After a good hamburger at Sammie's, I decided to explore.
Colorado Highway 12 in La Veta, which is also Main Street. I then heard our train returning from wyeing.
Rio Grande Scenic 2-8-0 18.
Our train waiting to take us back to Alamosa.
This box car has been converted to restrooms. As the train had power outlets, I reboarded and worked on the story until we departed.
Looking back towards La Veta.
The butte in the Cucharas Valley.
The beautiful Cucharas Valley with the butte and the Spanish Peaks.
The Spanish Peaks.
Bald Mountain was off to the northwest.
Rio Grande Scenic 18 climbed the grade on its way to the summit at Fir.
Bald Mountain is always seen to the northwest.
The Spanish Peaks to the southeast.
Rio Grande Scenic 18 working the gradient.
The steam engine gets an eyeful of Bald Mountain as she ascended.
Everyone had a great view of West Spanish Peak.
Our train continued to climb.
The look back.
Working hard around another curve.
A northwest view.
Magnificent views abound from this train ride.
The view ahead.
The view behind.
I enjoyed hearing the sounds of the steam engine working.
The view to the north.
A look behind.
Rio Grande Scenic 18 works hard with Bald Mountain in the background.
The final views of Spanish Peaks for this journey.
Interesting rock strata along our route.
The grade of the former two foot Bald Mountain Narrow Gauge Railroad built in 1903 to haul coal two miles to the La Veta line at Occidental.
Passing through the 655 foot long Lower Tunnel at Milepost 198.6.
Looking down from where we had just come.
More interesting rock strata.
Still working hard as the steam engine continued up the three percent grade.
The clouds made an appearance on a glorious day.
Another look down the mountain to where we once were.
A beautiful steam engine on a beautiful day.
A look back at Bald Mountain.
18 worked hard as it approached the Upper Tunnel.
The Upper Tunnel at Milepost 202.2. It is 343 feet long and in 1928, was enlarged and lined because the tunnel's rocks were prone to breaking apart.
A rear-facing view and Bald Mountain.
A look towards the summit at Fir.
Another rear view.
Interesting use of rail to stabilize the tracks against slippage.
The vista behind us is spectacular.
We would pass through the cut on the other side of the canyon in a few minutes.
My last clear shot of the engine as it continued its ascent.
The train was too long to see the engine in the upper reaches of the climb.
The yard limit sign for Fir.
Rio Grande Scenic 18 worked the final mile of the grade.
The view before we made the final turn into Fir.
Beautiful scenery to the northwest.
We reached Fir and would meet the eastbound train here. It had been an excellent climb of sight and sound from La Veta.
A rather rudimentary section house.
The switch was lined for our reversal into the siding to clear an eastbound train movement.
Our train reveersed into the siding before we were allowed to detrain. I knew where I was going and soon Chris joined me.
Our train at rest at Fir as it awaits an eastbound train from Alamosa.
Looking down at the horseshoe curve.
Passengers wait for the train to arrive.
The mixed train came up the canyon just below Fir.
The mixed train rounding the horseshoe curve.
The mixed train met our waiting steam train after almost an hour's wait, but it was worth every second.
One last shot of our train and the mixed train. Back aboard, I worked on getting the pictures into the story as we descended into the San Luis Valley.
Interior of San Luis and Rio Grande full dome "Summit View", ex. Westours "Eklutna", exx. New York, Susquehanna and Western 504, exxx. Auto Train 510, nee Santa Fe 554 built by Budd Company in 1954.
Interior of San Luis and Rio Grande full dome 551 "Sky View", ex. Westours "Kobuk:1" 1994, exx. Chicago, West Pullman and Southern Railroad, exxx. Golden Arrow Excursion Company 1983-1987, exxxx. Curtis Potter (Passenger Car Associates) in 1981, exxxxx. Auto Train 513, nee Santa Fe 551 built by Budd Company in 1954.
I either relaxed in the full dome of "Summit View" or was on the rear platform talking with other passengers as the train rolled the straight miles back to Alamosa. At the Rio Grande River, some joker had driven his truck out into the river and was stuck. It looked pretty funny. We arrived in Alamosa at 6:20 PM and Bob ran off to a church in hope of making part of a Mass while Chris and I waited. A special thank you to the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad for a most special trip.
Rio Grande Scenic 2-8-0 18 rested after returning us here. The gift shop was open due to our late return.
The steam engine was ready to put away its train just as Bob returned.
Rio Grande Scenic 18 doing its station work and would wye before calling it a day. Bob, Chris and I went to Arby's for dinner then stopped at Walgreen's before we left Alamosa, driving to Walsenburg to the Best Western Rambler Inn for the night.
7/20/2008 The next morning we drove to Trinidad and left the rental car in the station lot then boarded the ten-minute late Southwest Chief 10. I was in the 330 car instead of the 331 as the latter had no power in the outlets and 330 did not have any working toilets. We sat at Canyoncito for almost an hour as a private car was added to Train 4 at Lamy. We arrived at Albuquerque a minute before we were supposed to leave and it was here that Chris Parker left us to fly home.
Our train departed thirty eight minutes late and Bob and I had dinner in the dining car. At Grants, New Mexico, we stopped for almost an hour due to a medical emergency then I went back to my room, made it up and called it a night.
7/21/2008 I was up at Riverside then relaxed until we arrived at Fullerton at 7:54 AM, and I took Metrolink 600 to Santa Ana, ending another great rail journey. Bob stayed on until Los Angeles where he waited for Pacific Surfliner 768 to return him to Simi Valley.
