What to wear when riding on a steam train.

Let's have a little history of travel clothing - I could tell you up front what to wear but it is a lot more fun to make you work for it.

Assuming you are riding in the parlor car on a train on the Lackawanna Railroad, “the road of anthracite”, the ladies could safely wear pure white without fear of soiling their finest clothing.  Travel on the Lackawanna was clean, because they burned hard anthracite coal from Pennsylvania, that their road touted Phoebe Snow standing on the observation platform of a speeding train whilst wearing pure white with nary a soil.  Well you won’t be riding that train anytime soon.  The railroad was merged out of existence in 1960 long after the anthracite coal in Pennsylvania was all mined out and the railroad had converted to diesel.   Anyway the Cumbres and Toltec doesn't burn anthracite and you're not riding the Lackawanna, so forget the idea of wearing white.

Getting a little closer to home we can look at the sartorial habits of passengers early in the last century.  Which you can just make out on the left side if you have a really powerful magnifying glass.  It is in an illustration from Arrow, Colorado, which is high on the west side of Rollins (Corona) Pass west of Denver, and please note clothing was no longer pure white but still quite proper.  I like this picture so I just made an excuse to throw it in.

 Riding the rails was still up-tight, as was everything in the mid 1950’s, as this stylish couple in the dining car of the New York Central's 20^th Century Limited clearly indicates.  The smartly dressed fellow wore the same suit throughout the movie, North by Northwest, and it never soiled – remarkable.   But that wasn’t a steam train and it doesn’t really belong in this post, so forget it.

Travel is comfortable and practical now.  This couple is on a trip.

 

Here’s the real skinny, so to speak. 

Eastbound - Double Headed on the 4%

For starters this ride is more fun than playing in a mud hole when you were a kid.  It is really dirty, lots of smoke and ash.   If you are inside a car you will still get dusty because all the windows seem to be opened by other passengers, whether you like it or not.  It’s really odd how folks want to hang their heads out the window of a moving steam train, rather like a poorly trained pet riding in a car.  Get used to it and have a good laugh, for its all part of the experience.  Riding in the open car near the rear of the consist often involves showers of steam, smoke and fly ash especially on the east bound train out of Chama.  If it is double-headed – two locomotives – the smoke, steam and ash can be biblical – well, not all that bad but certainly impressive. 

Local Sherpa's are acclimatized 

You're not.

You start your journey at nearly 8,000 feet.  The air is thin and the sky is typically cloudless in the summer.  Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is intense and the thin air draws moisture from your skin, even in a short trip.  Your train will climb over 2,000 feet to the mountain pass, the highest railroad in the United States.   If you are riding the open car the journey will not be shaded and the air will lose an average of 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit for every thousand feet you climb.  A 65 degree day in Chama, which is typical for summer, will be in the low 50’s at the top of the pass.  Occasionally brief but violent rain or snow storms can occur at very high altitude even in high summer.  Finally, in the six hour trip you will be spending nearly half the time above 9,000 feet.  In that time, about 90 minutes are at an altitude just over 9,600’ when the train makes the lunch stop at Osier.  You are encouraged to explore the site which will require a leisurely walk in the open - pay attention.

So what to wear?

Totally savage and worthless.

Sunglasses make sense where ever you ride.  If you ride the open car, where the Docent does his thing, safety glasses that protect the sides of your eyes are advisable  Smoke and steam are not a problem but fly ash is and that is what the wrap around safety sunglasses are all about.  Sunglasses should be UV rated.

NO!

Stout shoes or sneakers with traction are a good idea no matter where you ride.  You will be walking on rail ballast, fine rock, when you get on or off the train.   You will also be stepping up or down stairs as you get on or off and while in motion you may cross open platforms between the cars.  Slippery soles or high heels, including cowboy boots, are not a good idea.

The trendy couple forgot something.

Long sleeves and long trousers shield you from sunburn and help with extreme temperature changes.  This is a clothing “layer-up” sort of idea.  Put it on when it’s cold take it off when it’s warm.  Also bring along a windbreaker or light jacket again to allow for lower temperatures and possible brief storms at high altitude.  This picture was taken at Osier which is above 9,600 feet.

On the westbound #4 out of Antonito

Remember the ultraviolet radiation, at high altitude you will broil to a nice medium rare very quickly – bring a hat.  A baseball hat will help but you will be a genuine “red neck” at the end of the trip if riding in the open car.  Check out the Docent’s get-up in this picture and the train photographer on the right of the picture above.  Both the Docent and the photographer have wide brim hats to protect against the sun and appropriate clothing.  The ginger behind the Docent and the chrome dome on the left should be well done with a vivid hue by the end of the trip.

There some optional items which may be worth consideration.  You are starting this six hour journey at high altitude, over 7,800', and will be spending almost 3 hours of that journey over 9,000’.  Headaches do occur and you may feel light headed if you are not acclimatized to that altitude - You may think you are but you're not.  Consider bringing aspirin or Excedrin for temporary relief – remember, you will be out of the very high altitude in a short while.

Finally, bring a camera.  Take lots of pictures, have a good laugh, enjoy a leisurely day, be friends with people you may never see again, have a pleasant lunch, relive the past and bring home fond memories.