Loading livestock at Osier (MP 318.4)
The crew of D&RGW 487's stock train carefully aligns the doors of one of its cars with the loading chute at the stock pens in Osier, Colorado. A local rancher, sending his herd off to market, has positioned the animals inside the pens and will shortly go inside to begin driving them into the loading chutes and on board the train. The railroad complex at Osier has been a waystation on the D&RGW San Juan Extension since the 1880s. In addition to the cattle pens, the facilities included a freight depot, visible on the far right, a section crew facility, visible on the far left, and water and coaling facilities for steam locomotives. A covered turntable used to exist here, but in later years, trains were turned on a wye. Today, Osier is the lunch stop for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad's tourist operations. Trains coming from Chama and Antonito meet here and passengers enjoy a buffet-style lunch at a modern dining facility, conveniently located out of view behind the photographer.
This image was captured during a September 2011 photo shoot on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, organized by Lerro Photography.
Loading livestock at Osier (MP 318.4)
The crew of D&RGW 487's stock train carefully aligns the doors of one of its cars with the loading chute at the stock pens in Osier, Colorado. A local rancher, sending his herd off to market, has positioned the animals inside the pens and will shortly go inside to begin driving them into the loading chutes and on board the train. The railroad complex at Osier has been a waystation on the D&RGW San Juan Extension since the 1880s. In addition to the cattle pens, the facilities included a freight depot, visible on the far right, a section crew facility, visible on the far left, and water and coaling facilities for steam locomotives. A covered turntable used to exist here, but in later years, trains were turned on a wye. Today, Osier is the lunch stop for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad's tourist operations. Trains coming from Chama and Antonito meet here and passengers enjoy a buffet-style lunch at a modern dining facility, conveniently located out of view behind the photographer.
This image was captured during a September 2011 photo shoot on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, organized by Lerro Photography.