BLOG 19: Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

From Taos, we head northwest towards Chama – a highlight for Gerhard, to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

On the way there, we cross the gorge of the Rio Grande on a rather dilapidated bridge, with rust blooming everywhere and even breaking through the road surface – we are glad to make it across safely. The bridge does span a height of 180 m over the river.

After several kilometers of straight stretches on US 64, we arrive at the very scenic Carson National Forest. At Brazos Summit, the road reaches an elevation of 3200 m. Shortly after, we enjoy beautiful views into the valley of the Rio Chama. The many aspens in the forest display fresh green even at the end of May at this altitude.

The campsite at Rio Chama has been carefully chosen – a direct view of the railway bridge – allowing us to admire the returning train directly in the evening.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has been a narrow-gauge museum railway with a gauge of 914.4 millimeters (equivalent to 3 feet) in the Rocky Mountains since 1971. It was part of the former extensive narrow-gauge railway network of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in Colorado and New Mexico and is now the highest narrow-gauge railway in the USA.

After the network was decommissioned in 1968, the section to Antonito (Colorado) with a length of 102 kilometers (63 miles) was preserved by railway enthusiasts before it could be dismantled. The two states, Colorado and New Mexico, later took joint ownership of the line and in 1971 established the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, abbreviated D&RGW, was one of the oldest railway companies in the western USA. Already by the end of the 19th century, the company, founded in 1870, was constructing narrow-gauge railway lines through the Rocky Mountains, which was a technical achievement at the time.

The goal at its founding, to establish a narrow-gauge connection from Denver to Mexico City, was never achieved; however, Santa Fe and Salt Lake City were also target stations alongside Denver.

The focus was on connecting various mining areas. The 102 km line from Antonito to Chama over the 3053 m high Cumbres Pass was built in 1880 within 9 months. The further route also reached Durango and Silverton – still operated today as a museum railway – the “Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.”

We traverse the entire stretch to Antonito in Colorado.

Surprisingly, following us throughout the entire route – at a respectful distance – is a “fire-fighting draisine,” and wherever there are roads or paths parallel to the railway line, there is also always a fire truck from the forestry department present. The long dry spell naturally means a high risk of forest fires due to any possible glowing ash particles emitted from the locomotive.

After passing Cumbres Pass, we stop at the midway station Osier. Here, passengers are “treated” to a typical American quick lunch.

We then have to change trains, as most passengers are going back to Chama – this train has 8 cars, while the train to/from Antonito has only 3 cars.

The locomotives are interesting; the “484” that we take for the first part is 100 years old this year, having been built in 1925, and the “168” that we take to Antonito belongs to the city of Colorado Springs and was built in 1883, meaning it is 142 (!!) years old, having later rusted quietly in Antlers Park in Colorado Springs from 1938 to 2016, and in 2016 it was “loaned” to the Cumbres & Toltec for 45 years at no cost – with the condition that it be restored to operational condition – and it has been running regularly from Antonito since 2019...

From Osier, the track descends to the Colorado plateau, where Antonito is located at 2400 m. To manage this descent – just like the ascent to Cumbres Pass – the track not only features gradients at the limits of what is feasible for adhesion locomotives, but it also “meanders” extremely in loops – after Osier, the border between New Mexico and Colorado is crossed no less than 11 times.

In Antonito, we then simply take a bus back, and the journey takes only about 1 hour.