By Joy Meadows
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) today introduced Steven Butler as its new general manager. Butler takes over for Scott Gibbs, one of the railroad’s Colorado Commissioners who had temporarily stepped in to run day-to-day operations.
Owned jointly by the states of New Mexico and Colorado, the C&TSRR is the longest, highest, and most authentic steam railroad in America, running between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. The railroad is overseen by an interstate commission.
A life-long rail enthusiast with a passion for preserving 19th and 20th century steam trains, Butler’s family owned a railroad in the Midwest. He has experience in almost every aspect of running a steam powered tourist railroad. He has served as general manager and in other management positions, and also as a machinist, fireman, engineer and chief mechanical officer at various railroads across the U.S. Over the course of his 30+ year career, Butler has worked in management positions with Mt. Rainier Railroad & Logging Museum, Texas State Railroad, Morton Locomotive & Machine and others.
“We are thrilled that Steven will serve as the Cumbres & Toltec’s general manager,” said Billy Elbrock, Chairman of the four-member Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission. “He brings the varied expertise necessary to run both a locomotive and a railroad, from machine work to marketing. He knows this area and even worked briefly for the C&TSRR and was at our neighboring San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad in Alamosa for many years.”
Since the late 90s, he has been a member of the Train/Heritage Rail Alliance Board of Directors, the National Board of Boiler’s Inspection Code Locomotive Boiler subgroup, American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Locomotive subgroup and the Engineering Standards committee.