Many of you may not be familiar with this area, so a little background is perhaps appropriate. A regional railroad, the San Luis and Rio Grande operates trackage from Alamosa east to Walsenburg, over the steep La Veta Pass, plus two shorter branches out of Alamosa. In 2007 they operated former SP 2-6-0 number 1744, and we have a video on those only charter runs, called “Southern Pacific 1744â€. The railroad obtained former Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad #18 and 20 from the Grand Canyon Railroad. These engines ran in Michigan until the early 1960's.
#18 is a loud 2-8-0, and puts on a great show as we do 3 different photo charters. The first was on May 3-4, 2008 a two-day freight charter on both sides of La Veta Pass. There are some sections nearly 3% grade. There are also a couple of tunnels and several loops and scenic views.
On August 26, 2010 a passenger train consist photo charter was operated by the railroad (SLRG), and we see some fine shots of 18 and its train on this run.
The third and final charter was viewed only in the early morning hours of October 18, 2012 with a freight consist. If you liked our Southern Pacific 1744 show, you will surely enjoy this one just as much. There was no more steam on the railroad after the fall of 2012, and both 18 and 20 have since been sold. If you are not familiar with the remote La Veta Pass I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
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