Last month, I chased the Cumbres & Toltec narrow-gauge steam train, which runs between Chama (NM) and Antonito (CO). Even though Chama is almost in Colorado, the surrounding landscape often looks dry and yellowed, even in the summer. I’d hoped that all the moisture this spring and winter had made the area greener than usual, and I wasn’t disappointed.
It almost looks like a toy train, doesn’t it? As if it’s impossible for anything to be that scenic in real life. Only the thick black smoke (below) gives it away.
Plus, once you get up close to it, it’s obvious it’s no toy.
You can often tell whether the train is going uphill or downhill by the amount of black smoke it belches. If it’s going uphill, there’s a lot of it. You can even tell the train is close without actually being able to see it.
I was nearly as fascinated by the driver of the tour bus below as I was by the train. He waited at almost every place I did, and stood on the roof of the bus each time. That seems extreme to me but then again, I’ve driven up to northern New Mexico countless times to chase the train … so who am I to talk?
I was so focused on photographing the train as it went through its first crossing (below) that I didn’t even notice the bus and its driver until I got home and looked at my photos. As it happens, I really like this accidental shot.
Below is a photo of the train going up one of my favorite stretches of track. The water next to the train is neither a pond nor a lake; it’s a very large puddle which I’ve never seen there before.
I felt super grateful, all along, for the moisture we received this past winter and spring. Yet I feel even more gratitude now that we’re baking in high-90 and triple-digit temperatures. The entire state would probably be a tinderbox this summer but for all that rain and snow.
Great pics!! We hope to ride that train one of these days.
How very cool! Would love to do that! The green is a wonderful backdrop! 💚
Beautiful as always!