Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad (formerly the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad), owned by Permian Basin Railways, Inc., cut the ribbon inaugurating their Alamosa to La Veta trip on Thursday, February 9, 2006. At that time, the railroad planned to operate daily excursion service between La Veta, Alamosa and Antonito, CO, from about Memorial Day to sometime in October. At Antonito there is a connection to the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad between Antonito and Chama, NM.

Preliminary plans are for the train to arrive in La Veta from Alamosa about 12:30 pm, allow the passengers an hour-and-a-half to wander La Veta, have lunch, and return for departure at 2:00 pm, unless, of course, folks decide to stay over in La Veta and return to Alamosa on another day. It will also be possible to begin the excursion in La Veta and return the next day or later.

Permian Basin Railroad president Ed Ellis was on board the ribbon-cutting train and he and several of his people spoke to the gathering at the La Veta station. The local turn-out for the event was excellent and a lot of enthusiasm was generated for this venture. There was also a lot of media present and their resulting articles and news coverage generated almost immediate inquiries as to schedules, rates and reservations.

Today's Rio Grande Scenic Railroad was originally the Denver & Rio Grande Railway Company (later changed to Denver & Rio Grande Western), chartered in 1870 by General William Palmer. Arriving in La Veta in 1876, tracks were laid over "Old" La Veta Pass in 1877 and reached Alamosa on July 6, 1878. By 1880, tracks reached Antonito and eventually pushed on to Santa Fe, NM and Silverton, CO. The D&RG also built west from Alamosa to South Fork and reached its' terminus in Creede in 1881.

The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad is a collaboration among the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (which owns and operates the freight and passenger railroad), the Denver & Rio Grande Historical Foundation (which is committed to preserving the railroad history of the San Luis Valley) and the Chambers of Commerce of La Veta/Cuchara and Alamosa.