Before he started amassing his collection of Rocky Mountain railroad equipment and documents at his hotel in Alamosa and long before he founded the Colorado Railroad Museum, Robert W. Richardson worked for the Seiberling Tire Company. Seiberling had Bob touring all over the south part of the country in the latter half of the 1940's which was a darn cool period in railroad history. He had an arrangement with his boss that allowed him to spend some free time (on the company dime) investigating and photographing railroads during his travels. The photos and stories Bob collected during this period filled the pages of a rather large book that has graced the shelves of many railfans, myself included. Bob's work is inspirational, to say the least.

In my current occupation, I have the occasional opportunity to travel around Texas and the neighboring states. There are trip reports from Oklahoma and Louisiana on this site that document obscure short-lines that I've been fortunate enough to encounter. I've also had the opportunity to work in short trips to the D&S and C&T when I was visiting the Farmington office. I'm grateful to have made these trips because I wouldn't have otherwise been able to visit those railroads due to having a perfect little 2 year old that does his best to make use of every second Daddy's free time. I, of course, freely give him all the time he wants and love every moment of it.

In early 2015 the seed of an idea began to germinate for a big work trip. I had a long list of low-priority projects in West Texas and New Mexico that needed to get done but didn't warrant spending money to accomplish. Then, a couple of high priority projects popped up in the same general location. So, with Bob's travels in the back of my mind and sensing a rare opportunity to get an infusion of coal smoke, I had the thought to wrap all of these projects into a single 8-day tour of West Texas and New Mexico. And, since one of these locations was on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, a mere 90 minutes west of Chama, I'd get to spend a day in "my happy place." My boss approved the plan, which wasn't a surprise to me. This wasn't a pleasure cruise after all. My list of objectives was daunting and nearly all had to be fully complete for me to have the spare time to spend in Chama. Despite the longevity of the trip, it was actually the most cost-efficient method to get everything done.

My initial plan would've landed me in Chama for the closing day of the 2015 season. However, some of the hardware I ordered for a project didn't arrive in time and everything was pushed back a week. Fortunately a freight charter was running the following weekend and I was able to see that.  

Day I

Monday, October 19

Drive/Work Day

Spring to Jourdanton to Sonora to Ozona, Texas

The first day of the trek started well before dawn (as they usually do) and my first destination was the bustling metropolis of Jourdanton, Texas. Actually, it was a few miles west of Jourdanton and about 2 miles down a dirt road in an oil field that was also a cow pasture: the boonies. All went well and a couple of hours later I proceeded on to Sonora, Texas, to get a head start on the project I needed to complete the following day.

Night #1 was spent at a Holiday Inn Express in Ozona.

The "office" in Jourdanton

The road to the "office" in Jourdanton

Day II

Tuesday, October 20

Work Day

Sonora, Ozona, & Fort Stockton, Texas

Day #2 was productive. All missions at Sonora and Ozona were accomplished by mid-afternoon, so I made my way to Fort Stockton with a bit of time to spare. A quick GPS search showed the way to the nearest rail line and I was NOT disappointed. I was starting to feel a bit like Bob Richardson when I arrived. The Kansas City, Mexico, & Orient Railroad depot is in fine shape and serving as the town's visitor center. The new "South Orient" line is owned by Texas and still in operation, though just barely, it appeared. A couple of AT&SF cabeese rest on a still-connected siding on the north side of the Depot.

Just across the way is Comanche Springs, which was a major watering hole on the route between Mexico and West Texas in centuries past... long before the Iron Horse arrived. The long and storied history of the area was palpable... humbling.

Night #2 was spent at a Holiday Inn Express just down the road from the Ft. Stockton Depot. No rail traffic was heard or spotted while in town.

The "Ozona office" is just a shed on top of a large hill where the SCADA gear for the oil field lands.

The tech is spraying a wasp nest we found on the door. Good times...

The view from the top of the hill. It was far more impressive in person.

Heading down the 40 degree grade from the shed at the top of the hill.

Fort Stockton Depot

Comanche Springs

It's slightly underwhelming today, but 200 years ago I imagine it was a welcomed sight!

Looking west from the Depot

Looking east from the Depot

Day III

Wednesday, October 21

Drive/Work Day

Fort Stockton, Texas to Jal to Loco Hills to Carlsbad, New Mexico

Day #3 was another early one. Lots of driving and several projects to complete. I ran north from Ft. Stockton to Jal, NM (rhymes with "gal").  If you've never heard of it, don't sweat it. No one else has either. In fact, nether of the GPS systems I had with me could correctly locate the address. I had to call the Foreman to find the office!

Took a couple of hours to wrap things up, then I continued on to Loco Hills, NM. What appeared to be an abandoned line ran parallel to Highway 18. It was badly overgrown with weeds and in desperate need of ballast, tamping, gauging, and general TLC. Turned out it wasn't abandoned at all when I came across a yard full of cars. A bit later I ran up on a northbound Texas & New Mexico Railway (TXN) train moseying along at about 20 MPH. I grabbed a few shots with my iPhone as I hurried by. Work had to come first. No time for play. A little ways north I drove through the legendary town of Hobbs. I expected to see something of the old Santa Fe, but didn't. And, I didn't have the time to look around much.

Before arriving at my destination of Loco Hills, I drove through an oil patch that resembled a black and white photo from the 1920's. I crested a hill and in front of me in a shallow valley about 5 miles long and a mile wide was a VAST assortment of oil rigs and pump-jacks. Hundreds of them as far as I could see. I wish I'd taken a photo of it.

Once done at Loco Hills, I set off for Carlsbad. My Garmin is generally correct on its chosen route and I only rarely question it (the Jal fiasco notwithstanding). This time it left me scratching my head and I had to pull over and check a map to verify it was working. Turns out, the path it chose was the most efficient one, so... off I went... into the oil patch on a single lane dirt road. Again, I wish I'd taken some photos. It's not every day you get to see something like that!

I hit Carlsbad from the east on NM62. Crossing over the Pecos River I noted the railroad line and followed it to the north on a hunch. Sure enough, not 2 blocks away was the ATSF Carlsbad Depot. A few blocks further and I stumbled across a real treat: the narrow gauge 2-8-0 #1 from the U.S. Potash Railroad! Had no idea it was there. This neat little Baldwin product was built in 1914.

Night #3 was spent at the Holiday Inn Express in Carlsbad.

The Jal "office"

Catching a Texas & New Mexico Railway train heading north to Hobbs

The Loco Hills "Office"

AT&SF Carlsbad Depot

US Potash #1

Neat little locomotive

Day IV

Thursday, October 22

Drive Day

Carlsbad to Albuquerque, New Mexico

Day #4 started a little later than usual. I padded my schedule with extra time this day in case I'd fallen behind at the previous job sites. However, I was batting 1000 and on schedule. So, after catching up on all my work email from the previous 3 days, I leisurely made my way north to Roswell, Vaughn, and Cline's Corner before turning west towards Albuquerque. Oddly enough, I would pass through the Cline's Corner intersection again in under 72 hours, but from the opposite direction.

Roswell is what I was expecting; lots of goofy alien stuff. Vaughn was surprising; quite a pretty little town with a well manicured and well maintained railroad running through it. In fact, the area north of Roswell almost all the way to I40 is really nice. The rolling green hills and WIDE open spaces reminded me of my impression of Nebraska or Montana. Not what I was expecting in east-central New Mexico. All in all, it was a great drive. The Lincoln County sign on the highway was especially poignant given that I'm fond of western history.

With some more time to kill in Albuquerque, I found the office of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec. I'd emailed Gwen that I was planning to stop by if time permitted. Now, we speak often but had never met before. So when she answered the door, "Hi Jason, how is Noah doing?" I was stunned! We'd never met yet she knew me by sight. How cool is that?

Gwen gave me the "grande" tour of the office and I was beyond impressed. I was expecting something low-key and modest, more functional than aesthetic. I was NOT expecting a museum of Denver & Rio Grande and Cumbres & Toltec memorabilia coupled with a large and impressive library!  As luck would have it, they were prepping some surplus books for sale on line, so I saved them the trouble on a few. =)

Bidding a fond farewell to Gwen, I stopped by the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings and made my way to the hotel.

Night #4 was spent at the Holiday Inn Express that can be seen from the parking lot of the FCTS office.

Corporate Headquarters of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Day V

Friday, October 23

Dive/Work Day

Albuquerque to Jicarilla to Chama, New Mexico

Zero dark thirty came early, as it always does. I was more than an hour north of Albuquerque when the sun finally edged over the mountains to the east. This was a big day, the second of my two critical projects to accomplish.

On most of these long drives, I listened to a podcast of the Michael Berry Show. He's a local, syndicated talk radio host that I listen to everyday. His humor gets me through the torture of my corporate job. So, this early morning I listened to the show and drove out to the mountains... not a bad way to spend a Friday morning. My focus was on my mission for the day, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "dinner will be at Foster's tonight!"

Heading north on US 550 towards Farmington

Sunrise

This is truly beautiful country

The first time I made this trip, the Foreman told me to drive out 550 and turn at the casino.

I asked, "What casino?" He replied, "You'll know it when you see. Ain't nuthin' else out there."

He was right.

Heading northeast on an unnamed road on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation

The Jicarilla "office."

There was a heard of deer on the far side of the property. It was idyllic and peaceful... to say the least.

Installing a new directional antennae for internet access.

The first part of my project, installing the antennae above, went well. The second part should have, but many little things went wrong all at once. While taking a break after mounting the antennae and testing the modem, the foreman was discussing with me how much better the power is today now that they have a new line coming from the Dulce area. As if on queue, the power went out. I really thought he was pulling my leg for a minute. He wasn't. Now, for those of you reading this that aren't familiar with electronics, let me explain that they need power to work. Not only that, I needed a separate internet connection to finish reconfiguring the firewall to use the new internet connection I'd just installed. Cell signal was almost non-existent. The office uses a cell repeater in the office, but without power it was dead. To make matters worse, I couldn't call for help because the rest of my team was busy with projects that had to be completely during the monthly maintenance period that just started. Fortunately, a rather beefy UPS was installed here previously and it was holding up my network gear. So I started scrambling to get it all done before I lost my battery.

One by one, the guys started going home. After a while the foreman bowed out as well. This left me alone. REALLY alone. I bet I was the only living soul for 20 miles in all directions. It wasn't eerie. It was... peaceful. And, I needed the peace because lots of little things kept going wrong and it was slowing me down as I raced the clock.

Two hours later I finished everything, tested it, and tested it again... then sat back in my chair and sighed. The UPS battery was beeping ominously, but I was done. Mission Accomplished. Now I could go play choo-choo in Chama.

As I sat there reflecting and wishing I had a cigar... the power came back on!

Leaving for the day. I was the last man out... it was FRIDAY!

Racing east into the growing darkness towards Chama

With the last light of the day, I caught a rainbow over Chama!

When I finally got to the yard, it was too dark for photos. But, I did drive through per tradition.

I was originally going to ride on Closing Day with my buddy Steve Forney. However, when the trip got pushed back a week, he offered to hang out in Chama and chase the freight instead. That was really cool of him and I sure appreciated the camaraderie and fellowship of the day.

When I arrived at The Hotel, I met Steve, Barbara, and Roger in the lobby. Sure was good to see them again. It always feels like home there.

After dinner, Steve showed me some of his videos from the summer. He is a gifted videographer and really doesn't get enough credit online. I truly hope he publishes his work someday.

Day VI

Saturday, October 24

Play Day

Chama, New Mexico

Steve offered to drive this day and I didn't argue. To this point, I'd drive about 1500 miles in 5 days. It was nice to sit back for a while and enjoy the scenery.

For what it's worth, I wish the railroad had been selling chase tickets. I would've bought one.

We grabbed some chow at The Box Car (which was great, as always) and then hit the road to chase.

Broad's Spur - ~MP 343.5

Separating the locomotives to cross Lobato Trestle

463 crosses over

484 crosses next

489 took the train across and the 3 re-coupled for the trip up the hill

Rounding the bend at Lobato Meadows, just west of Dalton

Very impressive train at Dalton, NM.

Trains of this length are only possible because of the efforts of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec.

Just east of the 2nd Crossing

Following Steve down to a spot just east of Hamilton Point.

Just east of Hamilton Point

That's a heck of a nice view down towards the Chama Valley

The shape in the center of this photo sure looked like a bear from where I was standing. I was excited to FINALLY see one up there. After a few moments of it not moving, I took this photo and zoomed to reveal the image below...

Too bad. I really wanted to see a bear.

The CDOT camera on Cumbres Pass

Cumbres Car Inspectors House

Art?

Extra 463 East Arriving at Cumbres Pass - MP 330.5

C&T GM John Bush

That's a nice sight

Sam Seiber

(second from left)

The man. The myth. The legend.

Inside the access compartment for the gear the regulates the water flowing to the stand pipe

The reservoir for the standpipe is in the hill below the gauge.

Cumbres Section House

The Section House sure looks nice after a full external restoration by the FCTS led by Bob Conry

K27 463 backs down the east leg of the Cumbres Wye towards the snow shed

West leg of the wye

Lining the turnout for the main

Heading back to Chama

Extra 463 West approaching Coxo Crossing

463 and Steve Forney

After we got back to town, we grabbed some lunch at the Box Car Cafe. Dang tasty stuff!

After lunch we walked over to the Depot so I could check on the network gear for the cameras. While there I got some photos to share. Most tourists don't get the opportunity to see the office portion of the Depot. We also spent some time chatting with Wade Hall, the Chief Dispatched of the C&T. Real nice guy.

Back on the hill, we caught the special heading west through Tanglefoot Curve / Cumbres Loop

While the train was switched into 2 trains, I wondered around the pass.

Switching the train into two for the decent to Chama.

First train heads west to Chama: Extra 484 West

Sam Seiber again

A friendly wave

Steve Forney

Great place for a nap

The second train departs: Extra 489 West

1940?

I really like this shot. Could be 2015... or 1955.

Extra 489 West approaching Coxo Crossing

Extra 484 West near Dalton

Extra 484 West crossing Lobato Trestle

Extra 484 West at Lobato Siding

There was only a handful of people chasing this day and there was no one at this spot, save me and Steve. So, when 484 left and we waited for 489 to arrive, it got very quiet. VERY quiet. Steve was off by the truck, already kickin' back. So, I had about 15 minutes alone to listen to the wind blow through the mostly bare aspen branches and reflect on how grateful i was to have the opportunity to be here and witness this incredible spectacle. I never take a trip to God's Country for granted because I never know when I'll be able to return. Every minute up there is a gift.

Extra 489 West near Dalton

Extra 489 West crossing Lobato Trestle

Extra 489 West and Caboose 0579 entering The Narrows

Chama Valley from MP 342
 

Extra 489 West near MP 342

"One mile from home"

The first Highway 17 Crossing

Final shot of the trip

When the final train arrived, the 2015 season was essentially over. In a few days, a long deep quiet would descend on Chama and last through the winter. Unlike the "Longest Night" of 1970 though, we had no doubt that steam whistles would be heard in the spring the following year.

Steve and I grabbed some chow at Foster's. Steve's company was appreciated and the food was tasty, as it always is. Sam Seiber joined us near the end and it was good to chat with him for a bit.

It was also good to spend some time chatting with Roger & Barbara Hogan the Hotel. I always enjoy their company and hearing Roger's stories.

Day VII

Sunday, October 25

Drive Day

Chama, New Mexico to Wichita Falls, Texas

After a mere 36 hours in Chama, I made my customary farewell drive through the yard and then turned south. I had one more big project to take care of in Bridgeport, Texas before heading home. The drive down to Wichita Falls for the night was uneventful and relaxing.

Night #7 was spent at the Holiday Inn Express in Wichita Falls and Buffalo Wild Wings provided the chow. I've never seen an HIE that wasn't nice. They're affordable, clean, well appointed, and usually well-located.

Day VIII

Monday, October 26

Drive/Work Day

Wichita Falls to Bridgeport to Spring, Texas

By 1300 I had everything wrapped up in Bridgeport and I started the last leg of the trip towards home. It was a good trip... and it got me out of the office and away from traffic and crowds of people for a week. Man was not meant to spend his days sitting behind monitors in an office. Being out in the fresh air, wide open spaces, and driving around two of the best States in our country was a real treat and a nice break. Seeing some spectacular steam railroading in the Rocky Mountains was an unexpected and undeserved indulgence.

I'm grateful.