216 pages hardcover
Rio Grande Steam Finale is a spectacular collection of
photography showcasing the Denver & Rio Grande Western's
narrow-gauge railroads in Colorado and NewMexico, which during the 1950s
and 1960s became the last great steam locomotiveshow in North America.
Railroad photographers from all over the country came to document,
portray, and interpret these lines in their final decades.
Drawing from its rich collections of photography by talents such
as John Gruber, Richard Steinheimer, Victor Hand, Jim Shaughnessy, and
others, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art has gathered the
best of their work in this deluxe, hardcover volume. The
half-century-old trains are pictured in thrilling action, climbing steep
mountain grades, crossing high trestles, winding beside rivers, and
traveling vast flatlands. Thundering steam locomotives billow plumes of
smoke, some doubled together at the head end and some assisted by rear
helpers ahead of timeworn cabooses; they're seen from trackside, from
hilltops, from pacing cars, and from inside the cab.
Exquisite scenes at day, night, and twilight capture the railroad
people, engine houses, rolling stock, lineside structures, and
magnificent scenery that shaped the Rio Grande's legendary narrow-gauge
system. Riveting essays by noted authors Don Hofsommer and Karl
Zimmermann, both of whom experienced the narrow-gauge lines first-hand
in the 1960s, provide context and personal insights. The story concludes
with a stunning chapter of contemporary photography of the lines that
have survived to become today's Durango & Silverton NarrowGauge
Railroad and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
