The 9:30am "Royal Gorge Route" excursion returns to Cañon City with an F7A/B duo shoving eastward. The train has just resumed its journey after the customary 10 minute stop at the "hanging bridge" deep within the gorge. This stop is a long-standing tradition for passenger trains, started decades earlier by the Rio Grande. The Royal Gorge suspension bridge sits 955ft. above the river, which was quite shallow at the time of this photo due to an ongoing drought.
While Colorado's narrow gauge steam railroads are the major draw, the state is also home to several diesel-powered tourist railroads that take passengers to the Royal Gorge and other sites.