan Mountains, mainly around Durango and Silverton. The portion of this line today known as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, is 64 miles (103 km) long and was built in less than nine months.
Today's Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was built in 1882 as a branch line off the San Juan main. By the late 1950s, mining had dwindled substantially and the line was on the verge of abandonment, but an oil boom near Farmington, New Mexico created a traffic surge that kept the line operating for another decade hauling oil and pipe. By the late 1960s the traffic was virtually gone and the railroad applied for abandonment. The states of Colorado and New Mexico purchased the portion of the San Juan Extension between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico in 1970 and started operating the next year under the name of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission was created by an act of Congress as a bi-state entity to oversee the railroad.
Downtown Antonito, Colorado
Northbound thru Antonito, Colorado
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad - Chama to Antonito
Turn up your speakers and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad route from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO during the fall. This low-budget and shaky GoPro-on-a-stick footage provides a very realistic experience of one of the highest and most beautiful narrow gauge steam train trips in the world.
C&TSR Celebrates Restoration of D&RG No. 168
October 14, 2019 saw the culmination of 4 years of restoration work on D&RG No. 168, a Baldwin 4-6-0, when it pulled D&RG Coach Car No. 292, and caboose 0579, painted in its original red color, from Antonito, Colo., to Lava Tank, a round trip distance of about twenty miles.
The trip celebrated the fund raising efforts of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec and TRAINS Magazine who awarded its $10,000 2018 Preservation Award to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama, N.M., to complete restoration work on D&RG No. 168. The grant sponsored restoration of No. 168's boiler jacket. Hundreds of donors, including prominent philanthropic foundations, contributed to this $501.000 restoration project.
From a visit by TRAINS Magazine to Antonito in July 2019, director of special projects for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Stathi Pappas says, “Our jacket is being made to the Baldwin standards with riveted seams, hooks, and clamps and then it will be blued like a fine firearm to imitate America Iron which was the typical jacketing material in the United States during our period of significance for this locomotive which is about 1916.”
Philadelphia's Baldwin Locomotive Works built the engine in 1883 for the Denver & Rio Grande. The locomotive continued in service for another 50 years and retired from the Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1938, when it was made a public park display in downtown Colorado Springs, Colo.
Work is never done on the railroad and the season is almost over, so D&RG No.168 is put to work picking up a water car at Lava Tank that was used for the smaller engines such as D&RGW No. 315 and now D&RG No. 168, because the water tank at Lava is no longer functional.
After the tank car was coupled and the train was reversed, a ceremony was held at Lava Tank to honor the donors and the crew. On hand were Commissioner Dan Love, and Matt Mayberry and Kate Paul of the Colorado Springs Parks Department. Trains Magazine was represented by Thomas Scalf.
Non-alcoholic Champagne was toasted and President of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, John Bush, spoke briefly saying, “We dedicate this locomotive to successful future use and strong partnerships with the city of Colorado Springs and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.”
Fourth generation railroaders, engineer Max Casias and fireman Carlos Llamas operated D&RG 168, with Cody Underwood serving as brakeman and Stathi Pappas working as the conductor. Veronica Bush, Director of Marketing for the C&TSR and Adam Phillips, who recently joined the Special Projects Department, were also on hand. The trip was well documented by photographers Jerry Day, Dick Bell, and Steve Forney.
Antonito Colorado Town
Here is the small town of Antonito in Colorado. There is a video of main street and an awsome mural. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!
At 4:50 PM
Cumbres & Toltec #488 departs Chama, New Mexico, for Antonito, Colorado, via Cumbres Pass.
Cumbres & Toltec #488 departs Chama, New Mexico, for Antonito, Colorado, via Cumbres Pass.
C&TSR Chama Depot Points of Interest 2017
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad built in the 1880's is owned by the states of New Mexico and Colorado. It was acquired and renamed following the bankruptcy of the D&RG Railroad in 1970. The right-of-way consists of 64 miles of three-foot gauge railroad track between the communities of Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, along the Colorado-New Mexico border. Trackage crosses the state border eleven times, sometimes multiple crossings within hundreds of feet. The route travels over Cumbres Pass at an elevation of 10,015 feet and passes through the following sites along the way (listed east to west with their mile (MP or milepost) distance from Denver, Colorado, according to Doris Osterwald in Ticket to Toltec):
1. East End of Track, MP 280.40
2. Antonito, Colorado MP 280.70, elevation 7,888 feet
3. Lava, New Mexico MP 291.55, elevation 8,468 feet
4. Big Horn Section House, Colorado MP 296.0, elevation 8,790 feet
5. Big Horn, New Mexico MP 299.41, elevation 9,022 feet
6. Sublette, New Mexico MP 306.06, elevation 9,276 feet
7. Tunnel No 1, New Mexico MP311.3, elevation 9,465 feet
8. Tunnel No. 2, New Mexico MP 315.2, elevation 9,580 feet
9. Osier, Colorado MP 318.40, elevation 9,637 feet
10. Cascade Trestle, Colorado MP 319.95
11. Los Pinos, Colorado MP 325.50, elevation 9,706 feet
12. Apache Canyon, Colorado MP 327.6
13. Cumbres, Colorado MP 330.60, elevation 10,015 feet
14. Coxo, Colorado MP 332.20, elevation 9,753 feet
15. Cresco, Colorado MP 335.10, elevation 9,193 feet
16. Lobato Trestle, New Mexico MP 339.75
17. Lobato, New Mexico MP 339.99, elevation 8,303 feet
18. Rio Chama Crossing, New Mexico MP 343.60
19. Chama, New Mexico MP 344.12, elevation 7,863 feet
20. West End of Track, MP 344.80
Source: United States Department of Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Antonito Chama
Narrow Gauge Steam Engine Railroad, Antonito to Chama, New Mexico
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad - 64 miles of pure gold.
It’s not too late to catch the glory of the season on America’s #1 scenic train ride. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the best way to see the amazing fall colors. Trains depart daily from Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. Sunset dinner trains are also available. Book now before the final train of the season departs on October 22nd, 2017. The gold rush is on! Visit CumbresToltec.com or call 1-888-286-2737.
Cumbres & Toltec May 29, 2016
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge heritage railroad running between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. It runs over 10,015 ft (3,053 m) Cumbres Pass and through Toltec Gorge, from which it takes its name. Trains operate from both endpoints and meet at the midpoint. Today, the railroad is the highest and longest narrow gauge steam railroad in the United States with a track length of 64 miles. The train traverses the border between Colorado and New Mexico, crossing back and forth between the two states 11 times. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has been jointly owned by the States of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970 when it was purchased from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway, saving it from the scrap yards. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad received the Designation of a National Historic Landmark in 2012 by the United States National Park Service.
Cumbres & Toltec last passenger train in to Chama 2012
Here, Engine 484 makes the trip for the last time of the 2012 season bringing the regular schedule to an end October 21, 2012. Emotions were high in Chama as the town understood that there wasnt to be another train for 6 months. I was honored to witness the townspeople there to greet the train with tears in their eyes. Thank you to the C&TS, to the states of Colorado and New Mexico, and also to Antonito and Chama for supporting this railroad and its employees.
Cumbres & Toltec coming around bend in Phantom Canyon
Cumbres & Toltec Student Train August, 2016
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad hosts classes for those wishing to learn how to fire and operate steam locomotives. This video was shot on Tuesday, August 16th, 2016, on the Eastbound run of the student's train for that day. Weather turned nasty mid-day with about an inch of hail falling up in the pass (I was on the Forestry Road 103 that goes to Sublette and Osier when the hail hit).
Antonito to Chama: The Cumbres & Toltec Route (by car) Time Lapse Drive
Like Drivelapse? Friend it!
This drive roughly follows the route traveled by the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico, via CO and NM Route 17.
Music Info:
Artist: Von
Titles May Include:
Von Clear, Von Blow, Von So Happy Remix, Von Gate 05, Von Close Your Eyes, Good Feeling Von, Von U-Turn, Von Panorama, Von Achterbahn Sesion
You'll find the track title at the end of the video.
Check out Von's music on Soundcloud:
Yes, I do have written permission from Von to use his music.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Passenger Train - DVD
Join Pentrex for an exciting ride on the longest and highest narrow gauge railroad in North America, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. This remnant of the once flourishing Rio Grande narrow gauge network runs from Chama, New Mexico to Antonito, Colorado. The spectacular vistas of the San Juan Mountains and the Upper Rio Chama Valley flank the rails of this serpentine route as it switches back and forth across the two state lines.
Mikado steam locomotives built in the mid 1920s power the vintage equipment for these passenger trains. Daily, during summer months, they struggle up the four percent grade to the 10,015-foot summit of Cumbres Pass. Youll ride in the cab and witness the expertise of the engineer and fireman who control these locomotives as they blast upgrade. Numerous run-bys highlight the power and beauty of a C&TS doubleheader at many scenic spots along the 64-mile line.
This program, released originally in 1991 and now available on DVD, brings you narrow gauge railroading at its finest on one of Americas most popular tourist railroads. Enjoy the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Passenger Train!
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad #489
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad running for 64 miles (103 km) between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico, United States. The railroad gets its name from two geographical features along the route, the 10,015-foot (3,053 m)-high Cumbres Pass and the Toltec Gorge. Originally part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad's narrow-gauge network, the line has been jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970.
Cumbres & Toltec - Springtime in the Rockies on the Narrow Gauge
Riding and chasing freight and passenger trains on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Colorado & New Mexico on the first weekend of June, 2018.
123 year old 2-8-0 No. 315 was featured on freight consists on Saturday and Sunday.
What a wonderful show the C&TS puts on! Not that different from what it was like a century ago.
FRA testing with 463 on the C&TS
September 27, 2013, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) contracted with the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) to study steam locomotives and their effect on rails under different stresses. Several passes were made by multiple locomotives at 2 different spots with varying speeds. I was fortunate to capture locomotive 463, formerly of the Denver & Rio Grande Western, as she made her runs over the Chama River Bridge.