Tuesday October 26, 2010

Today was our day to take our planned trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. This is a 100 mile round trip between the two towns through the Animas River gorge. There is a 3,000 foot elevation change on the way to Silverton. This is an authentic steam train built in 1924 (Baldwin Locomotive Works) burning real coal with a real fireman stoking the boiler 5 times a minute on the steep up slopes.


The cars are unheated but enclosed (except for the outdoor observation car). We had to bundle up for the trip as the morning temperature in Durango was -7C (20F) and -16C (7F) in Silverton.


We left the station in Durango at 8:15 am and started the slow climb to Silverton where we arrived at 11:45 am. The scenery along the way was fantastic as long as you could stand to be in the outdoor observation car.


Silverton was a really cool town. Lots of restaurants, bars and shops all housed in turn of the last century buildings and most closed for the season between summer tourists and ski season. It appears the the only visitors now come off the daily train.


It was a fun "winter" day. Tomorrow we are off to New Mexico and hopefully a little warmer weather.