Steamscape: The Chama Valley from Windy Point. Nearing the end of her climb to Cumbres Pass, D&RGW 489 rounds Windy Point, with the Chama Valley lit up in fall colors as a back-drop.
After the 489 arrived on Cumbres Pass with her second cut of freight cars, there was still a little daylight remaining. The leaders of our HTP Photo Charter elected to back the train part way down Windy Point and perform a second arrival for those who desired to shoot it from another angle. With much of the area around the section house already in shadow, and the sky still very bright, I elected to leave the summit with a couple of friends and walk down the ROW in hopes of finding a better lighting situation toward the west side of Windy Point. I had plenty of time, because the train was being held so that other patrons could walk up to Roger's Rock and shoot from above. Well, after considerable walking, we did not find any great shooting locations. Knowing we were committed, we looked down upon the Chama Valley and decided to use it as a back-drop for a dark-side shot of the train. We spied a small outcropping of rock, barely large enough to hold us, and we scrambled to get into position as we heard the 489 whistle off. Honestly, I figured the shot was going to be a throw-away, but I had no other options. I pretty much forgot about this scene until I got home and started looking at it in Lightroom. With a little bit of processing, I think our little gamble looking for a unique shot paid off nicely.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad are all that remains of the legendary Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. Here you'll find some of my favorites from these two beautiful railways.