Colorado RRing

Rode the Georgetown Loop for the first time since my honeymoon, long ago. Much had changed-12 gets ready to pull the train.

To Silver Plume We go.

#12 had guts, although she had to stop to build pressure about half way up. I hear the C&S had to do that also, back in the day..

12 runs around our train, for the return trip.

12 heading to the bridge

Can't help myself, I just love this shot.

Switching Chama with 484, with what could be the last wooden coal tower in back.

Coming up on the Los Pinos water tank.

We're hammering Tanglefoot Curve on the return trip.

Switching at Chama after the train. These pictures amaze me. Looking at them, it is hard to tell when they were taken. The level of preservation at Cumbres & Toltec is unbelievable.

I love these shots. Yep, they are not in the mountains, but instead a railroad going about its business. I am so glad the CATS repainted their equipment back into DRGW, it really rolls back the clock.

On the train, 488 is hitting Labato trestle.

Pounding the 4% on the way to Windy Point, 488 was LOUD.

Hammering the 4% up to Cumbres Pass, same as she has since the 1920s. Show that grade who's boss.

Windy Point!

We're just about to Cumbres Pass....

At lunch, 487 is switching the train for the run to Chama. Love the grime and marker lights, real old-school, way it should be.

I ask you-if I published this in B&W, could you really tell me what year it was taken? This is what preservation is all about.

Ever wonder what an Alco powered 6 axle 3 ft gauge Porter looks like? I know I always did (well, not really). Answer is, it looks like 1203-sporting a 6 cylinder 251 and showing it off.

Running around the train.

Super cool little engine. Like it!

Side by side, fireman working the oilcan, pretty sweet.

There is a group working on rebuilding the SIlverton Northern RR. This was a shortline that connected with the D&RGW at Silverton. First part was rebuilding the original enginhouse and surrounding track. The original SN caboose is shown with nearly complete restoration. See www.silvertonnorthern.com for more info.

Stub switch with harp stand, very cool.

Georgetown Loop was running two trains this day, with the Shay's exhaust trying to blot out the 1203 as it passed overhead on Devil's Gate bridge.

Time honored switch move, as the conductor brings #9 back to couple. Your choice of the distance to call 'one car' and also 'that'll do' (don't say stop unless it is an emergency, you'll never hear the end of it) depends on the skills of your engineer. On the C&NW, we had some that were so bad on the brakes that they would roll another 30 feet after that'll do, so after a while you learned to "lead 'em". Conversely, we also had the 30+ year guys who could stop 2 Geeps and a string of cars with their brake hoses disconnected within a few feet of your stop signal. It was pretty embarrasing to switch from one of the Crap-tastic engineers to one of the old heads, lead him by 20 feet, and have him stop with 15 feet to spare....You didn't hear the end of that one, either.

You a steam Fan? Here we have the engine that pulled the last Class one standard gauge freight from Climax to Leadville on October 11, 1962. Next day a SD9 took over, and another era came to an end.