On this date fifty years ago, the brand-new Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operated its very first passenger train, westbound from Antonito to Chama. It barely qualified as a passenger train as there were no purchased tickets TMK, only invitations and a “donation” opportunity somewhere near Big Horn. Both state Governors were invited but neither attended. Because there was no terminal at Antonito (no anything in fact), the train had to be made-up in Chama and dead-headed eastbound the day before, Sat. the 3rd. It was turned at Lava and backed down the 11 miles to the end-of-track. With a total lack of any passenger equipment, the consist was 483, four side-door Pullmans (aka 3000-series boxcars), outfit 04982, four Vista Dome cars (aka three 1500-series open-end pipe gons and one 9600-series pipe gon), followed by caboose 0503.

Sunday was a bright and sunny day in the San Luis Valley, but this being the autumn of 1970 nothing was certain. Here is the train going through the cut at the Big Horn section house site, with a bank of clouds on the western horizon. Typical of 1970 operations, there were people riding just about everywhere. The lower-elevation aspen are yellow but the rabbit brush have pretty much finished blooming; 0503 has been re-lettered for the C&TS:



This next image shows the train heading for the traditional C&TS lunch stop, underneath Osier Mountain. As I recall, clouds were now rolling in-and-out fast enough that it was becoming difficult to keep up with the changing film exposure settings:



In the Los Pinos valley it is now completely overcast and the aspen are fading; the flagpole can be seen on 483 waiting to fly the colors into Chama:



Decending Windy Point toward Coxo, the aspen are a mix of green and yellow, but the weather is still gloomy:



Finally, here is 483 and the side-door Pullmans heading into Lobato siding, from the north side of the trestle: