COLORADO, rich in natural beauty, is also rich in history. Often the two go hand in hand. Visitors to remote regions of the state go seeking rugged terrain and natural beauty which is seldom equaled. It is impossible not to be moved by the breathtaking scenery, but there is more to Colorado than topography, and rare is the visitor or local residcent who does not find himself wondering what the history of man in this place has been. Fortunately, there are places of great beauty within which significant pieces of this history have been preserved. Such is the case with the land of the Conejos, Los Pinos and Chama valleys, a place of great beauty through which the rails of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad still run. Steam-powered, coal-fired, narrow-gauge locomotives still traverse the tracks of this region, southwest of Colorado's San Luis Valley, astride the Colorado-New Mexico border, but they no longer carry coal, lumber, minerals or steel pipe. And they no longer wear the lettering of the D&RGW. Now it is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Its freight consists of tourists, and railfans, those who seek an experience of natural beauty and a piece of history.

The once great narrow-gauge empire which the D&RGW built in Colorado and parts of northern New Mexico has withered. At its zenith, or at least so it seemed, either it or a connecting line ran to every significant area of commercial activity within the mountainous regions of Colorado. Now only two working pieces remain: the awesome Silverton Branch, and the part of the line between Alamosa and Durango which we now know as the Cumbres line. The history of this tragic demise, and the story of its preservation in the stretch between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, make for fascinating reading. The scenic grandeur of the area which surrounds the line has all the ingredients for splendid photography. These are the contents of this, the third volume in the TRAILS AMONG THE COLUMBINE series.

For this volume the staff at Sundance assembled a wonderful collection of writing about the line as it was, the line as it is, and how to be a part of the total experience today. In addition they have brought together a massive collection of photographs documenting the equipment and activity which once were a part of this historic railroad, and that which now constitute the rolling stock, motive power and special equipment of the line.