Last updated 08/03/2000

One of the crown jewels of steam railroading in the U.S. has to be the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Jointly owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the railroad functions as a living museum. With over 60 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande narrow gauge mainline track, this is a chance to experience what railroading was like before the automobile (the only thing missing are the Pullman cars. Sigh...).

An important part of any museum are the volunteers who supplement the staff and provide funding and support above and beyond what the responsible governments can, or will, provide.

The Cumbres & Toltec has a volunteer support organization called The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Inc.. The quarterly newsletter, The C&TS Dispatch is worth the price of membership alone. The "Friends" sponsor specials, coordinate volunteer work sessions, and offer other opportunities to participate in the railroad.

For more information about The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Railway:

Jessica Stacey has an excellent gallery of C&TS photos on her web page at: Jessica Stacey's Train Photos

Call or write:

Friends of The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc.
5732 Osuna Road NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109

505-880-1311

By the way... Cumbres is pronounced: Coom (like broom) brays.

Here are a few of the photos I took during my visits during the summers of 1995 and 1996.

K36 mike #489 is steamed up outside the shop. Note that the tender is lettered for Rio Grande. (76K 720x480 JPG)

K36 mike #487 is being readied for the day's run. (67K 720x480 JPG)

Point helper #484 has been coupled to road engine #487. (70K 720x480 JPG)

A K36 double header battles the 4 percent grade on the west side of Cumbres Pass. (115K 720x480 JPG)

K27 #463 was completely rebuilt and returned to service in 1994. Here it's resting at Osier before completing it's westbound run from Antonito to Chama during the summer of 1995. (68K 736x480 JPG)

I was lucky to catch a chartered freight headed for Cumbres Pass on a soggy June morning during my 1996 visit. (79K 768x512 JPG)

Here's K37 #497, running as point helper on the west side of Cumbres Pass. 497 had just come out of shops a couple of months earlier and it sounded great! (90K 768x512 JPG)

K36 #488 is loading passengers after a photo run by during the 1996 "Moonlight Special". Windy Point is visible just above the tender. (72K 768x512 jpg)