"Union Pacific Big Boy 4014"

   The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) grew from General William Jackson Palmer’s vision of a narrow-gauge railway running south from Denver along the eastern Rocky Mountains, across Raton Pass into New Mexico, and eventually through Santa Fe to Mexico City, with a branch to the Gulf of California. Built in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s narrow-gauge San Juan Extension, the line carried gold and silver from the San Juan Mountains.

   Railroad operations declined after World War II, and abandonment of the line was authorized in 1969. The following year, Colorado and New Mexico jointly purchased the track and track side structures between Antonito and Chama, leading to the creation of the scenic railroad.

The railroad’s story is deeply intertwined with the history of late-19th and early twentieth century Colorado. At the time of my photography and writing in 2026, the C&TSRR operated Colorado’s last coal-burning steam locomotives.