I have only been to the C&TS once, in the summer of 1995. (I will be correcting that shortly, however.) I rode from Antonito to Chama via a coach ticket, but I spent most of the ride standing in the open gon, which was right behind #463. I rode in the front right corner as close to the tender as I could get. The weather wasn't fantastic, so I wasn't in anyone's way and I did move to let others enjoy my spot, but there were few takers. I had my Ticket to Toltec book open in front of me and, 22 years later, I can still shake cinders out of it.

The hat is a must, and wear sunglasses, but make certain not to wear small sun glasses. Good coverage is a must! Sunscreen is not a bad idea either. Dress in layers! The weather varied on my trip all those years ago. It started out pleasantly crisp in the morning and then started getting warm, by the time we were in the higher elevations, things had cooled off, and I wished I had brought a jacket of some sort. It also rained a bit intermittently, which made me want a jacket even more.

Spending time in Chama just watching the goings on in the yard is a must. The night before I took the morning bus to Antonito, I spent hours watching the trains come into Chama, and then the goings on in the yard afterward. It really made me appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to maintain the equipment and ready the trains for the following day's work. It also really made me appreciate the plethora of other resources and items which make the railroad work every day that many folks don't pay much attention to. There's a whole lot more going on than just the locomotives and cars (not that the locomotives & cars are in any way insignificant). I'd love to meet the folks who work in the shops to maintain the equipment and the folks who maintain the buildings, track, bridges, and tunnels. It takes so much work of so many different skillsets to make the railroad work every day, and I didn't even mention the folks in the office selling tickets, and keeping everything organized!

Dave