Steam & Excursion > Cumbres & Toltec SRR May 3 Commission Meeting

The link to the Commission meeting is below; the YouTube video link can be found there.

The May 3 meeting was short, financial details and plans for upcoming season were discussed. Two oil burners (#487 and #489) will be used during the June dry month until the monsoons appear in early July. A new revenue passenger car will be ready for service. Last years ridership was 34,500 during the regular season, up from 30,000 the prior year. This year's ridership goal is 36,200. There will be special trains to celebrate 100 years of the K-36 locomotive series. Also wine and beer trains from Antonito, two geology trains and end of season freight from the Friends. The Friend's Chama web cams will receive "band-aid" fixes until new equipment arrives later in the season. Antonito will receive a web cam once the Chama ones have been repaired.

The RR's full schedule is on their newly designed website. Thanks again to Sam Seiber for meeting notes and the video.

http://train.sbseiber.com/CTM2025May03.html

https://cumbrestoltec.com/

Edit: The two oil burrners sre #487 and 489, not 488 as originally posted.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/25 21:43 by Cumbresfan.

I rode it last August for the first time and it was a memory of lifetime with first class operation, great food at the mid stopping point and wonderful scenery (and wildlife). You don't have to be a railfan to enjoy this. 

Victor Baird

up 3k i would imagine?

=16pxI guess I am the only one concerned with this statement from the Superintendent's Report:

"FRA was in town the past week. All of the boilers checked out good. There is some running gear work to be done. That will take some time. There should be some locomotives ready for opening day."

Should be?  This seems a bit flippant.  It would have been nice to know what the exact work was that is required by the FRA , and how they effects getting the engiines out by opening day.  By the second week of May, they shold be wrapping up the winter's projects and test firing/running the engines.  A report on the 487's cylinder repairs would be in order too.  In my day, the May meeting contained a locomotive by locomotive discription of status.

It's all OK, the management has decided to move openng day back to the week AFTER Memorial Day so that everyone involved with the RR can take the weekend off to attend school graduations.....  They added another week to the end of the season to make up for it.  They have effectively replaced "Springtime In The Rockies" with "Late fall, dead grass, leafless aspens and a good chance of getting snowed on in unheated coaches".
 
 

Earlk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> =16pxI guess I am the only one concerned with this
> statement from the Superintendent's Report:
>
> "FRA was in town the past week. All of the boilers
> checked out good. There is some running gear work
> to be done. That will take some time. There should
> be some locomotives ready for opening day."
>
> Should be?  This seems a bit flippant.  It would
> have been nice to know what the exact work was
> that is required by the FRA , and how they effects
> getting the engiines out by opening day.  By the
> second week of May, they shold be wrapping up the
> winter's projects and test firing/running the
> engines.  A report on the 487's cylinder repairs
> would be in order too.  In my day, the May
> meeting contained a locomotive by locomotive
> discription of status.

Agree with that. There were followup questions that should have been asked by commissioners.

> It's all OK, the management has decided to move
> openng day back to the week AFTER Memorial Day so
> that everyone involved with the RR can take the
> weekend off to attend school graduations..... 
> They added another week to the end of the season
> to make up for it.  They have effectively
> replaced "Springtime In The Rockies" with "Late
> fall, dead grass, leafless aspens and a good
> chance of getting snowed on in unheated coaches".

But late October is great for photo freights! When I assisted with Jay's Chama Steam trips, I placed and secured small propane heaters in the two caboose used on the trips.