Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Opening Day 2004
Thanks to the tireless efforts of a great many people, from the Bi-State Commission down to the hard working shop crews, the 2004 season is looking much better already for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic. As you’ll recall, in 2002 they were shut down for over a month by FRA concerns and by the US Forest Service due the high fire danger. In 2003, thanks to the new FRA Part 230 Steam Locomotive regulations, the C&TS had but only a single operable steamer and thus ran east and westbound trains on alternating days. So, it’s a very good sign that the 2004 season both started on time on 29-May-2004, had two freshly-rebuilt locomotives ready (D&RGW K36 class numbers 484 and 487) and had well-patronized trains from both ends of the line. In addition, a third locomotive should be ready sometime mid-season, allowing for a little rest and maintenance for the fleet. There’s not much more to say – what follows is a collection of photos from the first revenue runs of the season on the C&TS. Enjoy!
This is an updated reprint of my guide from June 2003, but invaluable to understanding the line for those not familiar with the area.
Under steam and ready for the first day, freshly rebuilt K-36 #487 sits in the Antonito engine bay.
As I arrived in Chama, 484 had just backed onto the day’s train. Not only did the first eastbound train look to be well patronized, but there were plenty of fans and locals about the yard.
With it shaping up to be another dry season on the C&TS, fire prevention is still incredibly important. If you’ve ever wondered how they fill the big red waterwagon, here’s your answer.
Since I was about 15 minutes early, I thought I’d wander about the yard and get a few photos of other works in progress. Here’s one – K-36 #489, stripped down to the boiler and ready for work.
And here’s more of 489 – a cab ready for rebuild work, sitting next to the cab off 488, which has received much needed attention.
A diesel-hydraulic yard varmit sitting on the end of a string of cattle cars. All I have to say is… could somebody please number this thing? It sure would make it easier to identify. Not even sure if it runs.
About 14 minutes after scheduled departure, 484 starts pulling under the Chama coaling tower and out of the yard.
484 running along the Hwy 17 just north of Chama. Unfortunately the wind was such that the smoke was blowing out in front of the train. Good for the passengers, bad for photographers.
I joined the rest of the crazy gaggle of photograhers at Dalton to get this shot. Dalton, for those who don’t know, is the grade crossing right above Lobato.
And here we are at the second Hwy 17 crossing… Did I mention that the railfan gaggle had a New Mexico (presumably Rio Arriba County) Sheriff along, and that somebody got the unfortunate distinction of first fan pulled over right before this shot? First time I’ve seen the law try to police the horde…
Can it be considered a day on the C&TS if you don’t shoot the S-curve just beyond the second Hwy 17 crossing?
484 barks up grade just south of the Cresco siding
And then, just over the Colorado state line, 484 winds through the canyon between Cresco and the third grade crossing near Coxo.
Climbing out of the canyon towards the third highway crossing and Coxo, we see 484 blowing black smoke as the crew pushes up the four percent grade eastbound.
484 and Train 2 come off Windy Point into Cumbres, with the Chama valley in the background.
484 sits in front of the Cumbres station
And here’s the reason it’s sitting – we need a little water after the climb from Chama.
After being watered, a quick check reveals a bearing running a bit hot, and the call goes out to Chama to meet 484 at Los Pinos with a grease gun.
Drifting downgrade on the lower approach to the Tanglefoot curves, just below Cumbres.
484 slows as it approaches the Los Pinos tank and the curve at the bottom of the hill, as the folks from Chama will be waiting with lubricant and tools.
Pulled to a stop, the crew looks over the hotspot, only to discover that it’s cooled significantly on the way down from Cumbres and shouldn’t be a problem. I never did figure out which bearing was causing the problem, though.
Okay, problem resolved, back under way from Los Pinos to the lunch stop at Osier for 484 and Train 2. (Footnote: 2 arrived Osier at 1317h, 1 arrived a few minutes later.)
After the traditional lunch at Fosters, a trip by Bob Zorn’s Trackside Emporium for some reading material, and a brief nap, it was back up to Los Pinos to catch 487 westbound with Train 1 (made Los Pinos at 1513h). Thirty seconds earlier, this scene was a blinding rain/sleet storm, which broke out into good sunlight. Colorado spring weather…
Really getting into the tough climb to Cumbres, 487 is pouring out steam and smoke as it comes around the S curve towards Tanglefoot.
Further up, we seen 487 and train enter into the bottom curve at Tanglefoot, where it will gain the elevation to make Cumbres Pass a few minutes later.
Believe it or not, it’s the end of May and there’s still snow on Cumbres Pass, though not much. Just enough for me to get a bit in my boot and start cursing.
Stopped at the top…
Presumably because 487 is fresh out of the shop, the crew gives her a good once-over before heading down the hill into Chama.
Just out of Cumbres Pass, 487 eases downgrade along Windy Point, CO.
Down off the high cliff above, 487 gives a good blast on the horn as she drifts down towards the third Hwy 17 crossing near Coxo.
Over the highway and down into the canyon, with the sun out at just the right moment.
Another one of those “sun when you need it” shots, 487 comes through the bottom end of the Cresco siding at just the right moment.
And at the second highway crossing, 487 sees what’s probably its final sunlight for the day. After that, I turned and ran for Antonito to catch 484 coming in.
Normally I’d leave out the self-aggrandizing shots, but I happened to like this one, mainly because I love this little car. Chasee – Baldwin K-36, built 1925, Philadelphia. Chaser – Honda Del Sol, built 1995, Japan.
A half mile or so before the depot (and within yard limits), we see 484 and train coming east through the arid landscape.
484 pulls past the Antonito station, to tie down train 2 and conclude the first day of 2004 operations on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic. By the sounds of it, everything went smoothly, so let’s hope it kicks off the C&TS’s comeback year.
A Few Videos
Note from 2020: My video capabilties in this era were pretty limited – an old VHS camcorder that was a hand-me-down from my father in law, along with a ATI Radeon video capture card. Then to deal with the storage and bandwidth limits of the time, they got the crap compressed out of them. The original tape is long lost to time, so I can’t even go back and redigitize them with modern technology. Still, they’re a window into that era, so I decided to save them when I converted this trip report over.
All shots in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS 10D with 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.
