The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TS) is a narrow gauge heritage railway running between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. The trackage was originally built in 1880 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Starting in 1970, the railroad began to take tourists on six-hour trips between the two towns, using steam locomotives. The railroad has also been featured in several movies, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... A scene on a heritage railway. ... Antonito is a town located in Conejos County, Colorado. ... Chama is a village located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (DRG or D&RG) generally referred to as the Rio Grande, became the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (DRGW or D&RGW) in 1920. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, Alison Doody, River Phoenix and John Rhys-Davies. ...

The Cumbres And Toltec Scenic Railroad has its headquarters in Chama, NM. Chama is a small town about 10 miles from the New Mexico/Colorado border, and it is quite the town. The center of town consists of the Hotel And Shops, Highway 17, and the narrow gauge railroad yard. The yard is full of narrow gauge passenger cars, freight cars, and steam locomotives, including the rare K27 #463 (K stands for Mikado Class [2-8-2 wheel arrangement], and the 27 stands for 27,500 lbs of tractive effort) which is operational. The Cumbres And Toltec Scenic uses K27, K36, and K37 locomotives along its entire route. It also owns a small diesel locomotive. The trip from Chama usually requires the use of 1, 2, or 3 steam engines to climb the 4% grade to Cumbres Pass. You start at the Chama depot, pass by the gigantic coal tipple, the double spouted water tower, and leave the yard. The trip takes you over the Chama River, and up through 'The Narrows' a small shelter on the side of the canyon. The train then crosses Wolf Creek on the Lobato Trestle, almost 100 feet above the bottom of the canyon. It stops for water at Cresco, then climbs to the top of Cumbres Pass, going through Windy Point, one of the most famous places in narrow gauge railroading. After arriving at 10,022 ft Cumbres Pass, the helper locomotive(s) are uncoupled, and the train departs for Antonito. The train goes around Tanglefoot Curve, past the Los Pinos water tank and siding, and crosses Cascade Creek on a 137 ft trestle. You go another mile and arrive at the old toll stop of Osier, CO. You have between 1-2 hours here, as you meet the train from Antonito, eat lunch in the cafeteria constructed by the CTSRR, and admire the scenery. Then, you depart eastbound again, passing even more beautiful scenery. You cling to a cliff and go through Toltec Gorge, a beautiful area where the canyon is only 600 feet wide, and you steam through Rock Tunnel. You cross the New Mexico/Colorado Border a few more times, goes around Phantom Curve and passes through Mud Tunnel. After passing through the two tunnels, you stop at the section house of Sublette. Your train takes on water (for the third time) and continues downhill. You go around the section house of Big Horn, named after the peak only a few miles away. Then, you go along Whiplash Curve, a section of track which loops back on itself three times. You continue around the Lava Loop, and run over Ferguson's (Hangman's) Trestle, which was in the movie 'Where The Hell's That Gold." Finally, you arrive at the Eastern Terminus of Antonito, CO. This small farming community was started by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, and has two gauges of track, standard and narrow gauge. You disembark to either stay in Antonito and ride back the next day, or climb onboard the bus supplied by the CTSRR to travel to your car in Chama.

External links

• Official Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Web Site