This page is devoted to the real-life narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Colorado USA. This railroad was originally constructed in 1880 as part of the San Juan Extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Western. The line was purchased by the States of Colorado and New Mexico in 1970 to function as a scenic railroad and living museum. You can visit the railroad’s website here and explore the history, scenery, and operations. A trip on this historic railroad is a truly memorable experience and not to be missed if you are visiting the State of Colorado.
This first video features the recently restored K-27 No. 463 on a special excursion from Antonito to Chama in May 2013. The second video is of a rare "photo" Freight Train from Osier to Sharma shot in 2008 on the superb Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Colorado, probably the most spectacular in North America. First we see the mighty K-36 #487 tender being "topped off" at the Water Tower in historic Osier before the train charges up the Rocky Mountains to Tanglefoot Curve and the Cumbres Pass (10.015' above sea level) where fierce winter storms leave snow drifts 20 feet deep or more. The train makes several crossings backwards and forwards across the state lines before ending in Chama (New Mexico). More recent footage from 2012 shows the line at it's best.
This is a segment of a "Celebrating North America's Steam Railways" Special on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad released by Great Scenic Railway Journeys. You can obtain the full length DVD from their website store at http://www.gsrj.com/store
Could not resist loading this exceptional video of a Chama Steam Chartered Freight Train which ran on October 24th, 2009.powered by not one, not two, but three K-36 locomotives Nos. 487, 488, and 489.
The Denver and Rio Grande Western K-36 class are ten 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, Mikado type, 2-8-2 steam locomotives built for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (DRGW) by Baldwin Locomotive Works. They were shipped to the Rio Grande in 1925, and were first used along the Monarch Branch and Marshall Pass, but were later sent to the Third Division out of Alamosa. Of the original ten, four are owned by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) and five by the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS). Number 485 fell into the turntable pit at Salida and was scrapped in Pueblo in 1955, with many parts being saved.
The locomotives are of outside-frame design, with the driving wheels placed between the two chassis frames which support the boiler, but with the cylinders, driving rods, counterweights and valve gear on the outside. This general arrangement is shared with the earlier K-27, K-28 and later K-37 Mikado engines.
On May 20th, 2013, the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad sponsored a special excursion from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico pulled by Denver and Rio Grande Western K-27 class 2-8-2 number 463 as part of a double header. This trip was to commemorate the return to steam of the 463 after being out of service since late 2002. Come along for the ride aboard this special excursion over the entire 64 mile long line, including two photo run bys!