Our train returned to take us back to Alamosa then south to Antonito and we all reboarded and proceeded westbound.
Deer running away from our train as we ran by.
The view from the rear of the train.
Independent Locomotive Services GP39-2 1390, nee Kennecott Copper 795, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1978, was on the siding at La Veta.
The train ran by Goemmers Butte and I went back inside the 4060 and sat on a bench after buying a 7-UP and socializing with the other passengers as we climbed back up to Fir/La Veta Pass.
Later we arrived at Fir/La Veta Pass.
A former boxcar which serves as a storage unit here.
Our train then crested the grade.
A few minutes later, it took the loop below Fir and I returned to conversations as we dropped down the west slope of the pass.
Later back in the San Luis Valley, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the better light of the late afternoon.
The vista from the rear of the train.
Next we came to a junction where the old rails of the line that ran from Alamosa to Saluda could be seen.
The Rio Grande River.
Crossing the Rio Grande River.
The former Denver and Rio Grande Railroad stock cars of both standard and narrow gauge varieties in a fenced-in area.
Back in Alamosa, we stopped to drop off those local officials from the Alamosa Chamber of Commerce before we proceeded to Antonito.
We passed Historic St. Mary's Railroad FP10 1100, ex. New Century Rail Transport LLC 1100, ex. Indian Head Central 1100 1999, exxx. Cape Cod Railroad 1100 1992 to 1998, exxxx. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority FP10 1100, exxxxx. Illinois Central Gulf 1604 1972, exxxxxx. Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 805A, nee Alton Railroad 810, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1946.
There was other motive power in the yard at Alamosa.
The view as we departed.
Curving south to Antonito.
Cars were flying by us on the paralleling highway.
Unlike what we had experienced earlier, these tracks run straight as an arrow!
A former agricultural building.
Once again to the east, we saw the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Blanca Peak to the northeast.
The train continued south through Estrella at Milepost 259.6.
Interior of San Luis and Rio Grande coach 2948.
Interior of San Luis and Rio Grande coach 5060.
Chris Parker was really enjoying the trip to Antonito.
A rare curve on the line.
The view back on the curve.
Passing the former Denver and Rio Grande Western La Jara station built in 1911.
La Jara at Milepost 266.2. It was a regular stop for the passenger trains and a reguular sheep-loading facility for the railraod, Today there is a 2,700 foot siding here and the Denver and Rio Grande Western once considered the location to have a yard due to all of the local tracks
That hill to the east.
Sunset was about to occur as we approached Antonito.
The train arrived in Antonito and everyone quickly detrained in the last light of the day.
I switched to the digital camera for the rest of the day here is our train at rest.
The Antonito sign.
The sign and the Antonito station.
There had been a discussion about which side the third rail was when these tracks were dual gauge. The third rail was on the west side in Antonito, which meant that the narrow gauge cars would be along the platform. We all reboarded so the train could be wyed, then reverse south as far as we could toward the Harborlite Plant.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic K37 2-8-2 494, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 494 built by the railroad in 1928 and on display near their station in Antonito.
Next we came to the eastern end of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
Then our train passed the west switch of this wye and we would now reverse down the track as far as we could.
At the south switch, we had to stop to line the track for our movement.
Our train then slowly reversed.
We kept rolling south on the old line to Santa Fe.
We had to stop to have a derail thrown before continuing to reverse slowly down the line during the last light of this fantastic day.
We reached the Harborlite Plant, which was as far south as we could go. The train now proceeded north back up past the Antonito station and on to Alamosa. It became dark really quickly so the rest of the journey was in complete darkness. I sat in the 5060 for awhile watching the cars fly by on the highway then later went to the back door and was greeted by a sky full of stars. When it is this clear, the stars are three dimensional across the sky and it was truly magical.
We returned to Alamosa, detrained, walked back to the car and Chris Parker and I drove to Chili's for dinner where I enjoyed a steak. Hallowe'en came early when one couple came in with a girl who had spiked hair. It was really weird and you should have seen the other diner's faces when they saw these people. After dinner, we fuelled the car before returning to the Best Western Alamosa Inn. It had been a fantastic day of train riding on the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad.
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