Crew

Rob's job is primarily making parts and rebuilding our old locomotives---It is this exact challenge that Rob enjoys most about his job--"when the parts break or wear out--there are three options, he explains. We can make a new old part, same as the one that broke or two, we can design one as Baldwin did or our third option is to engineer one that is better than the old part and still works well like the ones made by Baldwin made back in 1925." "Every day is different, no part repairs or rebuilds are the same even if I have made that part before. The next one may be completely different, but we try to get as close to the original as possible." Rob enjoys the people who come through the shop. Rob particularly enjoys visiting with the kids. He is quick to point out to them, that in his shop you need to be good with numbers. Why you may ask? The response, he uses trigonometry daily, not many jobs can say that!

Ed superivises the shop and helps us purchase items for the railroad. When asked what he enjoys most, Ed's response was "making parts for the engine and anything else that is needed". As with many of our employees, Ed assists us in many areas of train managment.

Marvin oversees all the equipment, the crew and the operations of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. He enjoys working with everybody, and being a part of the multi-facited levels of the train operation. Marvin is a third generation employee of our rail - his grandfather, Max and his father Jasper preceding his employment with us. Marvin is also proud of his son, Max who started working for us four year ago.

As a fireman, Max shovels the 5 tons of coal per trip, keeps the engine full of water, and assists the engineer in checking on track conditions. Max enjoys the people he gets to meet and he especially enjoys making the train ride special for kids. Max is a fourth generation C&TSRR employee. His father Marvin Casias is our Chief Mechanical Officer. His grandfather, Jasper Casias and his great grandfather, Max Casias also worked for the railroad in the early days. Max and his family exemplify the long standing history the C&T has in Northern NM and Southern CO.

Strictly working on motorized equipment belonging to the C&T Track Crew, Lawrence maintains all track equipment such as the backhoes, tampers, forklifts, regulators, and motorcars. Getting to work with the railroad is what Lawrence likes best. "This satisfies my passion of working with old machines." he says. As a contract employee, Lawrence commutes to and from Albuquerque to fulfill this passion.

Otherwise known as 'Gorilla', Anthony makes sure the brakes are functioning properly on the train. The brakes & hand brakes are checked before every departure to make sure they set and release properly. You are sure to find 'Gorrilla' on the back of the train checking for fires. Overall, he assures your safety on the trip.

Ronnica is responsible for making sure the trains are literally "on track". She assures through her communication with the engineers, that each train is at it's ordained location at the time scheduled. Communication between her and the engineer is ongoing for the duration of your trip. You are likley to speak with Ronnica on the phone or meet her at the Antonito depot where she can assist you with your tickets.

Ronnie is in charge of the train crew, overseeing fire patrol and all firemen. This involves the training of firemen who are looking to become engineers. Ronnie is responsible for the scheduling of all train crew. In particular, Ronnie enjoys working with all the shop crew, rolling up his sleeves and working on an engine. His favorite part of working for the C&T is to 'fire' the coal box. He takes joy in hearing the passengers talk about how great the trip was and thanking him for a great ride!

Gayle serves as the C&T Marketing Director and is responsible for public relations, development of collateral material along with implementing our marketing plan. She handles media requests, familiarization tours and group sales. For more information on our marketing efforts go to our press room on this web site.

Teresa is responsible for the care and maintenance of the train cars and the overall maintenance of the Antonito depot. Her duties involve the re-upholsterying of the coach seats, cleaning of the cars and the depot facility. Teresa is also responsible for painting the letters on our train cars. Teresa loves to hear about the great time people have aboard the C&T.

Max has seen a lot in his 36 years of working on the railroad. Max is the one who makes sure we have a safe railroad. He and his crew lay close to 12,000 ties annually. Max also tends to the rail itself, mending any twists or kinks that may develop along the 64 miles of track. Any questions about the track, just ask Max, he's our expert!

Responsible for the movement of the train and it's passengers, Sam directs stops and starts along your train excursion. You are likely to see him at the depot, with his conductor hat on, speaking on his radio and smiling at the riders. When asked what he enjoys most about working for the C&T, Sam's response sounds something like this, "I enjoy meeting people from all different parts of the world and knowing I was a part of creating a great train ride for them."

Teresa's primary objective is to ensure that our passenger's expectations are met. She enjoys working with people and working with people is what she does best. She coordinates with staff, management, contractors, as well as passengers-- with one goal-- to create a positive experience aboard the C&T. In addtion to facilitating the details of the office, she also oversees the logisitics of our special trains and our parlor cars.

Fireman Jose also doubles as part of our shop crew. He multi-tasks from shoveling coal to rebuilding engines and performing locomotive repairs.

Orlando, 'Orly' as he is known among the crew, rebuilds our single locomotives. Orly is quick to point out that his job is endless and ongoing, which makes sense when you consider that these locomotives are over 100 years old. Current projects for Orlando include, replacing 21 tubes on the 484 along with rebuilding the engineers seat. 'Orly' and crew are also working on Engine 489, which consists of plumbing repairs and completing the refurbishing of the running gear.

Working on engines, oiling and greasing and replacing gaskets are just a few of the maintenance tasks that Jacob performs. Jacob's primary job is to know our engines. He enjoys learning about each of our locomotives. As a Fireman, Jacob also makes sure the engine stays hot - this in turn provides enough heat to make steam and move the train.

Tim Tennant is a Board Member & Secretary for the C&TS Management Corp. Tim was General Manager for the Cumbres & Toltec during the 2006 and 2007 operating seasons. Tim has been associated with the C&TSR since January 2005 when he was hired as President & CEO of the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Inc. Tim has over 18 years of management experience in the freight railroad, tourist railroad and railroad museum community. Before joining the Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad as Chief Executive Officer, Tim spent eight years at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as General Manager and later as Director of Development. Tim and his wife Judy reside in Rio Rancho.