Water for a thirsty horse. A Denver & Rio Grande Western K-36 brings her freight to a halt at Cresco Tank, approximately 4 miles and 900 vertical feet below Cumbres Pass. In days of old, t... (more)

Steamscape: Coxo. The morning sun is still behind the ridges to the east as D&RGW K-36 #488 claws her way past the little yellow telephone box at Coxo, with a short Cumbres Turn. The tempe... (more)

Desert Dawn. A Denver & Rio Grande Western Freight runs westbound out of Antonito, Colorado at sunrise on a chilly, October morning.

Pipe loads for the gas fields. D&RGW K-36 #488 charges westbound out of Lava Loop, with loads of steel pipe that are destined for gas drilling operations in the Farmington, NM area, the bet... (more)

Lava at sunrise. The first rays of October sun break over the sagebrush as a westbound D&RGW Freight negotiates the east side of the Lava Loop and an imminent stop to water the locomotives.... (more)

Osier: Water for the horses. Baldwin K-36 #487 eases up to the old D&RG water tank at the depot in Osier Colorado. Once the home of a section crew, Osier was a convenient way-station for t... (more)

Cumbres after dark. With her day's assignment as a helper now complete, a D&RGW K-36 simmers on the main in front of the depot at Cumbres Pass, with only the night hostlers keeping watch. ... (more)

Moon over Cumbres. Denver & Rio Grande Western K-36, Number 487 poses on the 84 ft. wooden trestle at Cumbres Pass, under a crystal clear, moon-lit sky. A 30-second exposure at ISO 500 and... (more)

The "Grande" at its grandest. In a re-creation of the glory days of the D&RGW, a pair of K-36s rumble past the stockpens on the outskirts of Chama, NM, hauling a long train of freight cars ... (more)

The Cumbres Turn. When the Denver & Rio Grande Western operated the line from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO, freight paid the bills. For the eastbound freights, the primary obstacle was a gruel... (more)

Sunrise at Lava Tank. A Denver & Rio Grande Western freight making an early morning run from Alamosa to Chama charges through the loop at Lava Tank as the sun peeks over the hills to the ea... (more)

Windy Point: A view from Roger's Rock. On a chilly fall morning, we watch a D&RGW freight, as it tip-toes along the cliff just below Windy Point and prepares to enter the station at Cumbre... (more)

Coxo: The view from Kodak Rock. A stubby monolith located just below Windy Point has come to be known among rail enthusiasts as "Kodak Rock", because it provides a commanding view of the na... (more)

Miracles happen here. Here's a rare look inside the Chama Shop building, where the steam locomotives that serve the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are serviced and maintained. The railro... (more)

Climbing out of Los Pinos. Rio Grande Locomotive 488 belches out a sooty black plume as she digs her heels in for the steep climb out of the Los Pinos Valley. The freight seen here is pas... (more)