Colorado 2016 – Page 7 – Not Your Average Engineer

October 9, 2016December 18, 2017

Summitville Ghost Town

On our way north back to Denver after a great weekend chasing the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, we stopped off in the ghost town of Summitville south of Del Norte. The whole area is a superfund site now that is undergoing long-term cleanup.

Over about 150 years, this area was mined off and on before it was finally strip-mined in the 1980s. A few structures in the old town still remain.

Our beloved truck, the Albino Rhino, poking around Summitville.

This whole area is a high alpine environment where life would be hard nine months out of the year.

In a few more years, the old buildings will finally succumb to the heavy snows of winter.

These old buildings are melting away into nothing.

A lot of people once lived here. Now the few workers at the superfund site commute up from Del Norte or other towns down at lower elevations.

This lonesome place sure is beautiful. Too bad it’s all contaminated.

Looking over toward some of the modern buildings used to treat water coming out of the mine tailings.

A two hole outhouse ready for the morning shift.

October 9, 2016December 18, 2017

Heading North Toward Summitville

After several fun-filled days riding and chasing the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, we followed another Rising Sun 4×4 Club member north on some back gravel roads up and over the mountains toward Summitville.

Getting ready to head into the unknown.

There are some beautiful colors in the mountains between the border with New Mexico and Del Norte. This color indicates minerals that might be of interest to miners.

Up on top of the mountains on the way to Summitville.

There is a lot of beautiful scenery up here.

Down at an old townsite from mining days long since passed. Almost nothing remains of what once was a thriving mining district.

Winter never really ends at this high of elevation.

October 8, 2016December 18, 2017

Cumbres and Toltec: Chasing the Train

After riding the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad the day before, we went out into the desert to chase the morning train heading to New Mexico out of Antonito, Colorado.

The train caught up to us first at the curves above Antonito. Five of us were lined up at the crossing as the 487 engine roared by going up the hill.

We jumped in our trucks and took off across the desert on the way to our next train encounter. We were now officially chasing the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad.

Even though the train takes curves back and forth as it heads up the grade, and the road goes straight up the mountain, we had to drive flat out to keep abreast with the train.

We caught up with the train close to our campsite with all seven rigs getting in on the photo action as the train steamed by.

The chase was now afoot in earnest. Two of us got ahead of the group and drove as fast as was safe down to the old subdivision station of Sublette.

We got across the tracks and pulled into the little village just before the train pulled in and stopped to take on water.

With all of the passengers on the train, someone must have some awesome videos and photos of us chasing the train.

The rest of the crew parked on the opposite side of the tracks to take photos of the train, talk with the train crew, and hang out while the engine filled up with water.

After the train headed up the hill to Cumbres Pass, everyone gathered around the little substation town of Sublette for a group photo.

Heading on out of Sublette, we got to pretend we were a train. Toot toot!