Friends of C&TS

 A recognized leader in the railroad preservation field, the 2100-member Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc. is the official museum arm of the C&TS, managing the preservation, interpretive, museum and restoration functions of the railroad. In particular, the Friends has assumed the responsibility of preserving all of the railroad’s historic assets that are not used in the regular tourist train operation, and interpreting the railroad to the public.

The Friends got its start in 1981 when founding president, Bill Lock, grew concerned that no one was caring for the railroad’s irreplaceable collection of historic equipment and structures. Bill had recently read "The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad The Historic Preservation Study" by Spencer Wilson and Vern J. Glover. That year, he convinced the railroad to let him and a friend paint and refurbish an old refrigerator car body. Lock and a growing number of volunteers returned to the railroad each summer thereafter, primarily concentrating on the stabilization and restoration of rolling stock.

Visit the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad website (opens in a new window).