The stars take the stage. The early morning sun glints off the gilded tenders of Eureka & Palisade #4 "Eureka" and Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 "Glenbrook", as the pair moves as one off the enginehouse track in Antonito, Colorado, in preparation for their one and only, 64-mile, cross-railroad journey, on August 27th of 2021. The two, 1875-vintage Baldwin wood-burners were clearly the most popular stars of the Victorian Iron Horse Round-up, held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Eureka & Glenbrook combined forces to haul a vintage D&RG freight consist from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico, which was run in concert with a special passenger trip, hauled by D&RG Locomotives 168 and 425. Throughout the day, the two trains stopped at various scenic locations along the railroad, and performed run-bys for photographers like myself, who had waited years to see this. Eureka & Palisade #4 is privately owned by Mr. Daniel Markoff of Las Vegas, NV, and Glenbrook is owned by the Nevada State Railroad Museum, in Carson City, NV. This was possibly the first time these two locomotives had been together since they were built in Philadelphia at virtually the same time in 1875, and hopefully, they will meet again someday, perhaps in Carson City.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
