Featured in the May 2020 issue of “Trains Magazine” in Justin Franz’s article “A Grande Future” Making the final strides into Cumbres, K-36 488 leaves Tanglefoot Curve under threatening skies. T... (more)

D&RGW 315 arrives at Cumbres Pass after a long trip from Antonito.

A Rio Grande Cumbres Turn hammers up the 4% grade after rounding Windy Point. This section of track is the last bit of 4% grade before reaching Cumbres Pass. The train was put together by Lerro P... (more)

484 coasts past Perry's Pond descending from Cumbres Pass into Chama.

The engineer and conductor check in with each other while 489 gets a drink at Cumbres Pass.

Serious clag ( smoke ) from a tripleheader.

Rounding Cumbres Loop. A 30-car D&RGW Freight Charter, organized by the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, has just rounded the apex of the Cumbres Loop and is proceeding up ... (more)

Tripleheader blasts upgrade through western scenery. Quite a show.

A pair of 2-8-2s, including C&TS No. 488 and Rio Grande Southern-painted No. 455 tackle Cumbers Pass with a fall excursion train for Antonito, Colo.

On the pass at Lizard Head.... The long-extinct Rio Grande Southern railroad ran from Durango to Ridgway, Colorado, a distance of about 162 rail miles. Like the D&RGW Line between Chama a... (more)

Crew Shot

While summer suddenly disappeared this week in the American Southwest (note, not a good idea to camp with my current sleeping bags), 488 and its train lazily make their way down Cumbres Pass.

The daily train from Chama, NM reaches the summit of 10,015 ft. Cumbres Pass, in Colorado's San Juan mountains.

The improbable daily train keeping the lengthy segment of storied narrow gauge line from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM in active service comes steadily chuffing up the long valley as if unencumbered b... (more)

D&RGW 315 being turned near the snowshed at Cumbres Summit.