Steamscape - Los Pinos Valley. A Denver & Rio Grande Western K-36 hauls a string of stock cars and mixed freight up the Los Pinos Valley, on the westbound run to Cumbres Pass. The train is in the process of crossing an eleven segment, wooden pile trestle, spanning the Rio de Los Pinos; the river for which the valley is named. In just a half mile or so, the train will round a horseshoe curve, reversing direction and running right back down this same valley, passing just a few hundred yards behind the photographer's position. As you see it, the train is at nearly 9,700 MSL, just about 5 miles distance and 300 vertical feet to Cumbres Pass.
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.
