Drifting through the S-Curve. With the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad's 2016 Narrow Gauge Rendezvous Event drawing down, all of the equipment is headed down the 4% grade toward Chama. With the afternoon sun just about 30 minutes from setting behind the mountains to the west, and the shadows advancing on the rails like Patton's 3rd Army, I caught this unusual combination on the famous S-curves, just south of the Colorado State Line. Here's D&RGW 315, a C-18 Class Baldwin built in 1895, running with a string of the Cumbres & Toltec's tourist coaches. This is pretty unusual because 315 is owned by the Durango Railroad Historical Society, not the C&TS, and she doesn't run on the normal tourist trains. It was the first time I could ever recall seeing 315 running solo with C&TS coaches. It's actually a rather pretty train, particularly in the late afternoon light you see here.
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.
