Hi, All -
Please correct me if I'm wrong - it's been a LONG time since I've driven over (North?) La Veta Pass.
If I remember right, it's U.S. 160 that runs from Walsenberg to Alamosa (and on west over Wolf Creek Pass to Durango, Teec Noos Pos and Dinehotso), and it runs pretty close to - or on top of - the route of the original narrow gauge line. My first time over the pass was en route to the June, 1960, three-day n.g. excursion from Alamosa to Durango, Silverton & return, and the bus had to REALLY slow down going around the once-famous "MuleShoe" Curve (just a tad sharper than the HorseShoe Curve in PA). I presume the highway has been widened and straightened somewhat in recent years, and no longer follows the original right-of-way quite so closely.
The current standard gauge RR is a few (several?) miles to the south of the original line, and crosses the Sangre de Christo mountains via a different pass. (Is it higher or lower than the original one?) Are there any roads along the present route, accessable by 4WD at least, or does one have to hike in or mooch a ride on the train to get photos?
- Russo Loco