Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Durango Colorado USA
N37.268919  W107.882179

       

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) is a 3 foot gauge heritage railway 45.2 miles in length lying mostly in the San Juan National Forest of Colorado, USA. The railway's route generally follows the Animas River from Durango to Silverton. It was once part of the old Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) route from Alamosa, Colorado, through New Mexico then back into Colorado to Silverton. The D&SNG section was designated a National Historic Landmark and is also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The original route between Chama, New Mexico, and Durango was abandoned so the D&SNG is now cut-off and land locked. Durango is the terminal for the railroad with Silverton as the final destination. A large station and roundhouse exist at Durango to service the trains. At Silverton there is a small depot located beside the Animas River on the edge of town, however, the track continues past this depot splitting into two sidings that end abruptly in the middle of 12th Street at Empire Street. A wye is used to turn the entire train for its return journey. During early May two trains per day make the journey from Durango to Silverton and back. In the busy summer tourist season there can be up to four trains per day. The first train leaves Durango about eight in the morning and returns at five thirty or so after a 2 1/4 hour layover in Silverton.

Photographing trains is nearly impossible along most of their route. Trains depart Durango travelling through city streets until first crossing of the Animas River. The grade is relatively flat along a broad open valley reaching Hermosa after eleven miles. Highway 550 parallels the tracks here. At Hermosa the railway begins to climb until passing beneath the highway at milepost 467 (mileposts are original and indicate the distance from Denver) five miles further along the route. From that point north to Silverton the highway and railroad go their own way. The road climbs high along the mountain side while the railroad continues beside the Animas River to Silverton through the remote Animas Canyon.

The line between Durango and Silverton has been operated continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers. It is one of the few places in America which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives. The line was constructed by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway (1871), which morphed into the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (1886), then into the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (1921). In March 1981, the Denver & Rio Grande Western sold the line and the D&SNG was formed. The D&SNG currently has 3 business cars in operation, one being named "General Palmer". That name is a good place to start a very brief history of the D&SNG.

William Jackson Palmer was born in 1836 becoming involved in American railroads at an early age that was briefly interrupted by the American Civil War. Serving with the Union Army he became a general and continued to carry the title afterwards. On a trip to the United Kingdom he discovered narrow gauge railroading and took advantage of this form of rail transport by using it in America to his advantage. Drifting west to Denver he founded his own railway, the three foot gauge Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG). By 1879 the railroad expanded to what eventually became known as the "Narrow Gauge Circle" (actually more square shaped). Three foot tracks ran north from Ouray (pronounced YOUR-ay) to Montrose. East to Salida. South to Alamosa and Antonito. West to Chama and Durango then turned north once more to reach Silverton. This left a gap between Ouray and Silverton which never did see narrow gauge rails due to the height of Red Mountain which blocked the route. Today U.S. Highway 550 crests the mountain at an elevation of 11,018 feet. The steepest grade between Durango and Silverton is 4 percent and lies at milepost 488 north of Needleton. Other points vary between 2 and 3 percent.

However, the Rio Grande Southern (RGS) managed to build a three foot line north from Durango to Ridgeway over Lizzard Head Pass at 10,222 feet elevation. (Ridgeway lies between Ouray and Montrose)

In the late 1950s to the mid-1960s the narrow gauge railroads were exhausted and lines were shut-down. But... one section remained, the tracks between Durango and Silverton. Although cut-off from the connection to the east through Chama and Alamosa in 1969 the D&SNG portion remained intact. This remaining route was purchased by Charles E. Bradshaw, Jr. and restoration of equipment and the route was undertaken. Through washouts and a roundhouse fire the railroad managed to prosper yet still operate original D&RGW coal-fired steam locomotives, passenger equipment, and structures on this historic route.

In March 1997 Bradshaw sold the D&SNG to First American Railways, Incorporated, located in Hollywood, Florida. Then in July 1998, the railroad was sold again, to American Heritage Railways. At that time American Heritage Railways was headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. Since then their headquarters have moved to Durango, Colorado. American Heritage Railways is owned by Allen and Carol Harper. The D&SNG has two museums, one each in Durango and Silverton.

Durango lies in the San Juan Mountains about 350 road miles west of Denver. Interstate Highway 70 will take you from Denver to Grand Junction where Highway 50 South, a quiet two lane highway over gently rolling hills, passes through the old narrow gauge towns of Montrose, Ridgeway, and Ouray. Ouray is an interesting old mining town with many period buildings not yet overcome by giant gambling casinos such as those found in Blackhawk. Ouray is where you first encounter Colorado MOUNTAINS. The highway, dare I call it that, zig zags back and forth up the side of the mountain through Red Mountain Pass reaching 11,000 feet in altitude with maximum speeds of 25 miles per hour and 15 mph corners. The mountain tops are still way above that! There are no protective guard rails and the drop offs on one side of the road are spectacular. In late May you will find melting snow and fallen rock along the route. The distance from Ouray to Silverton is just 26 miles but my trip took a nervous hour and a half. Departing Ouray around noon snow started to fall and increased in intensity while climbing to higher elevation. The rental car was new and equipped with summer tires. A computer readout on the dash very handily indicated outside air temperature. It was nerve racking to watch the temperature drop through freezing as the road conditions deteriorated. Speed was down to 5 miles per hour in places with that same computer blinking "INSUFFICIENT TRACTION" as the front wheels spun intermittently in the snow and slush. The original drive plan had hoped to avoid such weather, but... no such luck. The days following the arrival at Durango were all summer sunshine and warmth thankfully.

Number

Class

Built

Builder

473	K-28	1923	ALCO
476	K-28	1923	ALCO
478	K-28	1923	ALCO (inoperable)
480	K-36	1925	Baldwin
481	K-36	1925	Baldwin
482	K-36	1925	Baldwin
486	K-36	1925	Baldwin
493	K-37	1902	Baldwin (inoperable)
497	K-37	1902	Baldwin (inoperable)
498	K-37	1902	Baldwin (inoperable)
499	K-37	1902	Baldwin (inoperable)
42	C-16	1887	Baldwin (inoperable)

             

These cars are typically used to make up a train but more may be added to accommodate the passenger load as required.

The current timetable for 2018 is viewable here.

                                       

17 May 2008 - Lots of Track

24 May 2008 - Durango & Silverton Railroad Trims Schedule as Gas Prices Blamed

25 Jun 2012 - Soaring Zipline Introduces Observation Car Seating

22 Aug 2012 - Colorado Man Survives Fall After Rescue by Railroad Crew

15 Dec 2013 - Polar Express Ride Lights Up

16 Aug 2014 - Iron Rust and Steel

7 May 2015 - Rock Slide Damages Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

9 Jul 2016 - Modern Technology Keeps Durango Engines Steaming Along

25 May 2017 - Meet the People Who Still Work on the Railroad

19 Jun 2017 - Warm Weather Likely Cause of Train Derailment

8 Oct 2017 - Locomotive Number 476 Ready to Rumble

19 Jan 2018 - Durango Train Featured in Netflix Series

8 Jun 2018 - Colorado Fire Prompts DSNG to Suspend Mt. Rainier Operations

15 Jun 2018 - The 416 Fire Reminds us There's No Escape from Climate Change

1 Aug 2018 - Durango Narrow Gauge Purchases Diesel Locomotives

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (Link fails 2 May 2021)

The Narrow Gauge Circle (Link fails 11 May 2022)

DRGW.net

D&RGW Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive Photos

Rio Grande Southern

Wikipedia - San Juan Mountains

Wikipedia - William Jackson Palmer

CINDERS & SMOKEDoris B. Osterwald.2000Western Guideways Ltd. PO Box 343 Hugo Colorado 80821.Paperback28 pages, 20.4 x 28.6 cm, used US$9.31A Mile by Mile Guide for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. THUNDER OF THEIR PASSING, THERobert D. Turner.2003Sono Nis Press.Hardcover288 pages, 11.1 x 9.2 inches, $56.35Featuring nearly 500 outstanding color and black and white photographs, illustrations, and reproductions. Complete with detailed text, bibliography, and index. Robert Turner's beautiful and moving tribute to the Rio Grande's narrow gauge is his 14th book on western transportation history. A historian and photographer with an extensive professional background in museums, historic sites, and heritage restoration projects, he has been fascinated by the narrow gauge railroads of Colorado and New Mexico for more than 35 years. ALL ABOARDAuthor unknown.2011Michael J Campbell.Paperback40 pages, $3.00The official magazine of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad including an event calendar and maps.