©1999 Steve Barry steve@daylightimages.com
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Early morning of September 28, 1999, finds the sun rising behind the water tank at Antonito, Colorado.
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The first runby of the charter's second day finds Rio Grande 497 storming through the sage outside Antonito on the main line of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
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The tracks start to twist as they climb the escarpment to Lava Tank from the sagelands. The narrow gauge Mikado is digging in as it climbs the hill.
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A dry creek bed provides a vantage point to see the 497 crossing one of the many trestles on the line with blue skies forming a perfect backdrop.
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Photo runbys at 9000 feet above sea level proved to be a challenge for passengers who hail from lesser altitudes, but climbing provided many good vantage points. Once everyone caught their breath and the runbys were held, the next challenge was getting everybody down off the steep rocks.
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At Big Horn siding, the tracks leave the sagelands behind and get back into the Aspens. The freight charter coincided with peak autumn Aspen season.
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Go to Narrow Gauge Autumn Splendor page 4
Return to Narrow Gauge Autumn Splendor page 1
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