Direct Routing to Pages with:
Utah Desert and Escalante ~ Glen Canyon Dam and D&SNGRR ~ Silverton and Passes ~ Skyline Drive
Royal Gorge ~ Gunnison Museum Display ~ Lake City ~ Slumgullion Summit and Creede ~ Cumbres & Toltec RR
Meteor Crater ~ Grand Canyon RR ~ Hoover Dam ~ Heber Creeper
| Back to the trains! This is the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad,
America's longest and highest narrow guage railroad. It took two
engines to get us up the hill to Osier where lunch is waiting at the
station! There are railroad yards in both Chama, NM, and Antonito, CO, but I think the one to see is in Chama. |
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The Cumbres and Toltec runs between Chama,
NM, and Antonito,
CO. The right of way is officially a museum run
by the two States, and at 64 miles long (and a few yards wide) it is
the longest and narrowest museum in the world! At a 4% grade (up four feet in every one hundred) it is also one of the steepest, excluding cog-type railroads. The other side (Antonitio to Osier) is a much easier 1.5% grade. |
| Just keep on pulling us through the
trees. It is a great ride, but I would hate to be on a runaway
with bad brakes! Getting to this point we crossed a bridge that wasn't rated for both engines. We had to stop while the front one uncoupled and went across, and then the second one pulled the cars across, and then they couple back up and up the hill we started again! I seem to only have that on video tape... |
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Water Stop! One of many. The
trains run from both sides, meeting in Osier for a nice lunch
buffet. Then you can
either stay on your train and go back the way you came, or move to the
other train to finish the route, taking a bus back. The bus takes
a little under an hour. The train takes 6 and a half! |
| The steam and the smoke come rolling out
when they pour that water in! |
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You can see the water spout over the rear
locomotive. There isn't much in Cresco besides the water tank. |
| Watered up and we are on our way again! |
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