Steamscape: Lobo Lodge. Two K-36 Locomotives, 17 freight cars and one caboose make up this morning's Cumbres Turn, which is seen here hammering up the legendary 4% grade from Chama to Cumbres Pass. The train is about to pass Lobo Lodge, which is a resort featuring small cabins, and is frequented by tourists and hunters.
There are almost exactly 13 miles of track between the Chama Yard and the Section House at Cumbres Pass. In that stretch, these narrow gauge trains gain nearly 2,200 ft of elevation. Although there is a short, relatively flat stretch of track just outside Chama, the vast majority of this line is a hard, steady 4% grade. The locomotives work hard for the entire hour and 15 minutes that it typically takes them to make the pass. The stack talk is something that can be heard for miles up and down the Chama Valley. Add an extra locomotive or two, and it is really quite a spectacle. Scenes like the one depicted here were commonplace in the early 1900s, when the line hauled freight. It is through the combined efforts of the Mechanical Department of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, and volunteer groups such as the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec, that we are still able to recreate such scenes today.
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.
