By Forrest Whitman
One of the railroad gems of Colorado Central Country is The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. I had a ghost at my side when I spent two days exploring that fantastic railroad this summer. The ghost was that of the greatest railroad writer ever, E.M. Frimbo. It has been rumored that some of Frimbo’s ashes were scattered atop Cumbres Pass. It’s no rumor that a metal memorial to him was attached to a tie near the summit in 1981. Frimbo thought the Cumbres & Toltec was one of the top railroad rides he’d ever had. That’s saying something since he rode every train in America and much of the rest of the world. He logged close to three million rail miles and wrote up many for the New Yorker.
The Search for E. M. Frimbo’s Memorial
The line boasts more than one memorial, including a massive monolith to President James A. Garfield (who was shot and killed in the D.C. railroad station in 1881). The members of the Association of General Passenger and Ticket Agents held an impromptu memorial service for President Garfield at the entrance to rock tunnel (Mile 315.32) on Sept. 26 1881. Frimbo’s memorial is harder to find. His was, after all, attached to a common tie.
My quest for Frimbo’s memorial found me in the capable hands of Nick Quintana, one of the management team for the Cumbres and Toltec. We set out on one of those high blue mornings we get in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Even as dry as it has been there was dew on the ties and the fireweed was in gay bloom around Antonito. Quintana was on his way over the pass to the New Mexican end of the route in Chama. He knew where the ashes may have been scattered or at least where the memorial was spiked into a tie. After a stop to check pallets of beer and pop being loaded in an old D&RGW reefer we were off on his incredibly busy daily duties.
Seasoned rail riders say that the scenery along the Cumbres and Toltec is some of the best in the world. Aspen groves dot the open slopes. Thick Englemann spruce and lodgepole glades come down the to track near the top of the grades. Riders who get the pleasure of one of the moonlight runs always see herds of elk and deer. Two tunnels and the run along Toltec Gorge add excitement. Plus there’s nothing like the sound of a big steam engine whistling off to give riders a tingle. It’s easy to see how Rogers E. M. Whitaker, Frimbo’s alter ego, came to love this line.
The Plaque Is Found
As Mike and I walked down the track from the little Cumbres station I was reminded of just how really narrow narrow gauge track is, only three feet! On Wednesdays the Rio Grande Railroad runs down to Antonito to meet the Cumbres. That track looks big at four feet eight and one half inches (based on the ruts of Roman chariots.) When the Rio Grande built the Cumbres 64-mile line in 1880 they linked Denver to Santa Fe and Durango across the mountains. The only feasible way to get over the grades and around those turns was to go narrow gauge. We walked to the highest point railroad passengers can reach in the continental U.S. There we found, attached to a tie, the memorial to Frimbo just as it was placed there in 1981 after the death of Whitaker. That day in ‘81 must have been fun because it included stopping the train and old friends all drinking Brandy Alexanders as they piled out of the bar car.
The new Lobato Trestle
When the San Juan extension of the D&RGW first pushed along this route it took only two months to build to Chama and cost around $12,000. Last year a stray ash from a coal fired engine set the 1885 Lobato trestle on fire. It took nine months to rebuild and cost much more than the whole original line. Fortunately some of the Carnegie steel was usable just as it had been employed by the Keystone Bridge Company. It’s beautiful.
Frimbo’s Ghost Rides Along
The day I boarded the train for Chama I found everything Frimbo loved. The bar car steward gave us a running lecture about the landscape, pointing out where a hanging had taken place and sharing lots of native Hispanic lore. This charming young woman knew her railroading too. Frimbo would have loved her and he’d have given the food a passing grade too. The lunch stop at Osier got good reviews from my fellow passengers, especially the turkey and salad bar. Frimbo was whispering in my ear as I got into the inevitable bar car discussion with fellow railfans about AMTRAK. We agreed AMTRAK is needed just as Frimbo always argued. Frimbo’s ghost was happy.
Great Ride!
The Cumbres and Toltec pulls out of Antonio every morning at ten. But check their site before you go. The moonlight dinner trains, kids Cinder Bear trips, and Labor Day special all beckon. It’s a great ride. Don’t forget to toss back a libation in honor of E. M. Frimbo when you reach Cumbres summit.
Forrest Whitman goes all around the state being a stake holder for railroads. He hopes some day to get to pound.
