While 2016 has had many accomplishments it is time to start planning for events to take place during the 50th anniversary of the last (1968) D&RGW freight operations over Cumbres Pass i.e. 2018. Now a rotary operation for May 2018 would be on the top of my list and with 3 engines to be available in 2017 it would seem the timing is right for a “Grande” kick-off to the 2018 C&TS season. To make this happen the Friends would need to be preparing equipment in the coming 2017 work sessions. What equipment is required and is it RTR or does it need repairs? Will the Rotary be repainted to M of W gray to match the aux. water tender and cook/ outfit cars? Once the line is cleared what other charter operations would be possible before the season opens at the end of May? The publicity generated will hopefully pay dividends with increased ridership for the 2018 season and beyond.

Here is a taste of what is possible (From the YouTube description):

On the weekend of May 8th and 9th, 1993, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad operated several chartered freight trains for a select group of railfan photographers. The locomotives and equipment were all authentically lettered Rio Grande to perfectly recreate the imagery of a bygone era.
A number of trips were made over an eight-mile section of the line, featuring such famous landmarks as Jukes Tree and Lobato Trestle. The hard-working narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikado-type locomotives put on a memorable show featuring beautiful white exhaust plumes and great stack talk.
You'll see single and double-headed freight trains powered by three different locomotives. Some runs even had a steam-powered mid-train helper!
As a special bonus, we've included John Briggs' 16mm color archive films depicting regular-service Rio Grande freight trains operating between Chama and Cumbres in the late 1950's. A superb hour of narrow-gauge steam action!

60 Minutes *DVD* Full Color * Stereo Soundtrack
Produced by Marc S. Balkin
Written and Narrated by Jim Boyd

P.S. Who is the guy in the white hard hat running # 497? He looks vaguely familiar.




C&TS Snow Trains 1993