Pickin' up the herd. The fall stock rush is in full swing as a Rio Grande freight out of Durango, CO takes the siding at the Chama stock pens to pick up a local rancher's herd for a trip to Alamosa and a connection with the standard gauge. Perched high on the roof walk, a brakeman prepares to spot the lead car at the chute for loading. On the right side of the image, the right-of-way to Durango is clearly visible.
This little re-creation was staged during an October 2024 photo shoot on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, organized by Lerro Photography. On this particular day, the event featured a 2-engine train with K-36 locomotives #488 and 489 providing the power. In practice, a train arriving from Durango would likely have double-headed like this but would have been reconfigured in a push-pull arrangement for the trip over Cumbres Pass, to accommodate the weight restrictions on the high trestle over Wolf Creek, just outside Chama. While the Chama stock pens are still maintained as a historic artifact by the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec, the line to Durango sadly did not survive the end of the D&RGW narrow gauge system. The line you see in this image dead-ends roughly a quarter of a mile to the southwest.
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.
