Journal entry
of Robert Holcomb describing his travel to Cibola City
The Empress of
Cibola
Cibola City lies West
of Santa Fe and Albuquerque on highway 315 that spurs off Route 40. Surrounded
by reddish hues and browns of the Colorado Plateau, a bright yellow, orange
beacon silently guides folk to the city. The bright yellow, orange that Cibola
City shines with is a combination of the sun and The Colorado Plateau which stretches
for miles in all directions reflecting off the glass of the buildings in the
city. A pyre oasis in the desert.
There are two ways
to reach Cibola City, by car or bus along Route 40
to exit 26 for Highway 315. Highway 315 leads across the Joseph Roberts Bridge
and into the heart of Cibola City. The second way into the city on The Empress
of Cibola. A unique train powered by a rear mounted propeller that whisks
travelers from Santa Fe to Cibola City in about two hours.
The
Empress of Cibola glides on her tracks across the flat desert landscape at
incredible speeds. Travelers look out her windows and get an uninterrupted view
of the vast landscape that is the Colorado Plateau. The colors of the cliffs
that rise into the sky from the desert floor show oranges, reds, pinks and
browns. The sapphire blue of the sky overhead with an occasional white puff of
cloud makes for a very calm relaxed trip.
As
The Empress of Cibola approaches Cibola City, her tracks run parallel with Highway
315. The Empress runs alongside Highway 315 road for a bit then disappears into
a tunnel that goes underground and under Highway 315. The Empress of Cibola, a
unique style of train as described, actually rotates 180 degrees on its rails
when it enters the tunnel. As she enters two things happen, first the train
rails follow the floor, walls and roof of the tunnel. Just like a roller-coaster. Second the engineer engages the rotation mechanism on the
Empress allowing the body of the train to stay level as the rail wheels and
trucks follow the rails up the wall and onto the tunnel roof. The Empress
continues on the rails in the tunnel that now is directly under the main road
above.
The
end of the tunnel approaches and here’s one of the best views on the planet.
The rails continue from the tunnel and under the Joseph Roberts Bridge. The
Empress, after her 180 degree rotation, resembles a small zeppelin with her
oval body and propeller pushing her forward. The Empress zips under the bridge
giving the travelers a view of the gargantuan chasm that surrounds Cibola City.
The view from the train gives travelers a view of the chasm floor and the sheer
cliffs that surround the city. From the Empress’s view, it shows that Cibola
City is built on a very large ‘Mesa’. The Empress of Cibola reaches the end of the Joseph
Roberts Bridge and enters another tunnel where the Empress undergoes another
180 degree rotation becoming upright with rail wheels underneath the train.
The
Empress of Cibola makes her final approach into the Cibola City train station
on the western portion of the city. The train station is is absolutely stunning
inside with cast iron arches reaching one hundred and fifty feet overhead. The iron
arches support a glass roof that is letting in all natural light to the main
concourse. The main concourse is a vast open space where voices and sounds
disappear upward. Hanging in the middle from the junction of cast iron arches,
a four faced clock to keep travelers updated when their trains depart. The main
concourse has a few cafe's, three newsstands, a shoeshine stand and plenty of
benches for travelers to relax before leaving the city. The main concourse
leads to exits which place travelers into the streets of Cibola City.
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