The Last Winter

This stunning collection of black-and-white photographs of steam locomotives on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad captures a rare moment in history.  By the early 1960s, diesel had taken over nearly all major routes, leaving the D&RGW's San Juan Extension - with Chama, New Mexico, at its center - the only long-distance freight operation still running on steam in the United States.  1963-1964 was the last time the trains ran year-round on a regular basis.

At the same time, railfan Frank Barry lived and worked in Chama with the Peace Corps.  As an avid rail photographer and steam enthusiast, he spent most of his spare time then chasing and photographing the D&RGW engines in around Chama.

To Frank, the landscapes that the engines went through - the desert canyons, the majestic Rockies, the towering pine trees that he would climb into for the perfect photo - were an integral part of the story.  His photos have been featured in Trains and Classic Trains magazines, as well as on exhibit at Cornell University's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.  This is the first time the photos have been put together in a book.

This beautiful oversized album contains more than 50 of Frank Barry's photos.  Among the stunning images are a marvelous coming-and-going pair at Lobato taken from high up in a tree.