*Disclaimer: this is some of the first video footage I ever shot.

Much of the camera work is rough and my rookie-ness is quite evident.

Colorado Railroad Museum

In October 2006, Michele and I made our first trek to Colorado since a high school band trip in 1994. I tried to squeeze in as much as possible in our limited time there. First up was the Colorado Railroad Museum. Upon arriving at the museum I knew I was in trouble. A fundamental shift in how I spend my free time was under way. At the time I underestimated just how much trouble I was in. As the week progressed and we visited more sites, I began to understand the meaning of "Narrow Gauge Fever"

Video Coming Soon Eventually...

Georgetown Loop

The same day we visited the CRRM we also hit Georgetown and Silver Plume. We fully intended to ride the train, but with only one running they were booked solid. So, we chased! And, that turned out to be a good thing. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to get more video footage of C&S #9 under steam again. A few weeks after our visit her fire was dumped... maybe forever.

When I heard the whistle from #9 echo off the canyon wall as she blew for Silver Plume, I felt a chill run down my spine. I KNEW I was in trouble... priorities in my life were about to change. Other hobbies were to be pushed aside in the coming years. It would be another few days before Michele caught on to my predicament... and another several months before she realized how serious my condition had become.

Georgetown Loop

(Short Video)

Then & Now

Royal Gorge Route Railroad

A few days later we made our way to Caņon City for more railroad action. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad travels along the Arkansas River on the old Tennessee Pass line through the magnificent Royal Gorge between Caņon City and Parkdale. I HIGHLY recommend this trip. The operation is first class from start to finish, the scenery is spectacular, and the food is great. We had a blast and are looking forward to doing it again someday.

At this point I think the bug bit Michele as well, but not nearly as hard.

D&RGW Third Division Tour

Traveling from Colorado Springs to Silverton we made a last minute decision to take Highway 50, roughly paralleling the Rio Grande's long abandoned 3rd Division (the original mainline to Salt Lake City). At this point I was still pretty new to studying the Rio Grande and wasn't really prepared to document everything that is still there. What you'll see in the video is pretty much all I knew about. My library of books and research material has grown exponentially since our 2006 trip. Subsequent explorations have yielded much more thorough documentation.

After this leg of our trip I was completely hooked! Seeing Cimarron and Ouray for the first time was incredible! Driving over the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton was absolutely mind-blowing for a couple of sea-level flatlanders like we were.

Durango & Silverton

Driving into Durango for the first time is something I'll never forget. We came from the north (see previous video) and met the NG rails at Hermosa. I was just about dumb-struck at the sight of real narrow gauge rails right in front of me. The only NG trackage I'd seen was at the CRRM. But, this was a real working railroad! It was just hard for me to wrap my head around at that time...

Naturally we spent a day on the Durango & Silverton. #482 was the first LIVE Rio Grande locomotive I'd ever seen and it's a moment I'll never forget! I had seen #486 and #499 at the Royal Gorge, #491 at the Museum, and #493 in Silverton (the day before), but seeing a LIVE K class engine for the first time was truly special. On top of that, we had a good ol' fashioned narrow gauge experience!

After our trip on the D&S I knew I was done for. Whatever this Narrow Gauge Bug was, it had taken hold of me and wasn't about to let go. Little did I know that less than 24 hours after our arrival back in Durango my condition would severely worsen.

Cumbres & Toltec

At 0500 we left Durango and quickly made our way to Chama to spend our last day in Narrow Gauge County riding the Cumbres & Toltec. Below are two videos from that trip. Some of the camera work is pretty bad. I'd only had the camera for a few weeks at that point and was still getting used to it. I've learned a great deal about filming since then.

As you can see from the existence of this website, I had a GREAT time. Maureen Scheen, the attendant on the Parlor Car that day, quickly diagnosed my condition and after arriving in Chama gave us a tour of the Engine House and Machine Shop. Her kindness and generosity were typical of all the C&T railroaders we met that day.

My life hasn't been the same since...