Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, engine # 473 going over a bridge enroute to Durango.

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway engine # 473 stopping to take on some water enroute to Durango, Colorado.

The Georgetown Loop scenic railway on the bridge where it winds over itself to gain needed elevation to get to the next station.

The Silver Plume station of the Georgetown Loop Railroad. The air was cool, clean, and fragrant.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway engine # 478 stopping to take on water just North of Durango, enroute to Silverton, Colorado.

Union Pacific engine # 844 stopping in Phoenix to help celebrate Arizona's 100th Centennial. This is now the second largest operating steam engine in the world after California stopped allowing the 4884 Big Boy to run. The Challenger is now the largest operating steam engine. The drive wheels dwarf the visitors.

A Durango & Silverton train crossing a bridge on it's way to Durango, Fall of 2011.

Photographers love trains.

Durango & Silverton Engine # 473 passing over an old bridge just before entering Silverton, Colorado.

Durango & Silverton engine # 473 in Silverton, Colorado. The trains stop right in front of the Old Arcade Gift Shop, so they have by far the best location in Silverton.

The ski resort of Breckenridge certainly gets enough snow to warrant its own rotary snow plow.

Engine # 12 of the Georgetown Loop Railroad taking on water in the Silver Plume station.

Union Pacific engine # 844, currently the second largest operating steam engine in the world, stops in Phoenix to help celebrate Arizona's 100th birthday. The huge engine has 80 inch driving wheels to power high speed passenger trains, and runs on recycled cooking oil. The large metal "elephant ear" smoke deflectors were added to create air currents that helped lift the smoke out of the engineers' vision.

Georgetown Loop Railroad engine # 12. From here the engine will climb sharply clockwise and will go over the bridge showing above the engine here, hence the name Georgetown Loop Railroad. This narrow gauge railroad was build in the 1880s to move gold and siver from the area. All that remains of the route today is a 4.5 mile stretch between Silver Plume, and Georgetown, Colorado. The 95 foot high bridge is part of the set up that allows the train to climb 640 feet over the 4.5 miles.

Which came first? The car or the tree? An early Ford was placed in the forest over a seedling pine tree, which grew quite tall.

Grand Canyon Railroad steam engine 4960 pulling a special train for National Railroad Day, May 12, 2012

Detail of drive whells and rods on working steam engine 4960 of the Grand Canyon Railroad

Cumbres & Toltec engine 488 crossing the Cascade Trestle bridge, the tallest railroad bridge in the country, heading to Chama, NM. This was taken July 4, 2014, and a few minutes after this was taken, a hailstorm started.

Cumbres & Toltec engine 484 travelling from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO, over the Cascade Trestle bridge, the highest railroad bridge in the country. Visibility for the photo was reduced because a significant hailstorm just started, on July 4, 2014.

The Chama yard of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad.

Old, worn out engines being used for parts on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in Chama, NM.

Engines of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad going in to the engine house in Chama, NM, at the end of the day.

Engines of the Cumbres & Toltec taking on coal at the end of the day. The famous coal tower on the right is no longer used because the front end loader off the right of the photo can do the same job more quickly and cleanly.