Eddie Carroll HO & HOn3 San Juan Mountain Model Railroad Layout Tour With Hyce

YouTube vlogger Hyce posted a tour he recently took of Eddie Carroll's layout in Texas. It's a large, mostly-complete HO and HOn3 layout. Large is not the word. Even for Texas, large is not the word. Where to begin, though? 

First, the scenery looks amazing! While nothing any human can do would come close to compare to the beauty of the original, Eddie and his friends have done satisfactory justice to the western San Juan narrow gauge railroads. The Denver & Rio Grande Western's Silverton line is there--including a dual gauge Durango yard, along with much of the Rio Grande Southern and the Silverton Railroad to Red Mountain. All of it is hand-made and dutifully maintained. 

The trackwork, the scenery, the background, the rolling stock, nearly everything is worth studying. Nonetheless, of particular note is the model of the Silverton Railroad's Corkscrew Gulch Turntable. The prototype, which is in the final stages of decomposition across the valley from the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton, is the only instance in North America of a turntable installed for use on the main line of a railroad. 

As Hyce said, closing out the 40 minute video,

Eddie was  so kind to take us through and show off his layout, which was incredible. Not only is it gigantic and multi-level, everything about it is so artfully and artistically done. ... It's not just giant for the sake of being giant, it's also so detailed and exquisite in its very own way.

Almost as an afterthought, the lower portion of his layout is standard gauge HO, based on Eddie's favorite Pennsylvania lines. All of it's worth a look, not to envy so much as to certainly admire! Great job, Eddie Carroll and friends! ⚒

A Non-Travel Vlogger Takes Amtrak's Southwest Chief

I've been watching Alec, a vlogger--I hate using that word, but it is what it is, and his channel called Technology Connections for more than two years now. He has a knack for asking the questions I've always wondered about American technology like, 

• What's with the holes in the tines of US plugs? 
• Are extension cords more dangerous than we've been led to believe? Hint: yes! 🔌
• Are LED stop lights really that much better than incandescent? 🚦
• Why is High the first setting on most fans? 
• Was VHS actually superior to Beta? Oooh, he's meddling in an old format war! 📼

Alec took a cross-country trip on Amtrak this past August and, being an Amtrak newbie, he splurged and bought a roomette ticket. He admits he's not a railfan or a travel blogger, so it's not like he has all sorts of tips and tricks. You can get those elsewhere, one might hope, anyway. His route was from Chicagoland to sunny San Diego by way of LA and the Southwest Chief.

En route, Alec posed some very interesting thoughts and--this is why I watch him folks!--he nailed one of the main reasons why long distance rail has struggled in America. Nevermind that passenger rail was usurped by an independence-minded but vastly inefficient technology like rubber tires-on-asphalt. Nevermind that Amtrak was never supposed to make money--he got that right too, however. He said essentially that while the cost of a sleeper ticket is mostly out of the range of most Americans, additionally, working people in the USA are too time-poor to be able to splurge 3-5 days on travel. If you want to make a trip to the east or west coast from Colorado, you book it through DIA and not DUS not because "getting there is not half the fun!" but because your damnable HR policy only gives you one weeks vacation the first three years, if you're lucky! That's not right, and we all know it.

The USA is not in an emergency. We are not even trying to beat the Russians to the moon--we're just trying to get there sometime soon. We're not even trying to keep someone else from subjugating the world, like we did in WW2. We are working ourselves to the bone and why? Our kids need us. Our families need us. Our lives need us. We last added a day to the weekend over a century ago and productivity soared! Doing that again isn't a terrible idea. Certainly adding some more time off would help. 

I'm not saying we overturn society. I'm not advocating a shift to communism. I'm saying we need to give our employees time to live a life worthy of the effort of living. The rest of the world gives their employees a much more sane consideration. It's time we do too. Until we do, reasonable rail travel will continue to be a luxury and worse, society will continue to slide downhill. No, I am very serious.⚒

Further Reading:

• CNBC - How Far Behind America Is In Paid Time Off (2018)
• Workest - How Much is Average PTO in the U.S.? (2021)
• US Bureau of Labor and Statistics - Employer Costs for Employee Compensation by Region (2021)

Video: Alpine Tunnel by Drone

One area of lasting interest by railfans and historians in Colorado is Alpine Tunnel. Built by the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad in 1881, it connected Denver and locally Leadville with Gunnison, reaching the station on the west side of town in 1882.¹ Crossing beneath the Continental Divide, the tunnel carried traffic in all seasons until the line was abandoned just 28 years later in 1910 by the Colorado & Southern after a partial cave-in. The Denver & Rio Grande, having connected Denver to Leadville and across Marshall Pass to Gunnison, had siphoned away most of the business between these points. 

This video by YouTube member Searching for the C&S narrow gauge is of such good quality, I had to share it. It has almost a Google Earth-like quality to it, showing the west portal and climbing high to peek over the Continental Divide at the approach to east portal while remaining over the west side. It is a unique and compelling viewpoint that until recently was impossible to get in such detail and resolution. Frankly, I was amazed to see so little vibration or wind for such a high and weather-intense location.

As you can see from the video above and this look at the east portal, the portals have both collapsed long ago, sealing off the tunnel itself from any would-be explorers. Nonetheless, the site attracts visitors from June into September each year. All other times, it is covered in snow, often dozens of feet deep. ⚒

¹ Colorado Railroads by Tivis Wilkins, Pruett Publishing

New Durango & Silverton Video Worth Watching

Tim's Video Channel produced a new video of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that is worthy of some extended viewing! With alternate views riding both right and left sides of the gondola, this is more than the typical vacation video. However, where it truly shines are the too-brief pilot shots, riding the "cow catcher" at the front of the locomotive. Have a look! ⚒

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Caboose Hobbies Future Clouded By Landlord Sale

8/21/16 Update: Caboose Hobbies will close, effective September 25, 2016.

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The changes of the last decade in Denver have been significant, to say the least. Denver Union Station went from Amtrak mausoleum, to a gutted hulk, to a thriving hub of light rail and a direct connection with Denver International Airport. T-Rex completely overhauled Denver's old Valley Highway. FasTracks has nearly finished thrusting new arteries of light rail and commuter rail throughout the metroplex with revitalized neighborhoods growing and thriving again. Burnham closing and coal loads continuing to drop have shifted rail traffic and cost more than a few jobs. Looking back, it seems few things have remained unchanged.

Photo: Caboose Hobbies

Of those few things, Caboose Hobbies, Guinness-certified as the world's largest model train store, is certainly one of the most treasured by Colorado's railfan community. As a kid, I would beg to go down to Caboose Hobbies because I knew that I could find anything I wanted or needed for my layout. It was difficult to keep money in my hands if I was anywhere near 500 S. Broadway. It was just too easy to find something that I had to buy.

Caboose Hobbies has been in Denver since 1938 under the same family operation for 78 years. It gradually expanded to occupy several buildings joined together by common walls and ramps. The store has around 60 employees, some with enough experience in modeling to leave in awe all but the most seasoned model railroader. Caboose Hobbies is one of the few remaining bastions of the experienced salesperson, where expertise, knowledge and expansive selection all come together to become the model railroader's best friend.

Unfortunately, the future for the store is uncertain. Their current landlord is selling the building. While this may indeed mean that Caboose Hobbies is moving, it may not require their relocation. It probably all depends on the buyer.

So, got a friend with a few million to throw into Denver real estate?

Until more is known, Caboose Hobbies is selling a lot of their stock in an across the board sale because money is easier to carry and harder to damage. What's online is what's in the store, so if you want to make sure you get what you want, order now!



In 2015, YouTube reviewer jlwii2000 took an 11-minute stroll through the store (above). He doesn't rest his lens on anything for very long, which is why it is only 11 minutes. I couldn't get through the store in under 30 minutes unless my car was on fire in the parking lot.⚒

New Rio Grande Standard Gauge Steam Video From Greg Scholl

A new video of contemporary steam on the historic Rio Grande Railroad is not that hard to find any year, mostly because of the fine work by so many companies to document the daily operations of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge and the local preservation societies like the Durango Railroad Historical Society and their work with D&RGW 315.

In comparison, finding a standard gauge Rio Grande steam video is rare enough to pay attention to, even if big steam isn't always your thing. Only one standard gauge locomotive survived the scrapper's torch, and it's sitting in the museum in Golden. In other words, any big steam Rio Grande footage is vintage and something worth preserving.



While I have not yet previewed the actual video from Greg Scholl Video Productions, the trailer above looks promising! HT: DRGW.org's Green Light newsletter ⚒

Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train Passes Through Monument

On Monday evening, Walt Loevy caught the UP-led Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey circus train on it's way north through Monument on the west side of the grade with dusk approaching. Be warned: the flange noise on the curve is pretty loud! He catches up with it at Greenland, well after sunset for a final look. https://youtu.be/o9rn4klHKT8



By the way, the RBBX train--the longest privately owned train in the world--was featured on the single season of Extreme Trains. The hour long episode is here.◊

Friends Video Shows Rare Mudhen In Its Natural Environment

On June 21st of this year, the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad put together a video of a double header between Chama and Los Pinos. The Friends all-volunteer organization helps preserve the historic elements of the part of the  Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad's narrow gauge San Juan Extension that the C&TS operates. They paint. A lot. But that's part of what preservation is. They also do a lot of restoration that would otherwise lay undone.



Incidentally, I may be hearing things, but it sounds like someone is being a bit stingy with the sand or a bit too generous with the steam. Several times as the train climbs out of Chama, mudhen 463 spins her drivers. This is not all that good for the machinery or the rails. Working the throttle with a sensitive touch can keep the engine delivering the maximum energy to the rail.◊

Drone Video For Railfans Raises Artform To Cinematographic Heights

Is it November already? No, but if you live on periodical publishing time like Trains magazine, it's close. November 2014 is Trains' technology issue, and they've reported on something I posited here last December: Photo/video shot via drone (page 7). Since then, I've seen them numerous times on geek blogs like Tested, but no one, to my knowledge, has sunk the money into the hobby and actually risked their robotic pride for elevation and for glory.

No one, except midwest-based Delay In Block productions and Evan Lofback of Knoxville, Tennessee, Trains reports. Rather than talk about how I envisioned the use of drones in railfan videos, I'd rather let Mr. Lofback show you exactly how good it can be. I've watched this quite a few times already and it's not getting old, even with diesels and eastern railroads!



So, now does it make sense?

If you're itching to try it, I can tell you that the first one to upload on YouTube a Colorado railroad video using a drone and notifies me or leaves the link in a comment on this post will have it appear as the first video highlighted on the sidebar on Colorado Railroads.* It will be up for at least a month. That's exposure! A narrow gauge and/or steam train video by drone would last longer, given the scenic and aesthetic value.

Evan Lofback has quite a few drone videos on his channel worth your time if you're interested.◊


* - content must meet basic standards. No bonus, bounty, payment, or other benefit (expressed or implied) will be given. No links to non-railroad related sites.

Rio Grande 491 Operational! Celebrates with Tour of the Museum Loop

Ahem. After a few friends have poked me in the ribs, asking if I indeed knew this was happening at the Colorado Railroad Museum (I did, but family matters kept me away). I'm a little too excited, but I will keep my detached decorum. I will not geek out over a certain bit of news that just begs to be shouted from the summit of Mt. Elbert.

Instead... I will let the video speak for itself.

Just listen to that whistle halfway through. Oh, baby!◊

D&RGW 491 at No Agua tank on the museum grounds this summer
Photo: Colorado Railroad Museum

Mike Armstrong's Steam Galore Annotated For Colorado Railroad Fans

Mike Armstrong is a photographer and videographer, posting on YouTube as CoasterFan2105. His body of work has grown quite a bit. So, as a showcase, Mr. Armstrong has put together a compilation of his steam videos and called it Steam Trains Galore! At the time of this writing, it has over 2.1 Million views. (You read that correctly.)

For 2 million pairs of eyes, the video is chock full of Colorado narrow gauge action (and a bit of RGSR's standard gauge engine 18). Thus, I've produced a small collection of notes detailing the different segments with links so you can skip to the parts that interest you. Honestly, my first impulse is to just let it run and see if you can identify the segments yourself. Just in case, however, I put the cheat sheet below.




Note: clicking the time links below will open the video in a second window (after an ad, which I have no control over, unfortunately)

• 0:01 - 0:12 Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge RR (D&SNG) Eureka & Palisade engine 4 "Eureka" crossing Animas  River south of Silverton
• 3:03 - 5:46 Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) engine  315, which was restored by Durango Railroad Historical  Society, at work pulling various specials on the D&SNG.
• 8:13 - 11:43 C&TS and Mudhen 463
  • 8:13 D&RGW 463, one of two surviving "Mudhens,"  leads a double-header on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR  (C&TS) along with D&RGW 487 on a mixed photo freight  over the 63 mile line.
  • 8:43 passing the tank at Lava
  • 9:06 entering the bottom of Tanglefoot Curve below  Cumbres Pass
  • 10:38 exiting the top of Tanglefoot Curve immediately above the entrance
  • 11:08 decending the 4%  grade toward Chama, NM (love the through-truss shot!)
• 11:44 - 12:03 D&RGW mikado 484 on the C&TS rounding the  balloon loop at Antonito, turning the train for the  return trip to Chama.
• 15:38 Intro photo of San Luis & Rio Grande SL&RG railroad  standard gauge engine (former LS&I) 18 descending  towards La Veta, CO with a consist for SL&RG's passenger arm the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad (RGSR)
• 15:48 - 17:50 SL&RG 18 eastbound from Alamosa across the  San Luis Valley then climbing the grade toward La Veta  Pass and topping the grade at Fir, CO. Finally,  descending the east side of the pass nearing La Veta, CO
• 17:51 - 19:57 SL&RG 18 returns with the same consist  climbing dramatically back over La Veta Pass to Alamosa.  Notice the wheel slip by locomotive 18 starting at  19:10. Don't get stingy with the sand now!
• 20:03 - 22:05 Eureka & Palisade number 4 idles for water  at Hermosa then departs northbound for Silverton.  (several beautiful shots)
• 22:06 - 22:10 Photo of the west side of Durango's Narrow Gauge Avenue (yes, technically a street)

Of course, Mike has put together a sequel called--what else?--Steam Trains Galore 2! It contains more of Colorado's railroads and engines for you to discover.

Great videos, Mike!◊

Sunday Video: Between the Rails With D&RGW 486

David Schneider of Fringe Photography in New Mexico posted his very first video on YouTube about a month ago now and it was on a very agreeable subject. He tweeted me (@COrailroads) the link. If this is your first time between the rails, you're going to find it a unique experience!



I tweeted back that I felt 486 looked a lot better like this than sitting in the parking lot at the Royal Gorge.

@corailroads yikes! Can't image 486 just sitting. Glad you enjoyed the video!
— david (@ifringe) March 5, 2014

Follow my twitter account here.◊

BNSF Derailment Caught On Camera, Axle Rolls Into Sedalia Gas Station

The small town of Sedalia just south of Denver had a little more than it could handle Thursday, February 6th, when a BNSF freight train derailed 17 cars at the town's main intersection, tying up US 85 and Colorado Highway 67 for days afterward. As the Amarillo-to-Denver mixed freight of mostly empties pulled through the highway grade crossing, surveillance video from a gas station shows the train cars lurching high off the tracks. Next, a contractor's truck backs out of the way when an axle from one of the cars began rolling downhill toward the camera. The axle continued rolling into the gas station's covered front porch, knocking out two columns before being stopped by a third.

Unlike road-bound vehicles, railcars typically rest on their axles, rather than bolt directly to them. This makes for quick access of a part that often requires replacement or repair. A minor derailment causing an axle to roll free is considerably rare. Locals took advantage of the photo op beside the large freight wheels that weigh 1 to 1.5 tons. It was a happy ending, despite the inconvenience, because no one was reported injured.

An axle from the train rests against the gas station
where it came to a stop in Sedalia Feb 6th.
Photo: The Denver Channel/Pat Norwood

The town of Sedalia is toward the northern end of Colorado's Joint Line at the junction of US 85, and Colorado 67 just north of its connection to Colorado 105, the Truck Route between Monument and south Denver.

History of the Joint Line 

The Joint Line was built when the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad built south from Denver toward Pueblo in 1871 and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway built north from NA Junction near Pueblo to Denver in 1876. After the Rio Grande converted the line to mixed gauge service, the lines could have been used in parallel, but until World War I, there was no joint operation agreement. As part of the United States Railroad Administration's management, the two lines were converted to directional running, right hand rule, with crossovers switched to allow northbound trains to use the eastern track and southbound trains to use the western track, no matter the railroad, Rio Grande or Santa Fe, owning the train. After the USRA returned the railroads to their owners, the Rio Grande and Santa Fe saw the cooperation as mutually beneficial and left the agreement in place.

Colorado & Southern and the Burlington (CB&Q) were allowed trackage rights over the Joint Line when the the rails of the Ft. Worth and Denver City, a third railroad roughly following the same alignment as Colorado 83, were taken up around the same time. South of Pueblo, C&S and the Rio Grande had a similar arrangement as the Santa Fe. As a result, C&S and later the Burlington and the Burlington Northern had a continuous presence along the Joint Line, with the 70s and 80s showing Rio Grande gold and black locomotives and Santa Fe bluebonnets and later warbonnets along with Chinese red Burlingtons and later BN green and blacks for a truly colorful microcosm of western railroads, save the UP until the late 90s.

Opinion

Considering that the crossing in question is just north of a maintenance change over between the Union Pacific (Rio Grande) and BNSF (Santa Fe), it's an interesting point for a derailment. Nonetheless, derailments because of ice buildup or sand accumulation from highway plowing are surprisingly common, especially considering the cold and snowy weather in Colorado around the time in question. Regardless, no one was injured, and that's cause for relief. Would that everyone else was so fortunate!

Footnotes

Tracking Ghost Railroads In Colorado by Robert Ormes

Video - Gerald Sharp's Run 8! Roaring EMDs On Tennessee Pass

On long, windy, winter nights, videos from summers past remind me that there are warm summer days still to come in Colorado, even in the high mountain parks and peaks, canyons, valleys and playful creeks. Only a few months remain to plan our trips to the tracks, even if it's a daydream of a trip. Winter's hold still lingers, and while it does, we can watch videos both historic and recent.

Gerald Sharp recently uploaded a Gerfmon production titled Run 8! Roaring EMDs On Tennessee Pass, Colorado 1992. Although it's considerably lengthy at 34 minutes, it may turn out to be worth your while. The video follows two trains on two different days as they take on helpers at Minturn, Colorado and proceed up the 3% grade to the summit tunnel atop Tennessee Pass, between Eagle-Vail and Leadville.

If you are short on time, the highlights include: Rio Grande SD40T-2 and GP40s pulling out of Minturn, Rio Grande manifest rounding a curve eastbound ascent, and one long, continuous shot of an SP manifest with TOFC through a high mountain park. Really, though, the whole video is worth your time, especially to see the helper operations. (Oh, Lord!)



As long as you're here, I have a small but growing number of playlists the CR YouTube channel. Enjoy!◊

Video Vault: Colorado Steam Mecca

Time to blow some dust off this video from the crypt vault. While I've not seen this recently, I have no doubt in my mind that this video used to be available on VHS, and trained eyes will be able to spot significant differences between the railroads captured on this DVD and their present state (like #346), which are improvements, for the most part.



Seeing the Colorado Railroad Museum as it was in the 80s brought back some memories from my visits and volunteer work. For those with the ability, volunteering there can change your world.◊

Railroading 101: Modern Freight Railroads

With no Bronco game :-[ this Labor Day weekend, there's more than enough time to take in a movie or an extra show. A few years ago, History channel turned out an episode about "Freight Trains." Although one or two minor errors slipped by--that I could tell, anyway--the 45 minute documentary does a more than passable job in explaining the basics of steam piston valves, diesel engine construction, freight cars, yards, and virtually every other aspect of modern railroading in America, including the demise of steam and FRED's elimination of the caboose. While there is nothing that ties into Colorado directly, there is plenty to keep even the casual viewer interested.

It was good to see Jim Boyd, former editor of Railfan & Railroad magazine and an accomplished author make an appearance in the episode. He was a great asset to railfans everywhere. He will be sorely missed.◊

Video: Triple Header On the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

I happened across this video some time ago and, unlike some web videos, this one seems to improve over time. I've watched it several times and I have to say it's one of my favorites.

Normally, I don't feature videos that have disabled embedding. I believe sharing is something that helps your public exposure if it's done with a watermark or title cards showing whose content it is. On the other hand, this video is just too good to pass up.

Former Rio Grande Mikado locomotives, numbers 489, 488, and 487, in that order, triple-head a photo freight over Cumbres Pass in the snow. The footage is HD, sharp focus and set up extremely well. Low angle passes with a wide lens and high angle shots work together like a cinematographer's dream. It should be on a DVD somewhere, but Zack Blea, God bless 'im, has put it on the web for us all to enjoy!

(Next time, Zack, please let me show the readers your awesomeness here!)◊

2012 Christmas Trains

It's Thanksgiving, and the traditional opening of the Christmas season. Since trains and Christmas have a special relationship that's deeply ingrained in American culture, it's only natural that heritage and tourist railroads run special extras during this special time of the year. Demand is often so high that some trains sell out weeks in advance, so book your tickets without delay. Here is a list and a map of the trains that are scheduled to run in 2012:

Alamosa and the San Luis Valley

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad 
Excursion: North Pole Express on Friday and Saturday nights until December 22, 2012. Train departs at 6:00 p.m. from the Alamosa depot. Tickets are $15 for coach or upgrade to Club for $15 more per ticket. Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas for a true North Pole Express experience

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad 
Although there were preliminary plans for the railroad to run a Christmas train, the management change late this year has prevented the formation of any concrete plans. As of now, no Christmas trains for the C&TS. Maybe next year?

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Canon City

Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Excursion: Santa Express Train departing Canon City every Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 6 pm November 16-30, then every evening at 6 pm December 1 & 2, 6-9, 13-26. There will also be special daily departures at noon on Dec 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15-24. No trains on Christmas day. Tickets start at $22 per child and $32 per adult with upgrades to dome class and first class available for the 90 minute round trip. Also, the Canon City and Royal Gorge is offering a New Year's Eve Dinner Train.

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Colorado Springs

Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway
Excursion: Santa Claus Special
Reservations by phone at (719) 685-5401 with a credit card. Saturdays and Sundays, . Times vary but generally 9:30, 10:30 AM, 1:00 and 2:00 PM. Visit site to check specific dates and times as well as status. Several trains are already sold out. Make sure that your selection says Santa Claus Special, because regular trains will also be running on these days.

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Denver

Colorado Railroad Museum
Event: Santa Claus Special – Steam-Up Event on December 8, 15, 16 & 22, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The train runs every 30 minutes between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. with Colorado Railroad Museum’s locomotive and a team of historic passenger cars all decked out for the holidays. The Depot General Store will offer hot chocolate, and you can mail your letter to Santa at the RPO car.

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Durango

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Excursion: North Pole Express, see featured video, Friday, Saturday and Sundays at 5:15 and 6:50 PM through December 11, and daily December 13 - 28, 2012. An additional 8:25 PM departure is available Saturdays and then daily December 14 - 23, 2012. No trains run on Christmas Day. Tickets start at $28 per child and $38 per adult.

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Georgetown

Georgetown Loop Railroad
Excursion: Santa's North Pole Adventure, Saturdays and Sundays first three weeks of December, then December 17 - 24, 26 - 30, 2012 with departures at 10:00 & 11:15 AM, 12:30, 2:00, & 3:15 PM. Tickets start at $28.50 adults and $18.50 ages 3-15 for a one-hour round-trip train ride with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate, cookies, and candy canes, and the kids all take home a jingle bell ornament.
Excursion: Holiday Lights Train 4:30 PM on the same days as Santa's North Pole Adventure as well as Friday evenings. Tickets are $29.50 for adults and $20.50 ages 3-15. Santa and Mrs. Claus do not ride this train
Excursion: First Class Holiday Cheer Train First three Fridays & Saturdays in December Tickets are $36.50 per person for 5:45 and 7:00 departures with heavy appetizers and hot drinks.
All departures weather permitting. Complimentary hot chocolate at the Ticket Window

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Use the map below for locations and directions

MAP: Colorado's Christmas Trains 2012

View Colorado Railroads Christmas Trains 2012 in a larger map
What is it that attracts us to Christmas trains?

I've asked myself many times why I am a railfan, and my only real conclusion is that people (men in particular) like big, noisy things that go fast. Something about all that mass and energy under control and guided by two lines of steel spiked down to the ground just holds my attention. It's the soot, steam and heat of a steam locomotive that provokes a certain sensory overload for me. The thrumming of a diesel as it works its way up a grade thrills me with a sense of awe and wonder. I even thrill to the sight of a caboose. I get very excited at the thought of riding a train ...any train.

That still doesn't explain why Christmas trains are so popular. Perhaps it's because Christmas was one time that taking a train meant something good, like going "Home For the Holidays." Maybe it's the compound wonder of children for two very exciting things. Could it be something else? Comment in with your thoughts on why folks are attracted to Christmas trains!◊

Force Of Nature: CDOT Films Georgetown, Silver Plume and The Far-famed Loop

When I was a teen, climbing 14ers was a scary but fun summer pastime. By scary, I mean that I can't recall an ascent where my life wasn't threatened in some way. On my first attempted ascent of Grays Peak, I can remember how my dad had told me that Grays was one of the easiest climbs within a few hours of Denver. A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners by Lampert & Borneman said so. I remembered that while jammed inside the cleft of a large rock, 50 feet off the trail, wrapped in a heat reflective blanket, wondering if I'd see my dad again.

What does that have to do with the film below titled Force of Nature? Everything. On my way to our climb, the last towns I passed through were Georgetown and Silver Plume. G-town was where they'd likely bring our bodies, I reasoned. I breathed out curses on guidebook writers and, in the very next breath, prayed that lightning avoided men on the exposed sides of mountains and boys stuffed into rocks beneath them with equal disdain. It was only a couple of years after they had rebuilt the Loop in the valleys below my misadventure. Colorado's Department of Highways, a predecessor of CDOT, was consistently being dealt black eyes for it's handling of rock falls onto its roads. Rock slide mitigation is an inexact science with very real consequences for failure.

In 2012, rock slide mitigation is getting (significantly) better. Walter Borneman survived my curses to pen a 20th anniversary edition of the guide and appear in the film below. My dad came down off the mountain having tasted electricity and felt lightning in his fingers, surviving only to drag me up many more (with alarmingly variable results), and then safely retire last year, giving his last Jeep to my brother. You might even catch his own guide book out there. It probably doesn't mention his stuffing his son in a crevice under a rock ...but it should. After all, it taught his son to pray.



Few today seriously understand how unwilling highway designers were to give up their precious right of way to a railroad that no longer existed! This film is just a small token of appreciation for James Grafton Rogers, a preservationist, a lawyer, and a veteran on this Veterans Day 2012.

And Walt, sorry. Your advice was good. No hard feelings!◊

UP 844 and SLRG 18 Met In Walsenburg

Union Pacific 844 and San Luis & Rio Grande 18 had an unannounced meet in Walsenburg, a town that's served as the long-time junction of the Denver & Rio Grande's La Veta Pass route that links Alamosa and the large San Luis Valley with the southern end of Colorado's Front Range. The SL&RG extra with three Rio Grande Scenic cars traveled for the first time into Walsenburg under its own steam. It's likely the first time since the 1950s that two steam engines had met in this southern Colorado town. YouTube user JointLineRailfan captured the late evening-lit meet of the two oil burners on Sunday, November 4th.



Great catch, even if it was in the dark! ◊