Rock, Rail, and Really Good Wine

Two Amigos and Forty Five Miles

Please note that all images, text, and coding on this page are copyright © Paul J. Lorona, 2005.
Permission to use must be obtained in writing prior to use.
Photos taken with a Fuji 1800 by Paul J. Lorona unless otherwise credited.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

In the summer of 1881 the Denver & Rio Grande Railway completed a forty five mile extension of it's narrow gauge railroad empire up the Animas River canyon from Durango to Silverton to tap the mineral wealth of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Within a very short time Silverton was hub to three small connecting railroads that served the mining enterprises in the mountains above Silverton in three different directions: up Mineral Creek towards Red Mountain Pass, up Cement Creek to Gladstone, and up the Animas River to Animas Forks. For the historians among us, a brief but very good illustrated history of these small pikes can be found at the Narrow Gauge Circle web site.

Starting in 1923 the successor railroad, the Denver & Rio Grande Western, made it's final purchase of new narrow gauge steam motive power with the acquisition of a batch of "Mikes", or Mikado wheel arrangement steam locomotives. These 2-8-2 locomotives came in two flavors: the K-28s (road numbers 471 - 479) were built by the American Locomotive Company in 1923 and 1924, and K-36s (road numbers 480 - 489) were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925. Most of these locomotives survive to this day and are now operated as a tourist attraction either by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad or the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

I first rode the forty five miles of rail between Durango and Silverton back in the 1960s, when it was still operated by the D&RGW. I hadn't ridden the train in at least 25 years, so when my good friend Tigermark suggested we meet in Durango for a trip with our families I immediately leapt at the opportunity. At $62.00 round trip fare (half price for twelve and under) I considered this the deal of the month.

Tigermark goes by Mark in the non-anthro world. He and I have know each other for at least two or three years now, but as we are separated by two thirds of the country this was to be our first face-to-face meeting. Together we comprise two thirds of The Three Amigos, the third being Aramis Dagaz (known as Dan to most), who passed on this exciting trip to spend his time working in a vineyard up towards Grand Junction. Tigermark and Aramis and I are all amateur authors, it is this common form of entertainment that originally brought us together.

Tigermark and SC	Aramis

Dangerous looking characters, don't you agree?

So we met Tigermark and his family the afternoon before our trip into history.

Tigermark and his wife TL, and their daughters Rachel and Brianna. A charming and engaging family, we were delighted with their company and the opportunity to share in their vacation out west.

So, enough with the introductions. All aboard!

The depot in Durango, 0730. Image by Gloria Lorona using her Canon A95.

Underway northbound, just outside of the Durango city limits. Our locomotive is K-36 number 482. This locomotive was fully overhauled and restored, hauling her first train out of Silverton on 2 May 1992 after a thirty three year long absence. In April of 1959 she was stored unserviceable in the D&RGW's Alamosa yards, where she sat until 1970, when she was towed dead to Chama, New Mexico by her new owners, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway. In 1991 the D&SNG traded K-37 number 497 (in an operational condition) to the C&TS for number 482. Number 482 arrived in Durango on a lowboy truck 9 October 1991. The dedicated crews of the Durango & Silverton completely rebuilt number 482 in the same shops and roundhouse where they maintain the rest of the D&S fleet of motive power. Image by Adam Lorona using his Canon A95.

I'm not sure who took this picture, it was either The Fox or Tigermark using Adam's Canon A95. We are somewhere near Pinkerton siding above Hermosa Tank. The happy faces in the front row, of course, belong to my folks Gloria and Fred. Adam and I are behind them, with Katie in the third row back. Sadly we never took a picture of Tigermark and his happy clan while on the train.

In the Animas River Canyon just above milepost 471.2 at High Bridge, working into the uphill grade. We were on the wrong side of the coach to see much of the High Line just below here, we (and you) would have to wait until we returned that afternoon to see that up close and personal. Notice the rusty rail section in the center foreground of the image. Washouts, while not common, have occurred with regularity in the Silverton Line's past, and evidence of them still lingers. The Maintenance of Way crews sometimes collect discarded rail and ties and use them to reinforce the grade. Such is not the case here, however. Image by Adam Lorona using his Canon A95.

A black & white study of number 482, resting after her morning's work towing the first daily train up to Silverton on 19 July 2005. Thirty six thousand pounds of tractive effort in a one hundred and nineteen ton package. Kendall Mountain rises to 13,066 feet in the background. Image by Adam Lorona using his Canon A95.

The third train into Silverton that day, a doubleheader. K-28 number 478 is assisting the heavier K-36 number 481 on this, the longest train of the day. This train is just arriving as our train is getting ready to depart. The second train is south of town turning at the wye. The trailing coach of our train, the brightly painted and ornate "Cinco Animas", is visible behind the lead locomotive.

Dating from 1883, the "Cinco Animas" was originally designed and constructed as an "emigrant sleeper" by the Denver & Rio Grande. It was converted to use as a business car by the D&RG in 1913 and served until the demise of the narrow gauge in the early fifties. In 1963 it was purchased by the Cinco Animas (Five Souls) Corporation, which gave the coach it's present name. Purchased by the D&SNG in 1982, it has been fully restored to it's condition as a business car of the D&RG by the able car men in the shops of the D&SNG.

You can officially say that you know why SC died, 'cause when The Fox sees this image she's going to skin me alive. This is inside the Bent Elbow Saloon on Blair Street in Silverton, Colorado, at high noon. There seems to be a decided melancholy brewing on the part of The Fox and Tigermark, possibly over a lack of libation... that's all I'm sayin'. Note the piano player in the background. Yes, he's real, and he played some darn good tunes while we were there, although most of the tunes rendered were older than most present. Years and years ago there used to be an elderly woman by the name of "Hurricane Hazel" who played that same piano. She was reputed to be a retired "madame" and told bawdy tales of the "houses" that used to line Blair Street and the girls she "used to run" back in the old days. She could pluck out the tunes while carrying on a conversation, head turned to look over her shoulder, with whoever was near by. She could also play single-handed after a fashion, the better with which to gladly consume any mug of beer anyone might buy her. Sadly, those kind of mountain characters have faded from the passing parade of life. I miss her. Image by Adam Lorona with his Canon A95.

On the High Line above Rockwood, a bit above milepost 469.5.

Four hundred feet below the railroad grade, almost straight down, is the canyon of the Animas. This river was named "Rio de Las Animas Perdidos" by the Spaniards who were the first anglos to see it, which means "River of The Lost Souls". This grade was originally blasted out of solid rock by drillers hanging from the precipice above in baskets or on planks, much like the original Central Pacific line around Cape Horn in the western Sierra. This was the most difficult part of the original construction between Durango and Silverton. Here we are looking down canyon towards Durango. Image by Adam Lorona using his Canon A95.

Milepost 469.5, the High Line. Rockwood cut is just ahead. The 482 is not working much at all here, her steam is used mostly for air pumps and electric generators while going down the steeper portions of the grade. Immediately above Rockwood there will be a small stretch of 1.42% grade ascending, but behind us it's 2.5% ascending almost without exception all the way to Silverton. Thus, here we are coasting down the 2.5% grade. Image by Adam Lorona using his Canon A95.

Shalona Lake, just below Granite Point at milepost 468.2. We have left the deep canyons and entered the broad valley of the Animas River above Durango. When we get down to Hermosa Tank, a bit more than five miles down grade, the grade will become almost level at 0.2 %. From there to Durango it will never exceed 1%, and the 482 and her train will make some of the best speeds of the trip, perhaps nudging thirty miles per hour. Image by Gloria Lorona using her Canon A95.

Tigermark, TL, SC, and The Fox. This was actually taken 21 July as we all prepared to go our separate ways. We are looking forward to sharing another vacation with the tiger and his family some day. Image by Adam Lorona using the Fuji 1800.

I'll probably condense the rest of our trip into a single, remaining page. It's not that we didn't do a lot or have a lot of fun, but The Fox and our pups and I went into decompress mode big time after leaving Colorado, and we didn't take nearly as many pictures as we have so far. Join us for the rest of our trip.