The 64 mile 3 foot gauge Cumbres & Toltec Railroad connects Chama in New Mexico over the 10000 feet high Cumbres Pass & runs along the edge of the Toltec Gorge to Antonito in Colorado.
The photographs below are courtesy of Dave Hewitt:
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| Chama shed with 3 Baldwin built mikados, 483, 484 & 463 |
Ten K-36 class 2-8-2 locos were supplied to the Denver & Rio Grande in 1925, nearly all of which are operational on either the Cumbres & Toltec or the Durango & Silverton. There's some K-36 detail on Wikipedia. 463 is a rarer & older Baldwin K-27 class - see Wikipedia for detail & screen appearances.
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| Note several crossings of the state line & the crinkly shape - it's 3' for a reason! |
Head out with Dave below, but for excellent views & map of the journey follow this link.
In 2015 Dave Hewitt followed & photographed the daily train as far as the road allowed:
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| The daily 10 am departure from Chama ..... |
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| ..... & leaving town - that snowplow is needed at times |
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| K-36 No.489 heads out on the level ..... |
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| ..... before starting the climb - note the scenic open car - for 64 miles! |
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| Nearing the summit of the Cumbres Pass |
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| Descending the pass |
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| Running alongside the road for the last time, blowdown valve open, ...... |
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| ...... before heading off into the wilderness |
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A 1920s freight is presented at Antonito, headed by an ex-Baldwin
standard gauge 2-8-0, rebuilt as a 3 foot gauge 2-8-2 |
The photographs above are courtesy of Dave Hewitt
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