Friday, Oct 12, 2018 (Durango, Colorado)

We were near Durango on a previous trip but hadn’t included it as one of our stops. I kind of wanted to go just because my stepfather grew up there, but the prospect of riding the Durango-Silverton train was also a big draw.

Here are a few fun facts about the train:

• The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3-foot wide, narrow-gauge railroad that operates and maintains 45 miles of track between Durango and Silverton.

• This railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark.

• The route was originally opened in 1882 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) to transport silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains.

• The line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers.

• It is one of the few places in the U.S. that has seen continuous use of steam locomotives.

• Some of the locomotives & cars date back to the 1880s.

• The Durango depot was built in January 1882 and has been preserved in its original form.

In the wake of the 416 Fire (August 2018), the company began the process of converting—at least some of—its coal-burning engines into oil- and diesel-powered engines. There’s an interesting article about it in the Durango Herald that talks about the new restrictions (after the 2018 fire) and the costs for the conversion process.