There are times when the whole crew doesn't always go. For instance, half the crew was on vacation when the other half decided to go chase down in Antonito, Colorado. This train is known as the Cumbres & Toltec. It has two trains that run on a daily basis. The first one leaves from Chama, New Mexico while at the same time another one leaves from Antonito, Colorado. They meet up in the middle and eat lunch together. Then they continue on to either Chama or Antonito. Then there is a bus that will take the passengers back to the station they started at. This trip is an all day trip and therefore passengers can not return by train. They would be getting in at midnight. We decided that on this day we would chase it from Antonito to Chama.
One quick side note. Two days earlier I was working in the basement, I came out of one of the rooms and was moving pretty fast when I collided with a serving tray that had been left on the floor. (Yes, it had been sitting there for months I just didn't see it.) I hit my pinky toe and howled like an injured animal; it was broken. It turned all kinds of pretty colors, but since it was a toe there's really nothing you can do but limp on.
We headed towards Antonito, but stopped in Alamosa to get pictures of the No. 18 train. There of course were several crazy people trying to get shots of the engine, but there was this one guy who I'll never forget. Now I'm one who likes to get dirty and crawl on the ground while taking pictures. This guy took it to a whole new level. At the rail yard this man lays down on the ground and then puts his head on the tracks as he's taking pictures. The train blew it's whistle and prepared to move, but the man just stayed there clicking away with his camera. I stood there gaping at this idiot and all I could think was how this was going to wreck my day if the train ran over his head. Finally he gets up and clambers on the other side of the road as if everything was normal. I love steam trains, and of course I wanna get the shot, but I don't think you'll ever see me lay my head on the track a few feet from the engine.
We pack up and head towards Antonito, it's only thirty mins away from Alamosa. The sky isn't as blue as I had hoped for and there is a film of clouds over the sun. It's not cloudy per say, but the clouds are just thick enough to mess with the light in the shot. I'm frustrated but I can't control the weather. We're early enough to the station that there are very few people around. This gives me the best time to take photos of the engine without anyone standing in my way. Mary (mom) decides to go to the bathroom; she should never ever under any circumstances leave me alone with a steam train. (Oh and leaving me with my dad is even worse!) I decide I want a shot from the ground, but this engine is not an oil converted engine. For those of you who don't know what this means I'll explain. Most steam engines today have been converted to run on oil not coal like back in the day. It's a cheaper and more effective way to run the engine, and you don't have to shovel while you're going up the hills.
This engine actually runs on coal, there are men who shovel the coal as they go along the tracks. The gentle hum she made in the station was nothing compared to the beautiful sound that resonated out of her as she climbs into the mountain. So back to this shot I want to take and no supervision. The ground is covered in oil, grime and coal dust. I'm determined to get the shot and look for a semi clean place. I lay down and take a few photos (of course there are a few people who have shown up now and almost step on me. Not entirely sure how they missed me.) I'm pretty pleased with myself and hop back up hoping my mom won't know what I did. What I failed to notice when I stood up was that my white pasty legs were covered in soot and dust as were my hands. My shirt, that I tried to dust off, had black spots all over it. Unfortunately, she's a mom and it takes her but two seconds to figure out what I've done. She didn't leave me alone after that. The shot was worth it as you can see.
What we failed to realize was that chasing the train from Antonito to Chama is nearly impossible. The tracks are not near the road, and once it climbs into the mountains you are finished. However, when chasing it from Chama to Antonitio, the tracks run parallel to the highway until a certain point, but there are many more opportunities. So after driving a little ways, we realize our best bet is to chase it as it comes out of the mountains. We have plenty of time and my parents and I go off to kill some of it. They had a few jobs to do, so while they worked, I tried to elevate my foot because it was swelling up as the day wore on. Unfortunately, their jobs took longer then expected and we spent most of the day driving from place to place. We were running out of time to get back. For those of you who don't know, my dad doesn't drive fast. In fact, he's the guy that goes under the speed limit. You can imagine the frustration that was playing through my mind as we head back towards Chama. It is here where my dad decides to surprise us all and goes 90 on an intersecting road. My mom's holding on for dear life and I'm trying to figure out where my dad is, because this isn't like him. Thankfully there is no one on the road, including cops, as we fly past the fields. There's a sharp curve up ahead and my dad doesn't think he needs to hit the breaks. Now I'm the one holding on. He does actually hit the breaks, we didn't crash and we continue on. We managed to meet the train coming down the hill and sun came out as well.
We chased it back, jumping out of the car, hobbling to the crossings and jumping back in. Since the highway follows the tracks there were a lot of looky loos. But we managed to avoid most of them.
It's our last crossing of the day; my foot hurts, but I don't stop because this is too important. It's coming down the tracks and I get into position. I decide I want to be on my knees for this one (you know who won't let me on the ground.) I get ready and my dad's pretty close to me as it cruises down the tracks. This is the one time I am thankful that the train is not moving too fast because it quickly dawns on me as it approaches that the train hangs over the tracks more than I anticipated and I'm too close. My mom starts screaming to get up and my dad and I scramble backwards as it slides by us. I was maybe a foot away from the wheels. Probably one of the closet calls I've ever had. But in the end it was worth it. My mom, however, was ready to shoot both of us. We thought it was hilarious.
Since the train runs through the mountains we decided to come back when the colors were changing. That is our next story...but you're just going to have to wait a little longer to hear that story.
Your stories are the best Kristina! Keep em coming!
ReplyDelete