Cumbres & Toltec + Rio Grande Steam Interchange 2008

[RRConductor7]

Cool video. That 18 is a good looking locomotive. It would have been neat watching it kick out those hoppers.

[megatwingo]

Very nice video. Thumbs up! :)

[HunterR909]

Is the caboose a former SP Caboose?

[saintangerinc]

wwoww would have takin a pic of that southern pacific!

[WhistlepostWP]

@saintangerinc actually i did get some pics of it :)

[STEAMRAILWAYSHOP]

Superb! I WILL ride this railroad one day! Greetings from down under

[Moonstone255]

I have ridden just about every steamer in the Smokies, and am working on the Rockies now. Dad loves steamers so on vacation we would ride them.Got to ride a couple of Shays. He finally built a 1 1/2" model 4-8-2 Southern Pacific Mountain. I had the honor of soldering all the steam tubes and valves. There is 900' of track and there is no way you can open that thing up. He has 10 cars and caboose and each can hold 3 children (ages 8 months to 80 years) Lots of great memories.

[PereMarquette1223]

If my hunch is correct, isn't that a Powell whistle that #18 was wearing?

[Stupidaso2]

Be awsome if they rebuilt the yard and it look like it did back before the Rio grande tore the tracks up.

[nkproad777]

I didn't even know there was a "rio grande scenic railway"! Wow! Where are they based? I really would like to go there. :)

[PereMarquette1223]

Ba ba ba ba baaaa! I'm lovin' it! No, for real, this video is awsome. #18 is haulin'! How long of a distance was that freight run to the yard?

[WhistlepostWP]

@PereMarquette1223 18 took the cut of cars from Antonito to Alamosa...so about 28.4 miles

[DarkHorseLeather]

It would be neat to see narrow gauge and Standard together again. The line from Antonito to Alamosa was 3 railed at one time. I'd love to see it again. Double headed narrowgauge freights to Alamosa and back? Now that is stepping back in time about 70 years! But worth it.

[RCdash9]

Was the freight train a special, or was it the real deal? Its pretty rare to catch a revenue freight with a steam engine on it! Over in New Jersey, the SMS rail lines is restoring an 0-6-0 for revenue freight use as well.

[WhistlepostWP]

@RCdash9 It was the real deal. The steamer was doing real freight work! One of my friends has told me that they had a steamer on the Susquehanna RR switching intermodal cars once.

[TheSd90mac]

@WhistlepostWP The Susquehanna rr steam is probably 2-8-2 142.

[NotchEightProduction]

@RCdash9 Yeah they have even pulled a full freight no passenger train up into Walsenburg Colorado from Alamosa Colorado with the steam engine for an exchange with UP in Walsenburg. The cold of the San Luis Valley has froze up their diesels so on occasion so they used the steam.

[PereMarquette1223]

@RCdash9 What engine are they restoring?

[85mariafer]

i once heard that there is talk of relaying narrow gauge track from antonito to alamosa

[raymondleeleggs]

#18 standarg guage loco?

[Classicalguy12]

@raymondleeleggs Yep.

[csgptg]

train vacation to colorado? so you went to duranga and silverton rr, the georgetown loop one, and others, its one of my life dreams of going on a train vaction to colorado, you're lucky.

Tell me, how was it?

[Stupidaso2]

They should rebuild the Antonito yard to how it looked back in the 60's. Damn you UP for controling the standard guage yard.

[seawuff]

Careful about saying "up" in your post. they might sue you. lol

[sgprailfan]

Why did they decide to use the steam engine?

[railfan101]

Probably for the sake of nostalgia.

[boberttrain831]

Very nice vid! I hope one day to go to colorado to see all the trains I've been dying to see

[orangetrain66]

what pour engine is that at 1:38

[CoasterFan2105]

I believe that's the 493.

[Strasburg1991]

nah 493s still in durango. thats sister 494

[WSOR10C]

Very nice video. Interesting to see the 18 in a slightly different environment.

[trainsruleandroll]

wow, that is rare! usually, #18 is reserved for La Veta pass runs. neet catch!

[WhistlepostWP]

Thanks. Yeah we were really lucky....and the crew seemed just as excited about this rare run as we were. LOL. The engineer and Firemen from both trains were taking photos too. =D

[shogunballa14]

formerly of the Grande Canyon RR right?

[WhistlepostWP]

yup