THE REST OF THE WEST
We have never had the chance to do much railfanning in the northern tier of states, but are fortunate that we do get to visit railroads in our neighboring states of New Mexico and Colorado as well as occasional forays into other southwestern states. Let me share with you some of the shots from some wonderful places in the West that are not in Arizona.
Colorado is probably in the heart and soul of every railfan. In addition to the world famous Durango and Silverton, some smaller but equally delightful railroads are shown here.
First is the Georgetown Loop, built by the Colorado and Southern in order to gain elevation as the railroad threaded up the canyon towards Silver Plume. Today, the two towns are again connected by rail and our train was pulled by a Shea.
The Pikes Peak cog railway takes you from Manitou Springs to the top of the mountain at 14,000 feet - and yes, you really do feel the elevation and thin air. I really liked the Alpine feeling of the base station.
The Royal Gorge Scenic Railroads runs west from from Canyon City right into and through the famous canyon. The equipment is nice and the views spectacular as we ride almost at the edge of the river and through the Gorge.
The Durango and Silverton is probably one of the greatest success stories of any preserved narrow gauge line. We were fortunate to visit it in late September and travelled through the beautiful early fall colors.
The Cumbres and Toltec remains perhaps my favorite of all tourist railroads. Not only does it travel through incredible scenery, have a wonderfully preserved yard and engine facilities in Chama itself, but the staff is totally friendly and open to we "foamers" wandering and enjoying the property. A trip on the C&T is always a delight, but this year it was doubly so as we saw some of the most beautiful fall scenery we had ever seen.
The Rio Grande Scenic is a brand new railroad running on the old Rio Grande line over La Veta pass east from Alamosa, Colorado. To our delight they aquired the ex-Grand Canyon Railway #18 which I last saw being shipped off to Washington in exchange for a 2-8-2 steamer. Not only that, but they were hauling us in two full lenght dome cars, originally built for the Holland America steamship lines for service in Alaska. An incomprable view and stunning interior. What a way to travel behing steam!
The nation's newest commuter railroad is the Railrunner operating out of Albuquerque. It has got to be the most spectacular graphic scheme on any train - anywhere. And the great news is that it is currently being expanded into Santa Fe, you will soon be able to ride the train from Belin, 30 miles south of Albuquerque to Santa Fe, 60 miles north