Re: Cumbres Pass Snow Blockade 1957

This event was news to me when I came across this photo taken by newspaper photographer in late January, 1957. The notations on the photo described the train and crew became stranded in the 22-feet of snow at Cumbres that also had drifts of 35-feet. They became marooned at Cumbres on January 26, 1957. A helicopter from Camp Hale, Colorado rescued the first 4 men on January 31, and then came back the next day to ferry out the last 16 men.

You can see the Helicopter landing area marked out in front of the Cumbres station in this photo taken just after the last of the crew were rescued. The locomotive and the train is still caught in the drifts and it would be many more days before they could be extricated.

Martin