Riding the Cumbres & Toltec Media Train!

On May 21, 2024, we rode the Cumbres & Toltec Media Train from Antonito, Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico. This invitation-only event was created to invite the media to find out what it’s like to ride this beautiful train, and to thank those of us that contributed to the railroad’s social media takeover during the year.
We arrived at Chama shortly after 7AM to take the motor coach to Antonito. It’s a beautiful ride early in the morning and we spotted elk, deer, and a lone coyote as we made our way up to Cumbres Pass. It had snowed lightly the night before and the ground was covered with a dusting of snow. While the train will take six hours to make this trip, in the bus, it’s less than an hour to cover the 46 miles.
We had a few minutes before boarding, giving us a chance to take pictures of the engine. 488 would take us on our journey today.
The media was invited to ride in the parlor car and the photographers were invited to ride in the coach car in front of it. Right in front of our car was the gondola which was where I would spend most of my time taking in the scenery and photographing. We weren’t restricted to a car, but could go into any of the cars on the train. Because there were only about 20 of us on the train and this was a repositioning move for the railroad to bring these passenger cars to Chama for the season opening on the 25th, the cars were empty.
The only other time I’ve ridden on the Cumbres & Toltec was representing TRAINS magazine on the first run of D&RG 168 after its restoration. That was a short trip to Lava Tank and back. This time I would see parts of the railroad inaccessible by car, specifically Toltec Gorge.

I’m very fortunate to have been invited on this trip and I thank the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad, especially Joy Meadows and Abi Martinez.

http://www.cumbrestoltec.com
Thanks to Chris Perea for starring in my thumbnail picture. Check out his YouTube channel at:    / @cameramanrailfan