Ray -
The amount of RR stuff to see in Colorado is so vast, I'll just confine this to
the D&S vs. CATS question.
I've ridden them both several times, going back to 1960. For spectacular
scenery, the D&S wins hands down, especially in September, when the aspen at
higher elevations should be gorgeous. It's also less likely to be rainy then
(which the western San Juans often are during the summer 'monsoon,' July and
August). Silverton is a neat old town with lots of historic buildings, but very
touristy and commercial. Same for Durango, but much bigger. And the first third
of the trip, out of Durango, is pretty developed now (when I rode the train
first in 1960, it was all open country).
What argues for CATS is the remoteness and mellowness of it all. Practically
the whole 64-mile route is away from roads and civilization, so you feel much
more what it would have been like 100 years ago. Chama is a quiet little place
with a number of great Bed & Breakfasts within walking distance of the yards
(practically everything in Chama is within walking distance of the yards). I
can't remember the B&B where we stayed, but it was wonderful, clean, very nice
common room with fireplace, etc., great breakfast, cooked early for us because
we had to leave. And I can still remember the trout with pinyon nuts we had a
local eatery the night before. You can (or could) walk around the yards without
a guide or paying any money or any restrictions. A lot of the original
structures are still there (the RH, coal and water facilities in Durango are
gone, and the yard is completely closed to public accers except for guided
tours). In Chama, when we were there, the hostlers were totally friendly,
invited my wife and me up into the cab of 463, which was under steam at the
time, and answered all our questions.
If you do CATS, I'd strongly recommend staying in Chama and taking the train
east to west. It's an all-day, one-way affair. You get up early, take a 1.5-hr
bus ride to Antonito, then spend the rest of the day working your way back to
Chama. You can do it in the other direction, of course, and a lot of folks do
because they want to experience the 4% climb up to the pass, but then of course
you don't get to stay in Chama and explore the yards (and Antonito is not as
interesting as either Chama or Durango). Moreover, you get all the spectacular
stuff right at the beginning of the train trip and spend the rest of the day
working your way downhill. Going east to west, you're climbing most of the trip
and it just gets better and better. You start out in sagebrush steppe, work
your way up through pine scrub woodlands and pine/Douglas fir forest, then
along a ledge over the river, which goes on for a long time, through a couple
of tunnels and past Toltec Gorge and into a hanging valley where there's a
lunch stop at Osier. From there, it just keeps getting better as you go up a
side valley through meadows, spruce and fir forest, and finally across Cumbres
before heading down thorugh some equally beautiful country to Chama.
I'm making the case for CATS here mostly because everybody else seems to be
pulling for D&S. You won't lose either way, believe me. They're both national
treasures. It depends or your taste. If you want to be closer to civilization
and have the most spectacular scenery, go D&S. If you want to get deeper into
the railroad and get more rustic, do CATS.
Whatever you decide, you're gonna love it!
Jonathan
--- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, "Zephyr fan" <tczephyr@...> wrote:
>
> I'm planning a trip to Colorado in late Sept and have always wanted to ride
> one of the narrow gauge lines. Does anyone have suggestions as to which of
> the 2, either the Durango or the Cumbres, has the best scenery and the best
> for photographing? Recommendations for hotels at these sites would be helpful
> as well.
>
> Any other near by RR sites to see? Planning on going up to Denver and will
> defiantly include the Colorado RR museum. Last time I was there was in 1968.
>
> Ray Bedard
> San Jose CA
>
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