Bound for Big Horn. Eureka & Palisade Locomotive #4 "Eureka" and Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 "Glenbrook" haul a late 1800s period mixed train westbound on Colorado's Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, headed for a turn at Big Horn. The pair are pictured here, charging across Ferguson's Trestle at MP 285.87, pouring out more smoke than you typically see from wood-burners, in a dramatic photo run-by for photographers.
For the purposes of this photo excursion, the run from Antonito, CO, to Big Horn, NM was just about the perfect venue. Since the wood-burners typically require frequent refueling, the short, 19-mile run served to minimize the number of stops and maximize the time spent doing photography. In addition, the geography between Antonito and Big Horn looks far more like the Nevada landscape that these engines called home during their working careers. And finally, for the first time in its history, the Cumbres & Toltec was able to field an authentic set of passenger cars which indeed date to the 1800s and which were recently restored. The two red cars pictured here are perhaps a tad larger than anything that Eureka or Glenbrook may have pulled during their working days, but the look and feel of this train was basically period correct, and it was quite a rare experience to have the privilege to ride it.
