All of these successes had some drawbacks. The major issue with the line was Cumbres Pass itself. Cumbres Pass is just over 10,000 feet above sea level. The high elevation and various other factors led to many terrible snow storms. This prompted the railroad to purchase machines called Rotary Snowplows. The two that were used on the Cumbres Pass line were Rotary OM and Rotary OY. Both rotaries are still in existence in Chama, New Mexico, but historically they would be dispatched out of Alamosa. Every five or six years, the winter season would see as much as 500 inches of snow fall on Cumbres. These terrible snow storms were a huge financial burden for the railroad. The Granddaddy of All Snowstorms hit in the winter of 1951-1952. This was the worst recorded winter on the line and one of the deciding factors when abandonment was considered in the 1960s.