By Joy Meadows
On Saturday, May 27, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad opened its season with sold-out Memorial Weekend departures, a merchant fair, flag ceremony and fanfare at its Chama Depot.
Regular passenger service begins June 3 and will run six days a week through mid-October. This year, the Cumbres & Toltec has experienced record-breaking early season sales and advises anyone who plans to ride the nation’s longest, highest and most authentic steam train to reserve a seat in advance.
“If you want to get onboard the nation’s longest, highest and most authentic steam railroad this year, reserve early,” said Scott Gibbs, Colorado Commissioner and president of the C&TSRR. “Our opening weekend was sold out, and the premium seating on select summer and fall weekends is already close to sold out as well.”
Regular passenger service begins June 3 and runs through October 21. Trains depart from both Antonito and Chama six days a week, Tuesday–Sunday. Trip options include:
All Aboard Full Excursion Trips, travel by train the full line between Chama, NM and Antonito, Colo. and include a one-hour bus ride. These trips are called the Antonito All Aboard and the Chama All Aboard and include lunch and motorcoach service. Adult ticket prices start at $135 for summer departures and $155 for the fall season.
Half Limited Trips travel half the C&TS line from either Chama, NM or Antonito, Colo to the mid-way point of Osier Station and back to the point of origin. Chama Limited or the Antonito Limited both include lunch and are both solely via train, with no bus service. Adult ticket prices start at $115 for summer and $135 for the fall season.
Express Options are perfect for people short on time, families and people who want to “chase the train” as well as ride it. The three-and-a-half hour Cumbres Express departs from Cumbres Pass at 11:10 am, heads to Osier for lunch service (included in the price) and returns to Cumbres at 2:45 p.m. Adult tickets start at $115. Over Memorial Day Weekend and on select Fridays (June 30, July 7, 14 & 21), the Chama Express will depart Chama at 1 p.m. and travel to Cumbres Pass, the highest operational railroad pass in the country and back to Chama by 3:30 p.m. Lunch is not included. Adult ticket prices start at $90, children 6-12 are $45 and children 2-5 are $25.
Special Trips are trips that do not run weekly and for 2023 will include June 11 and September 10 departures of the popular Geology Train, a Fourth of July Dinner Train and several special runs of the Galloping Goose in September. Tickets prices vary. See website for more information.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad follows the original 64-miles of tracks first laid down in 1880, crossing the borders of Colorado and New Mexico 11 times, as it skirts along canyon walls through Toltec Gorge, burrows through tunnels, steams over Cascade Trestle (137-feet above a roaring river), and climbs to the top of 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass, the highest point reached by any steam railroad in North America.
The railroad has been featured in more than 40 motion pictures, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hostiles and more. The railroad also has the country’s largest collection of narrow-gauge locomotives and cars.
Traveling on the train provides the most authentic look at steam railroading in the 1880s. Passengers can move between cars, ride outdoors on a gondola car, listen to a steam whistle echo down a canyon, enjoy mile after mile of aspen and conifer forest, see wildlife such as elk, deer and sometimes even bear from their seats, or visit the bar and snack car — all at a pleasant top speed of 12 mph.
To book your trip and for complete information, visit www.cumbrestoltec.com or call 1-888-286-2737.