Cumbres and Toltec Railroad rolling on tracks

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Photos by Brian Williams The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) launched its 2022 season on Friday, July 1, from Antonito. 

ANTONITO — With bells clanging, whistles blowing, and clouds of steam billowing, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) launched its 2022 season on Friday, July 1, from Antonito and Chama, N.M. 

Originally scheduled to open on June 11, the railroad postponed its opening due to extremely dry conditions. Friday marked the return of seasonal train service, which is of vital importance to the economies of Antonito and Chama, N.M. 

New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham planned to visit the Chama Depot and Yards before departure to help welcome the season after the delay. 

The train yards opened at 8 a.m. and passengers began boarding at approximately 9:30 a.m. Trains departed from both Antonito and Chama, N.M., at 10 a.m. 

The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad is the highest, longest and best-preserved steam railroad operation in America. The authentic and historic steam railroad, owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, follows 64 miles of tracks first laid down in 1880 that cross the border of the two states 11 times, skirting along canyon walls through Toltec Gorge, burrowing through two tunnels, steaming over Cascade Trestle (137-feet above a roaring river), and climbing to the top of 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass, the highest point reached by any steam railroad in North America. 

For more information, visit https://cumbrestoltec.com.