Amazing steam-train journey
Trip Start
Apr 18, 2007
1
122
173
Trip End
Oct 16, 2007
Silverton,
Colorado,
United States
Thursday, August 16, 2007
We found the train station at the end of Main Street and after a Starbucks coffee and a bagel from a nearby café we boarded the train. It leaves parallel to Main Street and has to blow its whistle at each road interchange as there are often no lights or barriers.
Quite by chance Huck and Kathy were a few seats in front of us and we had a longish chat before the train left. He used to work for the Kansas City and Southern RR for 20 years retiring at 39yrs old.
The journey is just incredible - it follows the Animas River forty miles up the valley gorge to Silverton and was completed in 11 months over the winter of 1882. In MJ's opinion this was the best piece of our trip so far, it takes 3 hours plus and at one point is high above the river on a ledge cut out of the mountain.
Words can't really describe it - you gotta go do it yourself. At $65 it's a bargain but probably it is best to take the train up one day and stay over then travel back the next day as it is tiring. It's an experience just to have cinders in your hair when you get off the train.
Here's some Wiki:
On August 5, 1881 the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad arrived in Durango, Colorado.
Steaming up in Durango
Durango was founded by the D&RG in 1880. Construction to Silverton, Colorado began that fall. Only 11 months later did the D&RG reach Silverton in July of 1882. Trains hauling passengers and freight began immediately. By 1885 the population of Silverton had grown to 1100. Additional narrow gauge track was laid out of Silverton in 1887. In 1893, 10 large mines in the Silverton district were forced to close when silver prices dropped from $1.05/oz to $.63/oz. In 1889 a fire in Durango virtually destroyed downtown. In 1902 the first automobile arrived by train.We took lunch in our hotel (Grand Imperial) with Kathy and Garry who ended up paying >> much to our charagrin - but we'll get our own back!!! They were catching the 2.45pm bus back to Durango so we said our goodbyes and then went to wave the train off getting to speak to the wonderful ticket lady again. Kathy has given us every conceivable way of contacting them and we are planning to go down to Natchez LA to see them later in our trip.
We went back to the hotel for a well-earned sleep and spent the rest of the day slobbing around taking our evening meal in Handlebars once again.
