Remarks: Cumbres section house framed by the snowshed. I like the details. The engine is taking water from the water plug, and a gon of new ties is on west end of the siding. The black dog by the switch stand belongs to the section crew. The trainorder signal was installed at the section house in the mid-1950's after the original station building was torn down, and after an unexpected increase in traffic due to a natural gas boom in the Farmington basin that required train loads of pipe and drilling mud. I do not know if the section house ever actually served as a regular trainorder station, but if so it was for only a brief period.
Remarks: C&S 641 backs into town to pickup its train for Climax on an absolutely glorious winter day in the Arkansas River Valley. In the background are several peaks that exceed 14,000 feet. I think one of them is Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado. Since originally posting the picture I have learned the large building on the right is the DRGW engine and car shop, now gone.
Remarks: The Durango Railroad Historical Society's restored DRGW 315 climbs Cumbres Pass with a short train. The Chama and Wolf Creek valleys are in the background. The location is actually in Colorado, but Chama, NM is the closest town.
Remarks: In my mind the former British Columbia Railway mile for mile is the most scenic railroad in North America. Between Howe Sound, Cheakamus gorge, Seton Lakes, and the climb out of the Fraser River canyon how much more spectacular can railroading be....and all in less than 200 miles. This is a view of the climb out of the Fraser River canyon. I'd like to think the harsh lighting adds to the drama of this difficult stretch of railroad, but judging from the number of hits, the lighting just makes it a backlit picture.
