CHAMA, N.M., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Book early if you want to get onboard the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic (C&TS) Railroad in 2022. Building on its 2021 success, the C&TS released tickets earlier than ever and some departures are already selling out. The season opens on June 11, 2022, and features new, streamlined ticketing options, new monthly dinner and brunch trains aboard the historic #168, Saturday double-headers out of Chama, N.M. in July, additional departures of the immensely popular Geology Train and more.
New Special Departures:
For 2022, the nation's highest, longest and most authentic railroad is introducing these new special departures:
- 168 Dinner Train - Led by the historic #168 Steam Locomotive, experience the original west just as it was from our museum-quality historic train. Featuring all original Denver and Rio Grande 19th century equipment, travel from Antonito to Cumbres Pass in Victorian Splendor. Enjoy dinner at 10,015 ft. Cumbres Pass. Departures scheduled for June 11, August 20, September 10 and October 22. Tickets are $235. For an additional fee, you can book a seat in an original Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) Caboose #0579.
- 168 Brunch Train - Led by the historic #168 Steam Locomotive, experience the original west just as it was from our museum-quality historic train. Featuring all original Denver and Rio Grande 19th century equipment, you'll travel in Victorian splendor from Cumbres Pass to Antonito with a stop at Osier Station to enjoy Sunday brunch. Departures scheduled for June 12, August 21, September 11 and October 23. Tickets are $225. For an additional fee, you can book a seat in an original Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW) Caboose #0579.
- Toltec Rattler Redux Photo Freight, October 24 & 25 - For the first time ever, the C&TS will recreate the Toltec Rattler Redux, the first ever photo charter run by C&TS, 50 years ago. Pulled by a K-36 engine, the consist will have multiple freight cars, a rider boxcar, a rider gondola, and a caboose. Only 50 seats will be available on this 12-hour historic excursion, which will steam from Chama, NM to Big Horn and back, will include multiple photo run-by opportunities, and each seat selling for $300. The October 24 departure instantly sold out, so a second departure on October 25 was added with limited tickets remaining.
2022 Schedule to Feature a Later Season Opener, Streamlined Options & Special Trips:
The C&TS 2022 kicks off on June 11, 2022. The later opening addresses the variable weather on Cumbres Pass and ensures a more pleasant outdoor experience for passengers. The season will run through October 23, 2022.
The new 2022 schedule features a mix of offerings, including:
- Full Excursion Trips travel by train the full line between Chama, NM and Antonito, Colo. and includes a one-hour bus ride. These trips are called the Antonito All Aboard and the Chama All Aboard and include lunch and motorcoach service. Adult ticket prices start at $135 for summer departures and $155 for the fall season.
- Half Limited Trips travel half the C&TS line departing from either Chama, NM or Antonito, Colo and traveling to the mid-way point of Osier Station and back. Lunch is included and the trips, called the Chama Limited or the Antonito Limited, are solely via train, with no bus service. Adult ticket prices start at $115 for summer departures and $135 for the fall season.
- Short Express Options are perfect for people short on time, families and people who want to "chase the train" as well as ride it. The three-and-a-half hour Cumbres Express departs from Cumbres Pass at 11:10 am, heads to Osier for lunch (included in the price) and returns to Cumbres at 2:45 p.m. Adult tickets start at $110. On Fridays in July, the Chama Express will depart Chama at 1 p.m. and travel to Cumbres Pass, the highest operational railroad pass in the country and back to Chama by 3:30 p.m. Lunch is not included. Adult ticket prices start at $90, children 6-12 are $45 and children 2-5 are $25.
- Special Trips are trips that do not run weekly, including the monthly 168 Brunch Special, the 168 Dinner Special, Fourth of July Dinner Fireworks Celebration train, 168 Fourth of July Day
Celebration Train, the Geology Train, which will run twice this year and the annual Wildflower (Botany) Train. In addition, there will be a special photography charter and Moonlight Dinner Train Trip only available to members of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec. Galloping Goose #5 also returns from September 27 – October 2. Tickets prices vary depending on the Special Trip. See website for more information.
Some Departures Already Sold Out:
The C&TS began selling tickets earlier than ever and has seen a very positive response from railfans and families eager to enjoy the "trip of a lifetime." Opening weekend as well as some weekend departures during the popular fall season are nearly sold out due. Many Special Trips are also nearly sold out – one of the Toltec Rattler Redux departures sold out instantly with only very limited tickets for the added second departure remaining. According to Scott Gibbs, President and Colorado Commissioner of the C&TS, "If there was ever a year to book early, this is it. Our fans are excited to get back to rail adventures and early sales are strong. We'd hate for anyone to be disappointed, so plan ahead."
C&TS Enjoys Record-Setting Revenue in 2021:
The Cumbres & Toltec set a new record for revenue in 2021 thanks to operational efficiencies introduced last year. The number of passengers who rode the railroad in 2021 did not meet the record-setting 2019 passenger numbers but was nearly to pre-pandemic levels, with only an 11 percent difference.
"We are extremely pleased with our 2021 season performance. We wondered what the lingering impacts of the pandemic would be and were concerned about the delays in opening our full schedule," Gibbs noted. "But railfans returned in force to support the C&TS and enjoy a steam railroad ride along the Colorado-New Mexico border. Despite the challenges, it was an outstanding season."
About the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad:
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad follows the original 64-miles of tracks first laid down in 1880, crossing the borders of Colorado and New Mexico 11 times, as it skirts along canyon walls through Toltec Gorge, burrows through tunnels, steams over Cascade Trestle (137-feet above a roaring river), and climbs to the top of 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass, the highest point reached by any steam railroad in North America.
The railroad has been featured in more than 40 motion pictures, including the current number one film on Netflix, The Harder They Fall as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Hostiles and more. The railroad also has the country's largest collection of narrow-gauge locomotives and cars.
Traveling on the train provides the most authentic look at steam railroading in the 1880s. Passengers can move between cars, ride outdoors on a gondola car, listen to a steam whistle echo down a canyon, enjoy mile after mile of aspen and conifer forest, see wildlife such as elk, deer and sometimes even bear from their seats, or visit the bar and snack car -- all at a pleasant top speed of 12 mph.
To book your trip and for complete information, visit: http://www.cumbrestoltec.com or call 1-888-286-2737.
Media Contact
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SOURCE Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
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