Pictures by Elizabeth and Christopher Guenzler.
Elizabeth and I arose and did our morning preparations at the Courtyard by Marriott in Farmington, New Mexico before we checked out and went to Village Inn for breakfast. We started the drive to Lamar but stopped in Chama when we saw a train display on Highway 64 just before the junction with Highway 17.
The train as seen from the minivan on the way back to Durango from Chama yesterday. The cab reads "484 Freedom Train". Details unknown.
Very close to the previous train is this locomotive, details unknown.
Outside the Rocking PT Ranch is a third train, details also unknown. As this was private property and Internet searches did not reveal anything given the lack of details on which to search, more specific information could not be found. We then drove into Chama and stopped on Highway 17.
The Chama Railyard Southern Gateway to Denver and the Mines story board.
Chama Elevation 7,850 feet.
A scene here before we drove over Cumbres Pass and soon arrived in Antonito.
The Antonito station built in the 1970's. Once the station and its gift shop opened, Elizabeth found a T-shirt commemorating the 100th anniversary event of the K36 locomotives that I had attended in August so I added that to my wardrobe.
National Historic Landmark plaque.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 40 foot box car 66306, built by Pullman in 1916.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 40 foot box car 66977, built by Pullman in 1916.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic 44 ton center cab switcher 19, built by General Electric in 1943, from the Oahu Railway and Land Company.
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 fully restored.
The builder's plate.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic DL535 114, nee White Pass and Yukon 114, built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1982.
Three generations of locomotives - 1925, 1982 and 1883.
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic 2-8-2 488, nee Denver and Rio Grande Western 488, built by Baldwin in 1925.
A speeder of unknown origin.
Denver and Rio Grande Western 50 foot box car 3159, built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western K37 2-8-2 494 built by the railroad in 1928.
We took US Highway 285 to US Highway 160 then Highway 10 to La Junta, Colorado and stopped at the steam engine on display.
Santa Fe 2-6-2 1024, built by Burnham, Williams & Company in 1901 and donated to the City of La Junta by the Santa Fe in 1956.
Two semaphore signals near the steam engine. We drove to Lamar and had dinner at Rancher's Restaurant then drove the short distance to the Days Inn for the night.
9/9/2025 After our regular morning routine, I drove us to Becky's Restaurant for breakfast then we continued the journey home.
The tracks paralleled Highway 50 and in Carlton, BNSF 4882 East awaited a crew. We drove US 283 to Kansas Highway 156 East.
During our stop at a rest area at the junction of K-23 and K-156 was this Santa Fe Trail information board.
Also here was the Kansas Historic Marker for Beersheba, the first Jewish agricultural colony in 1882.
Frizell Santa Fe station at the Santa Fe Trail Center two miles west of Larned, built in 1929.
The Frizell station board.
A stop on red signal.
Depot story board.
The interior views through the window.
The depot was given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Frizell by their daughters Sue Frizell Winter and Marlyn Frizell Brown. We continued to Larned.
Santa Fe Larned station, home to a branch of Equity Bank. Year of construction unknown.
The Santa Fe trail marker beside the station.
Santa Fe coaling tower in Great Bend built in 1928. As our next stop was in Marquette, we drove US 56 to Kansas Highway 156 to Kansas Highway 4 to Fifth Avenue and found the depot.
Marquette Missouri Pacific station relocated to County Museum at 216 North Washington Street. It was originally at Falun in Saline County, Kansas. We continued on Highway 4 to Lindsborg, driving to South Main Street and turning left onto Mill Street and located the depot.
Lindsborg Missouri Pacific station built in 1879.
Santa Fe 2-8-0 735, nee Santa Fe 857, built by Burnham, Williams & Company in 1900. It was re-numbered the same year. In 1954, it was donated to the City of Hutchinson then in 1973, donated to the Halstead Jaycees and placed on display at the Lindsborg Heritage Center.
That was our last depot of the day so we travelled 24th Avenue to Business 81, then Interstate 135 to East 1st Street and parked at the Comfort Inn and Suites. We walked over to Braum's for dinner then checked into the hotel for the night.
9/10/2025 The two of us partook breakfast at Curtis D's then found the city's steam engine.
Santa Fe 2-6-2 1880 built by Baldwin in 1907. Originally a coal burner, 1880 was converted to burn oil in 1941 and hauled freight on Santa Fe's Missouri, Eastern, Kansas Southern and Middle Divisions, although it operated mainly in Kansas, clocking up 1,022,667 miles before being retired in 1953. It then sat for two years in the Emporia rail yard until Newton's Junior Jaycees mounted a campaign to secure the engine for the city. 1880 was donated to the City of Newton in 1955 and hauled by a Santa Fe crew on temporary rails from the railroad track on West Broadway to its current site in Military Park on East Broadway. The canopy is from the original AT&SF depot building in Newton.
The steam engine plaque. We drove US 50 to Interstate 35 to Interstate 435, then Interstate 70 home to Columbia after a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience at our second Heritage Rail Alliance conference.
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