Cumbres, Colorado photos

These photos were taken in 1992.

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This photo shows the car inspector's house and the remaining part off the Cumbres snow shed with the converted box car coaches coming out. This is on the tail track of the Cumbres Wye.

This photo shows the back of the Cumbres snow shed. The building on the end of the shed is used for storage. The only door is to the inside of the snow shed. It was constructed after the railroad was purchased by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. There is several hundred feet of track beyond the rear of the snow shed and storage shed.





This is the view of Cumbres taken from near Tanglefoot Curve.


This 1992 view is taken from atop the underground water cistern at Cumbres. It is looking west. The old highway 17 bridge is in the fore ground.


Again from atop the cistern, here is the Cumbres section house.


Easterly from the cistern is the wye and yard at Cumbres. The original passenger station was located approximately where the road crosses the railroad. Highway 17 was not located here while the D&RGW operated the line. The highway was relocated here between when the D&RGW halted operations and when the C&TS was formed.

The original snow shed came down the track from the middle left to the lower right. It started about where the gray M.O.W. building is and continued to the left on the near track. At this end of the snow shed, there was a covered coaling platform and earlier on there was a short covered turn table on the wye.

Walking down the mainline across Highway 17 and into the woods, this is the view you would see:


This shows more of the Cumbres yard. This track on the right was a staging/holding track so equipment could be brought up from Chama and left - usually in 15-20 car cuts depending on the tonnage allowed for double headed mikes.

Once about 50-60 cars were collected, one mike would take the train the rest of the way into Alamosa.

The mainline is the track in the middle.

The track on the left is a short siding so a locomotive can turn on the wye without fouling the mainline.


Farther eastward from the last picture and looking westward shows the staging track (now on the left) and the main line. a cross over in the middle of the staging track and then the short siding to the wye can be seen.

The brown building in front of the trees in the distance is the car inspector's house.





Here are four photos taken at Cumbres in 1984. Note that more of the snow shed remains standing than in the 1990's photos.

Cumbres section house and the water plug. The mound to the right of the water plug is the covered water cistern.


The right track in the near fore ground is the end of the short siding on the east leg of the wye. The mainline is in the center and the staging track is to the left. The track to the right in the distance is the wye.


In 1984, the snow shed still covered the wye switch. It is too bad that there was not enough funding to maintain and preserve the original snow shed.


Another view of the wye and snow shed.


This Picture was taken in 1997 as we approached Cumbres.





In 1997, this is all that remained of the snow shed. However, this remnant was rebuilt and is now being maintained.


East of Cumbres, this was taken from the platform of caboose 05635 looking west. A close examination of the photo will revel the tracks leading to Tanglefoot curve (off photo to the left). The upper level is where the Cumbres storage track is.


This was taken between Cumbres and Los Pinos. Probably near the Apache Canyon grade crossing.




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