Steamscape - Hamilton's Point. A Cumbres Turn hammers up the 4% grade at Hamilton's Point on a chilly morning in September. This location is believed to have been named for L.C.Hamilton, a D&RG Division Superintendent back in the late 1880s, and is approximately three and a half miles and 800 vertical feet from Cumbres Summit. When the Denver & Rio Grande Western ran freight operations on this line, typical freight trains were quite long. Given the difficulty of running such trains up the long, 4% grade from Chama, the consists were often brought up in several sections, usually with helper engines, and then re-assembled in the yard at the top of the hill. Once past Cumbres Summit, long trains could operate with fewer locomotives as the rest of the run to Antonito is largely downhill, or on level ground.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are all that remains of the legendary Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. Here you'll find some of my favorites from these two beautiful railways.
