Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Fall Colors Along the C&TS
It’s once again time for my annual visit to narrow gauge mecca – Chama, New Mexico. Usually I try to make two trips every year – once to ride and once to chase, but this year I only made this one trip to chase. Blame that on work, two trips to Durango, and never actually being home this summer – this particular trip wrapped up two solid months of never being home for a weekend. Still, I figured with the weather being what it was this year, the first of October should be a great time to see the aspens turning their signature gold color as fall set in across the Rockies. Also, it just so happened that the forecast for Saturday, Oct 1, 2005 was perfectly clear and in the high 70s – good convertable weather, great railfanning weather. So, I shot out of Colorado Springs at 0500h and was in Chama promptly at a quarter ’til ten.
It turned out to be a great day. The aspens weren’t quite at their peak, but good enough. Plus, the cold and rain hadn’t really set in to knock the leaves off, so the foliage was very much lush and intact. (I really detest shooting at the end of fall foliage season, when all that remains in many places is an armature of a tree.) Reportedly, despite high gas prices, the trains for that weekend were a sell-out. It sure seemed that way – the cars were packed, and the eastbound train out of Chama double-headed, with 484 and 487 on the front. It was the usual chase – the eastbound out of Chama, chase the helper back down the hill, catch lunch, and then follow the westbound in the afternoon from Los Pinos down into Chama. All in all, a very enjoyable day. I hope you enjoy the photos.
All aboard at Chama! The morning’s eastbound train gets ready to depart with 484 in the lead, followed by 487.
A few minutes after 1000h, the two come thundering under the coaling tower. While I’m not usually a fan of black and white, this shot just looked so much better that way.
With the train moving, the smoke dies back a bit
Caboose 0306 brings up the rear as they pass the Chama tank
After a relatively flat stretch coming out of Chama, the two locomotives start up the grade to Cumbres summit near what’s known as “The Narrows”
The two round one of several bends visible along the highway. The large gaggle of cars following the train today is making it difficult to get in place for various shots in time
484 cuts off and prepares to cross Lobato trestle first – the bridge can’t take two K-36s at the same time
With 484 on the other side, 487 and train head across
Having climbed through the horseshoe behind Lobato, the train emerges on the hillside a hundred or so feet above the trestle
Nearing Dalton
Here we see the train above Dalton, near the second highway crossing. This is the most smoke I’ve ever seen them make through here.
Continuing north, we see the train far below the road as we approach the Colorado-New Mexico border
A bit past the second crossing, the train wraps itself through the famous S-curve
Due to the angle of morning sun, the third highway crossing, near Coxo, is always a tough shot.
Arriving at Cumbres Pass, with the train draped over the crest of the summit.
Since we’ve reached the end of the hard pull from Chama, our helper for the day, 484, will cut off, wye, and drift back to Chama light. 487 will take the train through to Osier and Antonito.
484, cut free from the train, heads across the road to duck onto the leg of the wye and clear up for the through train
The passengers overtake the helper power, now sitting on the turning wye lead
With the passenger train on its way, 484 gets turned around to head back down the hill
What are these things? Looks like somebody’s pouring footings just east of the highway at Cumbres
The last look we’ll get at the eastbound for today, seen descending from the Tanglefoot Curve area
Turned and given a good once-over by the crew, 484 heads back to Chama over the Cumbres trestle
Drifting along through the aspens just above the third highway crossing, near Coxo
Above 484, you can see the highway (lower) and railway (upper) spiraling around Windy Point to reach Cumbres Summit
I stayed at Coxo to shoot enough to build a giant panorama view of the area, so I didn’t catch 484 again until below the Cresco tank (and in New Mexico)
Clanking along downhill at the second highway crossing (just north of Dalton)
A going-away view from the second crossing. I don’t know, it’s nothing special but I just liked this shot, with the rails, the weeds, and a K-36.
484 through the pines, having just passed Dalton
Passing through aspens just getting into full fall color at Weed City (an old movie set location), just below the Lobato trestle.
The track near the Narrows winds along the base of the highway embankment, allowing for many “through the trees” shots from above
Just another view down from the highway through the aspens
Finally home, 484 is just about to cross the highway for the last time. Then it’s about a mile back to the engine house. Before putting 484 away for the day, it needs to be turned so that it’s ready for its next trip up the hill.
So, we go right past the yard and out on the main towards Durango to get to the wye at the south end of Chama. 484 is on the old mainline right now, but unfortunately today it ends in only another few hundred feet.
Here is 484 backing across Hwy 17 on the second leg of the wye…
And the third leg, coming past the restored Chama stock pens. With 90 minutes or so to kill before the westbound train, it’s time for lunch!
After some sitting and waiting, the westbound finally comes into view on the far side of Los Pinos.
Just another look at the train on the lower side of the horseshoe
488 leads the westbound around the curve at the end of the Los Pinos valley
The train snakes through a reverse curve about a mile below the Tanglefoot Curves
Straight running in the valley between Apache Crossing and Tanglefoot
The westbound train arrives at the summit.
At the summit, they’ll stop for a moment to let off passengers, set retainers on the cars, and…
…give 488 a refresher from the Cumbres tank
More mystery footings, just west/south of the Cumbres Pass depot
From Cumbres Pass, the train comes around Windy Point and starts the long 4% grade to Chama
The single best stand of aspens on the line that day was near Coxo, just above the third highway crossing. Honest, the color is real, not Photoshop…
One of the new red passenger cars. I don’t care for the color myself, but I have to admit, they look a lot better than the ratty, faded old green ones
And across Highway 17
Continuing downhill, we next see the train at the Cresco tank
Below Cresco, looking down on a train far below us and dwarfed by the scenery around it
Just a bit further down from 50
The famous S-curve just about the second highway crossing again…
The straightaway just before the crossing, with the valley up to Cumbres in the background
Lobato is never really a great shot, but with 488 blowing off a bit of steam, I couldn’t resist
One of my favorite shots – coming downhill just below Weed City
And a wider view of the same stretch of track
Looking down through the aspens at 488 and train alongside Highway 17
Some day I have to figure out how to set up a decent shot with the Rio Chama bridge. Until then, you get this one…
In Chama, we find this freshly-painted boxcar sitting around the yard. This used to be concession car 450, and was converted back to a boxcar by the Friends in 2003.
Another item sitting around Chama is the passenger car dedicated to Governer Bill Richardson of New Mexico for NM’s outstanding support of the railroad when my state won’t cough up a dime.
488 arrives at Chama, and with that, we call it a day.
All photographs in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS 10D using either a Canon 28-105mm USM or a Canon 75-300mm f4-5.3 IS/USM.
This work is copyright 2024 by Nathan D. Holmes, but all text and images are licensed and reusable under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Basically you’re welcome to use any of this as long as it’s not for commercial purposes, you credit me as the source, and you share any derivative works under the same license. I’d encourage others to consider similar licenses for their works.
