Evening departure at Chama. Denver & Rio Grande Western Consolidation #315 departs the Chama yard eastbound on the evening of Thursday, August 25th, to take a cut of cars to Cumbres Pass in preparation for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad's Narrow Gauge Rendezvous event. These cars will be used over the following days on a photo freight. Unfortunately, the little 1895-vintage C-18 doesn't have the horsepower to haul a long train to Cumbres, so in keeping with D&RGW tradition, she'll bring her train to the top of the hill in sections. I watched her for most of this evening run, and she was pretty much at her limit with the cars you see here. Engineer Jeremy Garcia did a great job keeping 315 on her feet during the ascent, and he demonstrated similar skill throughout the weekend event, with long trains, wet rails and other challenges.
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.
