Elizabeth and I arose at 5:00 AM, dressed and left the Narrow Gauge Motel at 5:30 am, driving the very short distance to the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad parking lot. We found the table to sign our releases, did that and the helper turned us loose.
Join us for a two-day charter on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad featuring Rio Grande 463 and Rio Grande 168 – hosted by Dak Dillon Photography.We will celebrate the Mudhen’s 120th birthday with a throwback to the 1950's and 168’s 140th birthday with a mixed train for the first time ever on a charter.
Thursday, October 19 – Rio Grande 463
Rio Grande 463 will feature flying Rio Grande lettering for the first charter in approximately 20 years along with refreshed graphite on the smokebox.
The charter will depart Antonito pre-dawn with photo opportunities from sunrise to late-afternoon. The train will operate from Antonito and begin with sunrise at Lava Tank before making our way to Cascade Trestle (subject to change) with runbys planned for numerous locations463 will pull approximately 6 or 7 livestock stock cars (shown in the historical photos on this page) along with rider boxcars and a caboose for photographers to ride in. The train will have a bathroom available in the bathroom boxcar. After our return to Antonito, will set up professional LED lighting for photos of the engine in the yard during twilight and into the evening. A box lunch is included in the ticket price.
Friday, October 20 – Rio Grande 168Rio Grande 168 will pull a mixed consist for the first time on the Cumbres & Toltec. You would not want to miss this unique opportunity!
The train will be dated to the World War I era on the DRG&W (approximately 1919-1926).
The charter will depart Antonito pre-dawn with photo opportunities from sunrise to late-afternoon. The train will operate from Antonito and begin with sunrise at Ferguson’s Trestle before making our way to Osier (subject to change) with runbys planned for numerous locations. 168 will pull approximately 5-7 cars including historic passenger coaches, boxcar, tank car or flat car and a caboose. The train will have a bathroom available and one is available at Osier. A box lunch is included in the ticket price.
The first order of business was to photograph our train for today.
Our train in the night. We boarded a converted box car with benches, a first for Elizabeth then Dak held a safety meetinhg in the open gondola, after which we departed Antonito at 6:15 AM.
A partially-lit interior view of our converted box car. Elizabeth and I ate our breakfast that we had purchased the day before from Family Dollar.
Sunrise was a long way off.
Mount Blanca to our north. We arrived at Lava Tank and there would be five photo runbys here to start our morning.
Our train at Lava Tank, milepost MP 291.55. I walked across the tracks and only one other passenger joined me-.
Photo runby one.
Reverse move one. Another passenger crossed the tracks.
Photo runby two.
Our train after the sun arose on this great morning of photography. I walked across the tracks and found Dak who walked with me around the curve at milepost 291.4.
Photo runby three. Dak left me and I went further still around the curve.
Reverse move two. I moved yet again.
Photo runby four. I relocated and was the furthest from the group.
Reverse move three.
Photo runby five. We all reboarded the train and soon stopped at a place where Elizabeth and I had taken pictures of Rio Grande Southern 20 during the Trains Magazine photo charter in September 2021, milepost 292.5.
Reverse move number four.
Photo runby six.
A false start photo runby seven. Our next photo opportunity would be at Big Horn milepost 299.41 so everyone reboarded and we proceeded there.
The trip to Big Horn.
Reverse move five.
Photo runby eight at Big Horn.
Photo runby nine.
Me and my shadow.
Our trip to Sublette, milepost 306.6.
Reverse move six.
Photo runby ten with Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad K27 463, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 463, built by Baldwin in 1925.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5822 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5841 built by American Car and Foundry in 1925.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5706 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5995 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5691 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western gondola 1357 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3244 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904, now Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad concession car 3244.
Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3537 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3414 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904, now Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad coach 207.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad caboose 0306 built by the railroad in 1982 from boxcar 3060.
The row of brake handles.
Watering the K27 at Sublette. Our next photo runby would be held at the "S" curves, milepost 308.3.
The trip to the "S" curve.
Reverse move seven.
Photo runby eleven.
Reverse move eight.
Photo runby twelve.
The group at the upper photo line.
Dak Dillon, leader of our group, helps people down from the upper photo line.
The trip through Osier to Cascade Trestle, the highest bridge on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad at 137 feet high, milepost 319.9.
Reverse move nine.
Photo runby thirteen.
Reverse move ten.
Photo runby fourteen.
Reverse move eleven.
False start photo runby fifteen. We returned to Osier for lunch and Elizabeth picked up two boxed lunches, but my sandwich had cheese with it so I could not eat it and gave it to another passenger. I told Dak what happened so he talked to the lady in charge who let me go through the regular lunch line so I had chicken, pototoes and cake then took my food to the open car and enjoyed my feast. After our lunch break, we went around the balloon track.
The trip around the Osier balloon track before we headed east.
Our passage to the rock cut and overlook at milepost 317.3.
Reverse move twelve.
Photo runby sixteen.
Reverse move thirteen. I moved across the tracks.
Photo runby seventeen.
The trip to the Mud Tunnel, milepost 311.
Posed picture one.
Mud Tunnel.
Posed crew members.
Our train as seen through Mud Tunnel after we walked through.
Photo runby eighteen.
We came out of the mountains and went around a curve.
Elizabeth's and my shadow.
Mount Blanca in front of this train.
The snowplough-turning track.
The tank car at Lava Tank.
The Enter Colorado sign. We ran to the Baby Trestle for the last photo runby at milepost 284.5.
Reverse move fourteen.
Photo runby nineteen. The train returned to Antonito and the two of us drove over to Dutch Mill Restaurant where we both had pork chops then returned to motel and later, I walked back to the yard to photograph the steam engines in the late evening
Denver and Rio Grande Western K27 483, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 463, built by Baldwin in 1923. It was owned by Gene Autry from 1955 to 1972 but he never used this engine and donated it to the town of Antonito where the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad restored it in 1994.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 4-6-0 463.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad K36 488, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 488, built by Baldwin in 1925.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 4-6-0 168 built by Baldwin in 1883. It was on display in Antlers Park in Colorado Springs from 1938 to 2015 then was leased to the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad for forty-five years and was fully restored.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 2-8-2 K38 493, built by Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1928 from standard gauge 2-8-0 1105
Three engines under steam.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 19, nee Oahu Railway & Land Company, buult by General Electric in 1943.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 2-8-2 K38 495, built by Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1928 from standard gauge 2-8-0 1105. We called it an early night.
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