Meeting at Toltec. The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec's Maintenance of Way Charter holds the west end of the siding at Toltec, as the daily eastbound passenger train out of Chama passes by on its journey to Antonito. Behind D&RGW Locomotive #463 is Pile Driver OB. This angle shows the folded derrick of OB, and from this vantage point, you can clearly see the crude, but effective means by which OB centers and holds the pile being driven. It is literally nothing more than a couple of U-brackets on either side of the derrick, with a big wooden timber set in each one. The pile is held between the two wooden timbers. The large gray object centered between the rails at the opposite end of the derrick is OB's hammer, which is simply a big slug of iron that slides up and down. This machine dates back to 1891 and is fully operable, thanks to the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
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.
