This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/travelogue to TrainWeb.US/travelogue.
Narrow Gauge Autumn Splendor
Rio Grande Freight on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Page 3 of 4
©1999 Steve Barry steve@daylightimages.com
This section is divided into four pages to provide quick loading
Early morning of September 28, 1999, finds the sun rising behind the water tank at Antonito, Colorado.
TT3111
The first runby of the charter's second day finds Rio Grande 497 storming through the sage outside Antonito on the main line of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
TT3112
The tracks start to twist as they climb the escarpment to Lava Tank from the sagelands. The narrow gauge Mikado is digging in as it climbs the hill.
TT3113
A dry creek bed provides a vantage point to see the 497 crossing one of the many trestles on the line with blue skies forming a perfect backdrop.
TT3114
Photo runbys at 9000 feet above sea level proved to be a challenge for passengers who hail from lesser altitudes, but climbing provided many good vantage points. Once everyone caught their breath and the runbys were held, the next challenge was getting everybody down off the steep rocks.
TT3115
At Big Horn siding, the tracks leave the sagelands behind and get back into the Aspens. The freight charter coincided with peak autumn Aspen season.
TT3116
Go to Narrow Gauge Autumn Splendor page 4
Return to Narrow Gauge Autumn Splendor page 1
Click here for more railroad photo essays
