The upper level of my two-level layout is all narrow gauge, depicting a portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Fourth Division line in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
Working on the Railroad -
Volunteering on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
In 2016, I had the privilege to be a volunteer to do restoration and repair work at one of my most favorite locations – Chama, New Mexico. As a longtime member of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, this was my first chance to do more than just pay annual dues and receive the C&TS Dispatch. I submitted my name for 3 projects, and ended up working on repairing a leaky roof on boxcar 3591. This is not just another boxcar in the yard – this car is used to prepare the lunches for the 50+ volunteers at Chama during that week. Working with Ron Schaefer and Bob Reib, we removed and replaced the rotten roof walk and supports, and sealed the Murphy roof. We also had a great view of the action in Chama yard, as can be seen in the photos. And if you have never ridden on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, you should to have the narrow gauge experience!
Fortunately, I was able to do a little impromptu railfanning with my phone when the trains departed at 10AM and arrived at 4PM. In fact, all the volunteers are encouraged to pause with their tasks and wave to the paying passengers, which I thought was pretty cool.
Update: Unfortunately, our repairs to 3591 did not end the leak. In 2017, the car was worked on again – with better results. The roof was hosed down to locate the leak, then the Murphy roof was disassembled, the underlying damaged wood replaced, a membrane installed, and the Murphy roof reinstalled.
I found the week spent in Chama was very rewarding and fun. After building numerous HO scale kits of these cars, it was a blast to work on the “real thing”. Many different types of projects need manpower, with a wide variety of skills. For more information, check out the Friends volunteer website.