In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we find Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive 463 as it conducts a boiler blowdown as it leads a freight over the Cascade Trestle as it heads west, out of Antonito, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 19th, 2023.
A blowdown is a way to get minerals and other contaminants out of the locomotive system. Engines want to be on a bridge or trestle because the blow down itself can reach 30+ feet at an angle away from the firebox with live steam.
According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.
Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/5.6, 1/420, ISO 400.