Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Colorado 150 Celebrations!

FriendsCT — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:00:38 +0000

As part of the festivities surrounding the Colorado 150 and America 250 Anniversaries, two special trains will run from Antonito. For two days only, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad invites you to celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary aboard a living National Historic Landmark. Ride behind historic Engine No. 168, experience the sights and sounds of authentic narrow-gauge steam railroading, and take part in a once-in-a-generation celebration of Colorado history.

On July 31, T-12 locomotive No. 168 will haul the historic fleet of restored passenger cars from Antonito to Big Horn and back. Then on August 1, K-27 locomotive No. 463 will double head with No. 168, hauling the train from Antonito to Osier and back.

Centennial State Limited: Colorado 150 Anniversary Steam Train

To complement the festivities during the Colorado 150 commemoration, the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad invites you to join us for an Open House celebration from July 31 through August 2 at our Antonito location, Experience railroad preservation in action and learn more about the railroad and its history. Our volunteers will be on hand to share their knowledge with you.

Experience History, Preservation and Restoration:

Visit our information table

Explore Museum Cars on the 3-rail display track

Look inside the Friends Car Restoration Facility

Enjoy Children's activities for all ages

Get up close with historic railroad equipment such as Derrick OP, Pile Driver OB, Historic Cabooses, Cook Car 053, and more.

Open House Hours:

Friday, July 31st, 8:30a - 3:30p

Saturday, August 1st, 8:30a - 12:30p

Sunday, August 2nd, 8:30a – 12:00p

Where:

Antonito Railyard & Friends of the C&TS Car Restoration Facility and Storage Facility.

The post Colorado 150 Celebrations! appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Summer 2026 Dispatch Has Arrived

FriendsCT — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:44:46 +0000

The Summer 2026 issue of the C&TS Dispatch celebrates the rich history and modern community preserving the narrow-gauge railroading tradition. This edition highlights the evolution of open-air observation cars from utility high-side gondolas to beloved passenger favorites. It features updates on recent preservation work sessions—including a nine-step guide to disassembling boxcars for salvage parts—alongside progress reports on the running locomotive fleet. Finally, readers are introduced to incoming executive leadership, regional youth outreach initiatives, and a preview of a vast historic photo archive documenting decades of living history.

Dispatch Available Here

The post Summer 2026 Dispatch Has Arrived appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

2027 Calendars Available

FriendsCT — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:52:24 +0000

Friends 2027 calendars are in stock at the office and available by post.

As in previous years, these calendars are full of spectacular pictures of your favorite railroad!

Order the 2027 Calendar Here

The post 2027 Calendars Available appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Work Schedule for 2026 Work Sessions

FriendsCT — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 15:47:15 +0000

View Fullscreen

The post Work Schedule for 2026 Work Sessions appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Webcams are LIVE!

FriendsCT — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:24:25 +0000

Live C&TSR cameras are available to view here.

The post Webcams are LIVE! appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Tracks Across Borders Byway (TABB) – Exploring what history has left behind

FriendsCT — Thu, 22 May 2025 17:17:31 +0000

The Tracks Across Borders Byway invites travelers to take a scenic, historic journey between Durango, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico — tracing the old narrow-gauge rail corridor of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. This 125-mile byway offers a rich mix of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and railroad history: visitors can explore Native American sites, ride vintage trains, view sweeping western landscapes, and stop at points of interest like national monuments, state parks, and local communities steeped in history.

Operated as a nonprofit and officially designated a scenic and historic byway in both Colorado and New Mexico, the Tracks Across Borders Byway also provides a free companion mobile app for self-guided tours with audio highlights and geo-alerts. The route is best experienced spring through fall, with advisories about road conditions and vehicle requirements for some stretches.

Visit TABB

The post Tracks Across Borders Byway (TABB) – Exploring what history has left behind appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

All Aboard for Learning: Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Unveils Exciting New Educational Resources

FriendsCT — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:07:32 +0000

Get ready to embark on a journey of discovery of railroading and historic exploration with the website launch of our Virtual Education Program and Junior Engineer booklet!

“We’re thrilled to bring the rich history of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad to students everywhere,” said Kathleen Walser, Education Team Lead. “Our goal is to inspire a love of learning, a curiosity about the world around us, and a deeper appreciation for the importance of preserving our cultural heritage.”

Imagine a world where students can explore the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad from the comfort of their own classroom or home. Our innovative program brings the magic of the railroad to life through interactive learning materials, including PDF text, mini-booklets with abbreviated text and activities, and additional activity sheets.

New units are being developed by our talented team, and we’re seeking experts to join us in creating even more engaging content! If you have a passion for education and a love for trains, email education@fctsrr.org to be part of this exciting project.

Explore More

The post All Aboard for Learning: Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Unveils Exciting New Educational Resources appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

In Memory of Tim “Shellback” Smith

Katharina Root — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 00:11:14 +0000

We have just learned that Timothy L. Smith passed away March 24th, 2021. Tim has been a faithful volunteer both in the field and also here in the office for over 25 years years. Tim has been a chronicler extraordinaire. He attended and chronicled almost every work session up until the Covid shutdown. Beyond that, he came to the office and organized all of the Chronicle Books by Railroad Asset and created an index which can be used to find anything you are looking for in 2 minutes or less! Once that was complete, he volunteered to caption the photos in the Photo Gallery on our previous site. Then, he took on the task of cataloguing all of the Calendar Photos that have been submitted to us over the years. He has been trying to figure out how to digitize all of the Chronicle and Team Leader Reports and make them accessible. We so appreciated his joyful attitude every week when he came to the office. He was a delight to have around and will be missed dearly. He was known in the office as “Shellback” as a tribute to his Navy Corpsman days and his crossing the equator.

The post In Memory of Tim “Shellback” Smith appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Ted Norcross Passed Away

cumbres777 — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 19:08:00 +0000

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Ted Norcross, a 30-year devoted Friends volunteer and an outstanding leader. His team is known as The Square Nail Gang; a name given the team as everything they worked on was put together with square nails. For more than two decades Ted (AKA the Slave Driver) and his team were responsible for many outstanding accomplishments in the reconstruction and restoration of the section town at Osier. These historic structures and reconstructions are now enjoyed by all who ride the rails.

You always know when Ted was on the job. You would see his pipe and coffee cup and know he was not far away. He would often misplace his coffee cup but never worried about it being taken as he never washed the cup as it “made the coffee taste funny”. The last projects that Ted was involved with was the structural roof replacement on the Lava Pump house in 2019. He will truly be missed, especially by those who have had the pleasure of working with him.

Obituary of Ted McKillip Norcross

The post Ted Norcross Passed Away appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Glenn Hall Obituary

cumbres777 — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:07:00 +0000

It is with regret that that we announce the passing of Glenn Hall a long time Friends member and one of the original COS Work Site founders. Glenn chronicled from start to finish the restoration of Pile Driver OB and spent 9 years on the current restoration of sleeper Car 470 (MOW 0252). His engineering skills were called upon many times, one of the most important was the design of the six-segment gear that OB’s platform rotates on. During the 90’s Glenn provided chronicling in Chama at work sessions and assisted in conversion of several hundred 35mm project slides taken over the years to digital storage for archival.

Glenn will be truly missed and those who had the pleasure of working with him will have a treasure of memories.

His wife, Carla, has asked that in leiu of flower, donations be sent to the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railraod, Inc. to support Work Session activities.

His obituary can be found by following this link: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/colorado-springs-co/glenn-hall-9358498

The post Glenn Hall Obituary appeared first on Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.