A Beautiful Trip!

 Thursday, we left Alamosa for a fairly short and beautiful drive to Chama, New Mexico.  We have been coming to this area off and on for probably 50 years.  Not only is it cooler here (almost 7900 ft altitude), but there is a tourist train pulled by old steam engines. Steam trains, and even diesel trains, are something we have  been interested in all of our married lives.

 We saw pine and fir trees, as well as aspen.

In places, we saw lots of wild flowers.

Then, we saw something exciting in the distance! Look carefully at the center left hand side of the photo.  Smoke!

As we approached the top of the pass, we saw the daily Cumbres and Toltec train.  We couldn't have timed it better if we had tried.

After the train stopped long enough for the passengers to take a few photos, it was off to it's lunch stop at Osier, 

The steam train is always followed by this small car--called a speeder--that checks to see that no fires start up in the wake of the train spewing smoke and cinders.  

Steam Train on the Cumbres and Toltec Line

Today we went on another trip ride--the Cumbres and Toltec train.  We took the train from Chama to Osier, where we had lunch, then back to Chama.  Here we are in front of the train in Osier.

This is our train.

The interior of the old coach passenger car--before any passengers took their seats.

The train was pulled uphill by a double header--2 engines and tenders to pull all the passengers uphill.

Lots to green forest, rather than the burned trees we saw on the train over LaVeta Pass.

At Osier we were served lunch.  We both had meatloaf.  The other entree choice was turkey.

Anyone who really appreciates steam trains wants to stand out on the open platforms at the end of each car.  John is one of those people.  On our trip downhill to Chama from Osier, he watched the tender being filled with water.  The man doing the filling was really disgusted when the automatic shutoff that should stop the water flow when the tank is full didn't work.  The top of the tender was covered with water.

There are mountains and lots of open fields along the route.

This is a view of double header.

We hoped to see some fall color in the aspen forests along the route. Unfortunately, the change had not really begun, just a little yellow so far.

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Another view from the train.

Two pop-cars follow the train to put out any fires started by the cinders from the steam train.



We came to Cumbres Pass before lunch at Osier.  This is the restored station at the top of the pass.

Not all the trees along the route were green.  Here you can see a lot of beetle-kill conifer trees, a problem in the Colorado and New Mexico mountains, caused by the pine bark beetle.

This is a view of the water tank and building where we had our lunch at Osier.

Chasing the Train

This year we decided not to ride the Cumbres and Toltec RR. We have done that any number of times, including last year. Instead, we "chased" it from Chama to Cumbres Pass. If you aren't into trains, you might not know what I am talking about. We visited the station in Chama then followed the train on the first half of it's daily route, which just happens to parallel the highway. We were one of 4 vehicles doing that Thursday.

Before the train departed, we saw these two engines sitting in front of the shops. They must be there for repairs.

We walked along the track to choose a good place for photos.

Just after 10 am the train started to move.

About a half hour later, we took these photos.

We came to a crossing where we could get closer to the train.

Here is engine 494 pulling the train across the Lobato Trestle.

The scenery along the route is beautiful.

When the train reached the top of Cumbres Pass, it had to take on some more water.

There is always a pop car following the train, ready to put out any fires it might get started.

Years ago, when this was a working railroad track handling more than just tourists, this snow shed on the top of the pass protected engines during the worst snows of winter.

Trains are fun to watch as well as to ride.

Chasing the Train

If you like trains and looking at historic trains, this blog post is for you.

If you're not a rail buff, you may not know that a lot of enthusiasts drive next to train tracks to "chase" a moving train, taking pictures at various locations. When we rode the Cumbres and Toltec on Wednesday, we saw several folks chasing our train.

Thursday, we were the folks chasing the train. And we weren't the only ones.

The first place we caught the train was just a little way from the station as it crossed a small creek.

At a place called Windy Point, the train can be seen from the road below. It makes a pretty picture. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

Here are few other views of the train. Enjoy.