We have had may request to put this segment back up after 5 years of it being off youtube.
This segment received an Emmy from our Anniversary Special. The first time I visited this location, I knew there was something very unique and special about it. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad is one of the best examples of a historic operating steam railroad. All the equipment and buildings are original to the line.
This railroad touches a lot of people that visit here. They have the largest roster of volunteers worldwide of any tourist railroad. The trips they offer cover sixty-seven miles of track through some of the most pristine and unspoiled beauty that the San Juan Mountains have to offer. The topography changes that you see vary from the high desert planes to being transported to over then-thousand feet in elevation. The best place to absorb all of this is in their open-air cars. There you'll find one of the volunteer docents, giving a complete historical presentation on every aspect of the line and its equipment. I personally learned more about that railway in one afternoon filming in the open-air cars, listening to everything that the docent was telling the passengers.
From an equipment standpoint, the railway has the largest collection of narrow-gauge equipment in North America. Most of it is out on display in the yard next to the station. You'll see everything from rotary snowplows to cattle cars, box cars and cabooses. The friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Railway are constantly rebuilding and refurbishing the cars and structures along the line. One of the things that stood out the most to me were the people and volunteers that work on this railroad. You'll meet workers that are third-generation conductors to young people working it for the first time, but all of them have a deep passion to preserve and tell this railway's story. The passengers were mesmerized by the scenery on this trip. Most of the comments that I heard were that they never knew that a location like this existed. They commented on how beautiful and historic in nature it is, and that they definitely will be back in the future with family members and friends.
I am personally hoping that we will be able to present to our viewers a complete one-hour historical documentary on this location. This is by far one of my favorite railroads that I've had the honor of working with on our series. As you'll see by viewing the clip above, you too will want to go and be a part of the Cumbres and Toltec experience. .