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!