Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

National Historic Landmark; The Longest And Highest Narrow Gauge Steam Railroad In The United States, 64 Miles Of 3 Foot Gauge Track Between Chama, New Mexico And Antonito, Colorado, Crossing The State Line Eleven Times And Topping Out At 10,015 Feet On Cumbres Pass · Chama, New Mexico

The Cumbres & Toltec is 64 miles of three-foot narrow gauge track laid in 1880 to serve the San Juan mining district, kept in service as a working museum and jointly owned by the states of New Mexico and Colorado since 1970. It is the longest and highest narrow gauge steam railroad in the United States, climbing from Chama at 7,863 feet over Cumbres Pass at 10,015 feet and down through the Toltec Gorge, crossing the state line eleven times on the way to Antonito. The locomotives are original coal-fired Baldwin and Alco 2-8-2 Mikados from the 1920s, the coaling tower and water tanks at Chama still work, and the yard there is the most complete surviving steam-era servicing facility in the country. A full run takes most of a day in one direction with a coach back, or half a day to the midpoint at Osier, where both trains meet for lunch and swap passengers. It runs from roughly late May to mid-October and not at all in winter, because the pass holds snow long after the valleys have cleared.

500 South Terrace Avenue, Chama, Chama, New Mexico, 87520, United States

The railroad operates seasonally, typically from late May through mid-October, with trains most days in the high season and a reduced schedule at either end. Autumn aspen trains in late September and early October sell out first. Departures are in the morning from both Chama and Antonito, with the return by motorcoach in the late afternoon. Special holiday and photographer trains run outside the main season in some years. Dates and times change annually.

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