Chama railyard in the snow, Dec. 18, 2010

Rail cars and train station in Chama, New Mexico.



Snow, tree, and train station in the snow.

Detail showing train station and rotary snowplow car. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has two old rotary snowplow cars, one of which was used several years ago to clear snow from the line after an unusually heavy winter snowfall.


Detail of railyard park in Chama, New Mexico. At an altitude of about 7900 feet and with a location just a few miles from the Colorado border, Chama often sees significant winter snow. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico and preserves a scenic, high-altitude segment of the former Denver and Rio Grande narrow-gauge railroad.

Chama, a mountain village with a population of about 1,200, is an eighteen-mile drive from our cabin and the nearest thing to a town within fifty miles. Of particular historical note is that several years ago, during road construction on the north end of town, a traffic light was temporarily installed and operated to service a construction detour. After the completion of construction, the traffic light was removed. Now, the closest traffic light would be in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, fifty miles to the northwest; or in Espan~ola, New Mexico, 65 miles to the south.