Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad: 7-13/14-2023

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   / @stevensainerailfanproductions   Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad: 7-13/14-2023.
The second leg of our Colorado trilogy.

On July 12, 2023, we set off on our biggest adventure yet. A tour of the three most popular steam tourist railroads in the state of Colorado. Our second stop was the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is the final 64 miles of the original San Juan extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad between Antonito Colorado and Chama New Mexico. The railroad has two tunnels, many bridges, and at the tallest point on the route (Cumbres Pass) an elevation of roughly 10,000 feet. They retain a lot of the original locomotives and rolling stock that was used on the original D&RG/D&RGW and the area has not changed much since the 1960s. Making the C&TS one of the most accurate steam railroads in the world. The railroad has been operated by both the states of Colorado and New Mexico since 1970.

On the first day of our visit to the C&TS, we decided to ride the Antonito Limited (which was a round trip between Antonito and Osier Colorado. I included a few clips from that day. The locomotive that powered our ride was #463.

463 was built in 1903 (making her 120 years old) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as a "3-foot" narrow gauge, outside frame, 2-8-2 "K-27" Mikado. She hauled both passenger and freight on the D&RGW until 1955 when it was sold to Gene Autry for use in his movies. Since he didn't hardily use the 463, Gene donated it to the city of Antonito CO. It was restored eventually by the C&TS in 1994 and ran until 2002. It was overhauled again in 2013 and has been running excursions on the C&TS ever since.

*The day after we rode behind her, 463 had to be temporarily out of service due to an injector that was malfunctioning (injectors can be replaced and if has not already, it will be back in service soon). More on this in a minute.

On the second day, we traveled to Chama to chase the two scheduled trains for the day. These were to be powered by two of the railroads K-36 locomotives: #484 and #488.

Both locomotives were built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works as "3-foot" narrow gauge, outside frame, 2-8-2 "K-36" Mikado's. They both hauled passenger and freight on the D&RGW until they were retired in 1968 (late for steam in the USA). 484 was restored by the C&TS in 1971, and 488 was restored eight years later. Both locomotives have been operating on the C&TS ever since.

*484 was used in Indiana Jones the Last Crusade.

*488 was restored to it's as built appearance in mid 2022. While the paint has not changed much, there are some differences including the return of her 5 chime whistle, and the famous spark arrestor.

*Since 463 had that injector issue, 484 had to go to Antonito to power the Antonito excursion. So instead of two trains coming out of Chama, we had to work with only chasing one train out of Chama. Thankfully we got most of the shots we wanted to get, and we managed to get 484 on the way back to Chama. This was a problem that managed to resolve itself. Goes to show not everything will turn out perfect, and if you're lucky things will turn fine out in the end.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the most scenic tourist railroads in the United States!