The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a
3 ft (914 mm)
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
heritage railroad
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
that operates on of track between
Durango and
Silverton, in the U.S. state of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
. The railway is a federally-designated
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
and was also designated by the
American Society of Civil Engineers
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
as a
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
__NOTOC__
The following is a list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks as designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers since it began the program in 1964. The designation is granted to projects, structures, and sites in the United State ...
in 1968.
The route was originally opened in 1882 by the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...
(D&RGW) to transport
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
ore mined from the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
. The line was an extension of the D&RG
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
line from
Antonito, Colorado
Antonito is a Statutory Town located in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 647 at the 2020 United States Census.
History
Antonito began life as a sheep herding camp known as San Antonio Junction, referring to its ...
to
Durango. The last train to operate into Durango from the east was on December 6, 1968. The states of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
and
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
purchased 64 miles of track between Antonito and
Chama, New Mexico
Chama is a village in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the Rocky Mountains about south of the Colorado-New Mexico border.
Geography
Chama is located at (36.8947 ...
in 1970, which is operated today as the
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
(C&TSRR). Trackage between Chama and Durango was removed by 1971.
The line from
Durango to
Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and is one of the few places in the U.S. which has seen continuous use of
steam locomotives. In March 1981, the
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...
(D&RGW) sold the line and the D&SNG was formed.
Today, the D&SNG, along with the C&TSRR, are the only two remaining parts of the former D&RGW narrow-gauge network. The railroad has a total of nine narrow-gauge steam locomotives (eight of which are operational) and soon-to-be eleven narrow-gauge
diesel locomotives, six of which were acquired within the last three years, on its current roster.
Some rolling-stock dates back to the 1880s. Trains operate from Durango to the Cascade Wye in the winter months and Durango–Silverton during the summer months. Durango depot was built in January, 1882 and has been preserved in its original form.
History
William Jackson Palmer
William Jackson Palmer (September 18, 1836 – March 13, 1909) was an American civil engineer, veteran of the Civil War, industrialist, and philanthropist. During the American Civil War, he was promoted to brevet brigadier general and receive ...
(1836–1908) was a former Union General (serving in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
) who came to Colorado after managing the construction of the
Kansas Pacific Railway into Denver in 1870. Prior to the war, he had risen within the ranks of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, serving as secretary to the president. After arriving in Denver, he formulated a plan to build a narrow-gauge railroad southward from Denver to
El Paso
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
, Texas (see
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from D ...
). In 1871, the Denver & Rio Grande Railway began to lay rails south from Denver. Palmer and his associates had agreed that the choice of narrow-gauge would be well suited to the mountainous country, and relatively less expensive construction costs would enhance the viability of the new railroad. The original north–south plans of the D&RG eventually expanded to include extensions throughout the booming mining country of central and southwestern Colorado.
In July 1881, the Denver & Rio Grande reached Durango and started building the final 45-mile stretch up the Animas River to Silverton. The first 18 miles to Rockwood were completed by late November. The remainder of the route entered the narrow Animas Canyon, which has steep granite walls. The labor crew, made up of mostly Chinese and Irish immigrants, blasted the canyon cliffs off and left a narrow, level shelf to lay the tracks on. Grading was completed by late spring 1882.
The D&RG reached Silverton on July 10, 1882. Trains hauling passengers and freight began immediately. The D&RG soon re-emerged as the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (1886) and ultimately began operating as the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) on July 31, 1921, after re-organization of the Colorado lines and Rio Grande Western of Utah. Eventually, the railroad became widely known as the "Rio Grande".
The Silverton branch, as it became known, struggled under D&RG ownership following the
Panic of 1893 and the end of free coinage of silver. Typical of many portions of the surviving narrow-gauge branches into the middle of the twentieth century, the line faced sagging revenue due to ever-declining mining ventures, highway trucking competition and insignificant passenger revenue. Annual snowslides and several major floods on the branch would only continue to challenge the railroad's ability to survive.
''The Silverton''
After World War II, domestic tourism began to grow across the country and the Silverton branch of the railroad would benefit. Bolstered by national exposure via
Hollywood movies being filmed along the line in the late 1940s, the railroad created ''The Silverton'', a summer-only train service, on June 24, 1947. A short time later, the railroad adorned a locomotive and four coaches with a colorful yellow paint scheme and launched modest public promotion. With this effort, "The Painted Train" officially started a new era of tourism that continues to this day. Freight traffic, however, continued to decline, and during the 1950s ''The Silverton'' operated as a
mixed train
A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...
.
By the 1960s, a modernized D&RGW did not see the Silverton Branch as worthy to maintain and a petition was filed with governmental agencies to abandon it. The
Interstate Commerce Commission declined to grant the request due to the continued increase in tourist patronage. Following the ICC's ruling, the railroad reluctantly responded by investing in additional rolling stock, track maintenance and improvements to the Durango depot. The railroad purchased some of the property around the depot, cleaned-up the block extending north to Sixth Street and facilitated the opening of gift shops and other tourist-friendly businesses. As ridership continued to grow, the D&RGW operated a second train to Silverton on certain days.
The 1970s
Since 1971, the Silverton branch and nearby
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
(C&TSRR) were the only remnants of the Rio Grande's once extensive narrow-gauge system.
During the late 1970s, the D&RGW was actively trying to sell the Silverton branch and, in 1979, Charles Bradshaw, a Florida citrus grower, offered the railroad a legitimate opportunity to divest itself of the now-isolated route. On October 5, 1980, ''The Silverton'' made its last run under D&RGW ownership and, after operating a work train the following day, the railroad finally concluded its narrow-gauge train operations, bringing to a close an era that began 110 years earlier with its narrow-gauge railroad from Denver to
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
.
2000s
In June 2018, the railroad shut down for several weeks due to a wildfire, named the "
416 Fire
The 416 and Burro Fire Complex were two wildfires that burned in the southwestern portion of Colorado in the United States in 2018. The fires burned predominantly within San Juan National Forest, north of Durango and south of Rico. The 416 Fire ...
", which was fought by two air tankers, six helicopters and some 400 firefighters on the ground. An estimated of the San Juan National Forest were burned, with losses estimated at more than $31 million. Given the fire risk from coal cinder-sparked wildfires, the railroad's owner plans to invest several million dollars to replace coal-power with oil-power for its
steam locomotives and has acquired two new narrow-gauge diesel locomotives. The railroad's coal-burning steam locomotives were suspected of sparking the "416 Fire" blaze, and some area businesses and residents filed a civil lawsuit against the railroad and its owner in mid-September, 2018. The railroad aims to have at least half of its operational steam locomotives converted to oil-power.
In March, 2020, the Coronavirus (
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
) outbreak in the country severely affected the US. For the safety and protection of guests and employees, the D&SNG suspended all operations until at least June 23, 2020.
New ownership
The D&SNG was founded by Charles Bradshaw Jr., of Florida, with the intent of purchasing the right-of-way and equipment while expanding the infrastructure and passenger revenue. His plans were fulfilled with the March 25, 1981, acquisition of the D&RGW's Silverton branch and all of its structures and rolling stock.
The improvements to the railroad in the 1980s would prove to be the most dramatic growth on the Silverton Branch since the earlier part of the century. Bolstered by the assistance of former Rio Grande operating managers and a relatively sizeable staff of new employees, Bradshaw's plans were set in motion immediately. Included in the sale were former D&RGW locomotives and rolling stock that had not seen service in Durango for many years. "K-36" and "K-37" class locomotives were eventually restored to operating condition, and these larger classes of engines operated to Silverton for the first time ever following bridge and right-of-way improvements to the line. 1880s vintage coaches were exquisitely restored and new coaches were added to the roster of rolling stock. For the first time in many years, double-headed trains (trains with two locomotives) and additional scheduled trains were employed to handle the continually-growing passenger trade. The Durango yard facilities also saw dramatic improvements. An extension was added to the old roundhouse, a new car shop was built on the site of the original "car barn", and the depot saw extensive repair and internal modifications. The workforce grew with the railroad, and Durango's tourist image expanded as new businesses and revamping of the old railroad town continued to take shape. The original 1881
Durango roundhouse was completely destroyed by fire in the winter of 1989. All six operable locomotives had been inside at the time and were damaged, but not beyond repair. All locomotives were eventually restored to operating condition. A new roundhouse was constructed on the same site, opening in early 1990, and its facade made use of bricks salvaged from the original building.
In March 1997, Bradshaw sold the D&SNG to First American Railways, Inc., located in Hollywood, Florida. Then, in July 1998, the railroad was sold again, to American Heritage Railways. At the time, American Heritage Railways was headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. Since then, its headquarters were moved to
Durango, Colorado. The D&SNG has two museums, one each in Durango and
Silverton.
Management
*Allen C. Harper — owner and
CEO
*Carol Harper — owner and president
*Jeff Johnson — general manager
*John Harper — senior vice president
*Cathy Swartz —
CFO
The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
D&SNG engines
As of 2022, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates coal-fired and converted oil-fired steam engines and diesel engines.
Steam
Technical information
The steam-powered locomotives used today on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad were built during the 1920s. There are three classes,
K-28,
K-36 and
K-37, which are all based on wheel arrangement and pulling power of the locomotive. Of the nine steam locomotives currently owned by the D&SNG, Nos. 473, 476, 478, 480, 481, 482, 486 and 493 are all operational. However, locomotive No. 478 is currently sitting on display in the D&SNG Museum awaiting a future overhaul.
The ''K'' represents the nickname "
Mikado
Mikado may refer to:
* Emperor of Japan or
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
* ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger
* ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...
" that describes a locomotive with two non-powered, pivoting wheels in front of eight driving wheels, which are connected to driving rods powered by the engine's pistons and finally two non-powered trailer wheels located under the cab. The name comes from the fact that the first significant use of the type was a series built by
Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Japanese Railways in 1887.
The numbers 28 and 36 designate the
tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force can either refer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion.
In railway engineering, the term t ...
(pulling force) of the locomotives in thousands of pounds. The tractive effort of K-28s is rated at and the tractive effort of a K-36 is a . The weight of a K-28 with a full tender is and a K-36 weighs with a full tender.
470 series
![Denver and Rio Grande excursion at Hermosa 1963](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Denver_and_Rio_Grande_excursion_at_Hermosa_1963.JPG)
The 470 series, or "K-28" class "
Mikado
Mikado may refer to:
* Emperor of Japan or
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
* ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger
* ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...
" type locomotives, were ten engines designed for freight service along the D&RG.
They were built by the
Schenectady Locomotive Works
The Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901.
After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady plant its headquarters in Schenectady, New ...
of the
American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
,
New York in 1923. The K-28s have . of tractive effort, superheated, and the boilers are fed by two non-lifting injectors.
Air brakes are 6-ET automatic and also feature a straight air secondary braking system for daily passenger trains. Due to their smaller size, these engines are often used on the D&SNG for shorter trains, usually the first or last on the schedule, and often for helper service or sectioned trains. Despite being smaller than the K-36 class locomotives, older and less powerful, the engine crews tend to favor a trip on these engines because the design ALCO used was superior in balance and servicing. Firing can be tricky when the engine is working hard, as the clam shell-style
firedoors tend to pull into the backhead of the boiler due to the draft, and if any flues in the boiler are leaking, the loss of draft on the fire is much harder to work around than on the K-36 locomotives. Firing while the engine is working hard is done with a large "heel" pattern, generally with as little coal on the flue sheet as possible, and gradually sloping the fire bed towards the door sheet to the height or higher than the firedoors. This results in the draft being forced through the fire bed in the thinner areas towards the flue sheet, which usually is hindered by the lack of draft between the grates and the arch brick. New firemen sometimes have a hard time learning this, because the art of "reading" a fire takes time to learn and the amount of time working on the K-28 class locomotives is much-reduced compared to the railroad's usual K-36 workhorses, which have a larger firebox and are more forgiving in technique.
Out of the original ten only three 470s remain, and all are owned and operated by the D&SNG. The other seven were requisitioned by the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in 1942 to be used on the
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. They were later dismantled for scrap in 1946.
Locomotives 473, 476 and 478 operated on many parts of the D&RGW. Engine 473 served frequently on the ''
Chili Line
The Chili Line, officially known as the Santa Fe Branch, was a narrow-gauge branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW). It ran from Antonito, Colorado, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) began c ...
'' that operated between Antonito, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico, until the line was abandoned in 1941. 476 and 478 saw an extensive service on the ''
San Juan'' passenger train, which ran between Durango, Colorado and Alamosa, Colorado until 1951. 473, 476 and 478 operated on the Silverton Branch from the 1950s through 1980 and are still in service today.
In July 2015, the D&SNG and
C&TSRR had announced an engine-trade propasal by which the 478 would go to
Chama, New Mexico
Chama is a village in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2010 census. The village is located in the Rocky Mountains about south of the Colorado-New Mexico border.
Geography
Chama is located at (36.8947 ...
, and, in exchange, the D&SNG would get
K-36 class No. 483, which had not seen operation in several years. Since the swap failed to go through, the D&SNG announced in June 2016 that it was going to restore 476 to operating condition and place 478 in the museum.
# No. 473 has been converted to an oil burner and is operational.
# No. 476 has been converted to an oil burner and is operational.
# No. 478 is placed on temporary display in the D&SNG Museum awaiting an overhaul in the distant future.
480 series
![D&SNG 482&480 2006](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/D%26SNG_482%26480_2006.jpg)
The 480 series, or "K-36" class "
Mikado
Mikado may refer to:
* Emperor of Japan or
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
* ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger
* ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...
" type locomotives, were ten engines designed for the D&RGW. They were built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925. The 480s were the last ten
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
locomotives constructed for the D&RGW. The 480s were used for freight-hauling throughout the D&RGW narrow-gauge network. The "36" stands for . of
tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force can either refer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion.
In railway engineering, the term t ...
. These engines are outside- frame Mikados, and all drive wheels have counterbalancing outside of the frame, resulting in the utilitarian look the engines are known for.
The engines currently use 6-ET automatic air and the secondary straight air used on regular service equipment. The railroad runs 12-car passenger trains behind these engines; however more cars require the train to be double-headed. Despite popular belief that the railroad does not doublehead trains out of Durango because of smoke, the real reason is the weight restriction on the bridge at 15th Street, not allowing more than one K-36 at a time (K-28 class engines, however, are still doubleheaded from Durango). The engines were delivered with Master Mechanics-design smokeboxes for draft; however at some point the D&RGW converted them to Andersson (cyclone) front ends. Water is fed to the boiler by two non-lifting injectors. The grate surface in the firebox is among the largest built for a narrow-gauge locomotive and is fed by hand-firing. Firing is simpler on these engines compared to the
K-28s; however, the larger surface area requires more fuel. A typical trip uses around on the way up to
Silverton and another on the return to
Durango. Ergonomically, the engines are less comfortable than the others as well, with the crew seats being farther back from the backhead and the engineer having to lean forward constantly to adjust the throttle and use the sanders. The running gear on the locomotives also tend to wear out faster than the
ALCO
The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...
-designed
K-28s, and the resulting pounding and rough ride can take a toll on the engine crew.
The D&SNG owns four K-36s: Nos. 480, 481, 482 and 486, all of which are operational. The
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
(C&TSRR) owns Nos. 483, 484, 487, 488 and 489. Locomotive No. 485, unfortunately, fell into the turntable pit in
Salida, Colorado
The City of Salida ( ; Spanish: , "exit") is the Statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,666 at the 2020 census.
History
A post office has bee ...
in 1955. It was scrapped for parts thereafter; however, some accessories, running and valve gear were salvaged and used on other locomotives.
# No. 480 has been converted to an oil burner and is operational.
# No. 481 is operational and is the only remaining active coal burner left on the D&SNG’s roster.
# No. 482 has been converted to an oil burner and is operational.
# No. 486 is placed on temporary display in the D&SNG Museum awaiting an overhaul and conversion to an oil burner in the distant future.
490 series
![engine 493](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Engine_493.jpg)
The 490 series, or "K-37" class "
Mikado
Mikado may refer to:
* Emperor of Japan or
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
* ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger
* ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...
" type locomotives, were part of a class of thirty standard-gauge class 190 (later, class C-41)
2-8-0 "
Consolidation-" type engines built in 1902 for the D&RG by
Baldwin Locomotive Works. In 1928 and 1930, ten of the C-41s boilers were used to build the
Rio Grande's K-37 class of steam locomotive.
At first the D&SNG operated only one K-37: #497, which was rebuilt in 1984 and operated for seven years, being the first K-37 to go to Silverton, and under its own power.
It was later determined that the
trailing truck
On a steam locomotive, a trailing wheel or trailing axle is generally an unpowered wheel or axle ( wheelset) located behind the driving wheels. The axle of the trailing wheels is usually located in a trailing truck. On some large locomotives, ...
was having trouble negotiating the curves in the Animas Canyon. For this reason, the D&SNG traded #497 to the
C&TSRR in exchange for
K-36 class #482. This trade was mutually beneficial for both railroads as it gave the C&TSRR a fully operational locomotive, giving in exchange a locomotive that had never run and likely would never operate under C&TSRR ownership.
Numbers 493 and 498 are owned by the D&SNG, but #498 is not operational and serving as a parts source. Number 499 was also owned by the D&SNG at one time, lacking a tender and was on display in the museum. #499 was later traded for
K-36 class No. 486 at Royal Gorge Park, including the tender from #498.
No. 493 was shifted around a few times on the railroad on display a few times, last ending up in the Silverton yard until May 4, 2016, when #493 was hauled to Durango from Silverton by K-36 #481. #493 to be transported to the
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.
The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...
in
Golden, Colorado
Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...
on a 10-year lease, where it would be restored to operational condition and run it for those 10 years; then returned to the D&SNG. However, plans were cancelled and #493 sat outside the Durango roundhouse with an uncertain future for some time until early 2018, when she was put in the roundhouse for restoration. In response to the
416 fire
The 416 and Burro Fire Complex were two wildfires that burned in the southwestern portion of Colorado in the United States in 2018. The fires burned predominantly within San Juan National Forest, north of Durango and south of Rico. The 416 Fire ...
, the D&SNG announced their plans to restore #493 publicly and that the locomotive was their first candidate for an oil conversion, with more to come in the future. #493 ran under its own power for the first time on January 24, 2020, and has been the D&SNG's primary piece of motive power throughout 2020 and 2021.
# No. 493 has been converted to an oil burner and is operational.
# No. 497 was traded to the
C&TSRR in October, 1991 and is awaiting an overhaul in the
Chama roundhouse.
# No. 498 is stored partially disassembled in
Durango.
# No. 499 was traded to the Royal Gorge Park in May, 1999 and is placed on display.
Diesel engines
Diesels were first introduced to the Durango Yard in the 1960s with diesel locomotive #50. Today, #50 is now on display at the
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.
The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...
in
Golden, Colorado
Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...
. The United States Transportation Corps. also had a six-axle narrow-gauge diesel locomotive (#3000) for trial use in
Durango in the 1950s, which saw limited use.
# Diesel engine #1, nicknamed the "Hotshot", is a 50-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in 1957. It was acquired from the Arkansas Limestone Railroad. During the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire, the D&SNG voluntarily shut-down steam service. To help continue service, Hotshot pulled coaches out along the highline from Rockwood,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
# Diesel engine #2, nicknamed the “P.B. II”, is a 45-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in February, 1951 and was originally Algoma Steel #1, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was later sold to the
Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad
The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (YMSPRR) is a historic narrow gauge railroad with two operating steam train locomotives located near Fish Camp, California, in the Sierra National Forest near the southern entrance to Yosemite National ...
in May, 2006. It is currently in service on the YMSPRR as their #402.
# Diesel engine #4 is a 45-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in August, 1955 and was originally Algoma Steel #4, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It was later sold to the
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.
The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...
in 2004. It is currently in service at the C.R.R.M. as Golden City & San Juan #4.
# Diesel engine #5 is a 45-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in May, 1960 and was originally Algoma Steel #5, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It currently remains stored partially disassembled in
Durango.
# Diesel engine #7, nicknamed the "Big Al", is an 87-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
in August, 1975 and was originally Algoma Steel #7, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Big Al is named after the current owner of the D&SNG, Allen C. Harper. It was later sold to the
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.
The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...
in December, 2021 and eventually moved there on April 20, 2022. It is currently in service at the C.R.R.M.
# Diesel engine #9 was first acquired by the D&SNG in March, 2006 and is a 92-ton center-cab diesel built by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
(exact date unknown). #9 was later traded to the
Georgetown Loop Railroad
The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge United States heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, adjacent to Interstate 70 in Colorado.
This tourist train runs between the communities of Georgetown and S ...
in March, 2017 in exchange for its
Porter
Porter may refer to:
Companies
* Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto
* Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets
* Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer
* H.K. Porter, Inc., ...
type DE75CT diesel engine #1203. It is currently in service on the GLRY.
# Diesel engine #11, nicknamed the “P.B.”, was built by
U.S. Steel with
GE parts (exact date unknown). It was acquired in March, 2006 and is a 98-ton center-cab diesel.
# Diesel engine #101 is one of four former
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
type DL-535E diesels recently acquired in April, 2020. It was built by the
Montreal Locomotive Works in May, 1969. It arrived at the D&SNG in late September, 2020.
# Diesel engine #103 is one of four former
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
type DL-535E diesels recently acquired in April, 2020. It was built by the
Montreal Locomotive Works in May, 1969. It arrived at the D&SNG in late September, 2021.
# Diesel engine #106 is one of four former
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
type DL-535E diesels recently acquired in April, 2020. It was built by the
Montreal Locomotive Works in May, 1969. It arrived at the D&SNG in late September, 2021.
# Diesel engine #107 is one of four former
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
type DL-535E diesels recently acquired in April, 2020. It was built by the
Montreal Locomotive Works in May, 1969. It arrived at the D&SNG in late August, 2020.
# Diesel engine #1201 is one of two custom-built type MP2000NG diesels acquired from Motive Power and Equipment Solutions in 2018, in response to the
416 Fire
The 416 and Burro Fire Complex were two wildfires that burned in the southwestern portion of Colorado in the United States in 2018. The fires burned predominantly within San Juan National Forest, north of Durango and south of Rico. The 416 Fire ...
near
Durango. It was built between 2018 and 2020, rebuilt from an ex-
Tri-Rail
Tri-Rail is a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. Tri-Rail ...
F40PHL-2 and was originally announced to have the number 550, which is the number that was chosen in reference to the highway linking Durango and
Silverton. It arrived at the D&SNG in early November, 2020. It is currently stored in Durango awaiting to be put into service.
# Diesel engine #1202 is one of two custom-built type MP2000NG diesels acquired from Motive Power and Equipment Solutions in 2018 in response to the
416 Fire
The 416 and Burro Fire Complex were two wildfires that burned in the southwestern portion of Colorado in the United States in 2018. The fires burned predominantly within San Juan National Forest, north of Durango and south of Rico. The 416 Fire ...
near
Durango. It was built between 2018 and 2020, rebuilt from an ex-
Tri-Rail
Tri-Rail is a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. Tri-Rail ...
F40PHL-2, and was originally announced to have the number 416, which is the number that was chosen in recognition of the extraordinary effort that was undertaken by firefighters to fight the fire. It arrived at the D&SNG in late October, 2020. It is currently stored in Durango awaiting to be put into service.
# Diesel engine #1203 is a type DE75CT diesel built by
H.K. Porter in January, 1946, originally for
U.S. Gypsum. It was acquired in March, 2017 from the
Georgetown Loop Railroad
The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge United States heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, adjacent to Interstate 70 in Colorado.
This tourist train runs between the communities of Georgetown and S ...
in trade for
GE 92-ton center-cab diesel engine #9.
*RB-1 (
railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed d ...
) was built in the winter of 1987–1988. It was originally numbered 1001 and was named Tamarron. It could seat 32 people, had its own baggage compartment, had its own restroom and had a six-cylinder Caterpillar diesel engine. This unit was intended for use on the Animas River Railway; when that operation was shut-down, it was found being used as a switcher in the Durango yard. Years later, it was put into revenue service during the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire.
* In April, 2020, it was announced that four
MLW type DL-535E diesels have been purchased from the
White Pass & Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rail ...
in
Skagway, Alaska
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with ...
. The first two of those diesels (Nos. 101 and 107) were delivered between late August and late September, 2020. The other two diesels (Nos. 103 and 106) were delivered in late September 2021.
File:Durango K-36-Steam-locomotive-486 Diesel-engine-Big-Al-7 2012-10-25.JPG, K-36 steam locomotive #486 and Diesel engine "Big Al" #7 in Durango on October 25, 2012.
File:Silverton Diesel-engine-11 2012-10-25.JPG, Diesel engine #11 in Silverton on October 25, 2012.
File:Durango-Silverton Colors 2012-10-25.JPG, Beautiful colors on the way to Silverton on October 25, 2012
File:Durango-Silverton Highline 2012-10-25.JPG, On the Highline above the Animas Canyon on October 25, 2012
File:Durango-Silverton Animas-River 2012-10-25.JPG, Along the Animas River to Silverton on October 25, 2012
File:Durango-Silverton Approaching-Silverton 2012-10-25.JPG, Approaching Silverton on October 25, 2012
D&SNG rolling stock
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad currently operates over 50 pieces of rolling stock. Some of the cars are the oldest passenger cars in existence.
Concession cars
![Silverton Concession-car-126 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Silverton_Concession-car-126_2012-10-25.JPG)
Like most of the coaches on the D&SNG, the
concession cars are good examples of how coaches were renumbered and rebuilt several times by the D&RGW.
*Concession car 64 was originally D&RG mail-baggage 64 built in 1889. In 1983 it was purchased from the
Black Hills Central Railroad
The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. The railroad was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2003.
It currently operates the ''1880 Train'' on th ...
. 64 returned to service in 1984 as a concession car.
*Concession car 126 was originally D&RG baggage car 27. It was renumbered 126 in 1886. It was converted to a coach-snack bar by the D&RGW in 1963 then reconverted in 1979 to a coach. It was reconverted to a full concession car by the D&SNG in 1982.
*Concession car 212 was originally D&RG coach 20 built in 1879. In 1887 it was rebuilt into a combination coach-baggage car and numbered 215. In 1942, 215 had been sold to a Mexican railway. Then the D&RGW realized that it was larger than another combination car 212. The numbers of the car were switched and the smaller car was sent to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. In 1964 converted to a coach-snack bar by the D&RGW, then to a 48-passenger coach in 1979. In 1982 it was converted to a snack bar car by the D&SNG. Then, in 1986, it was converted to a full concession car.
*Concession car 566 was originally D&RG
mail car 14 built in 1882. Around 1888 it was rebuilt into excursion car 566. In July 1904 it was renumbered 0566. Then it was switched to work service in 1914. It was rebuilt to its original appearance as a postal car by the D&SNG. It was then given its old excursion car number of 566 and is now used as a concession car.
Coaches
![Silverton Bitter-Root-Mine-213 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Silverton_Bitter-Root-Mine-213_2012-10-25.JPG)
The D&SNG operates one combination car 213 named Bitter Root Mine, it was previously named Home Ranch and was built in 1983 by the D&SNG. It has a hydraulic lift for passengers in wheelchairs.
The D&SNG operates several other coaches:
#256, built in 1880, former RGS, purchased in 2022 and currently stored awaiting restoration.
#257 Shenandoah, built in 1880, originally numbered 267 until sold to the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...
, later reacquired by the D&SNG.
#270 Pinkerton, built in 1880
#291 King Mine, built in 1881
#311 McPhee, built in 1881
#319 Needleton, built in 1882
#323 Animas City, built in 1887
#327 Durango, built in 1887
#330 Cascade, built in 1963
#331 Trimble, built in 1963
#332 La Plata, built in 1964
#333 Tacoma, built in 1964
#334 Hermosa, built in 1964
#335 Elk Park, built in 1964
#336 Rockwood, built in 1964
#337 Fort Lewis, built in 1964
#503 Crazy Woman Creek, acquired in 2019. 503 was originally a flat car built in the 1940s, then converted for use as a coach in 1982 by the
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
.
File:Silverton Animas-City-323 2012-10-25.JPG, Animas City 323 in Silverton, October 2012
File:Silverton Durango-327 2012-10-25.JPG, Durango 327 in Silverton, October 2012
File:Silverton Cascade-330 2012-10-25.JPG, Cascade 330 in Silverton, October 2012
File:Silverton La-Plata-332 2012-10-25.JPG, La Plata 332 in Silverton, October 2012
Cinco Animas B-2
![Silverton Cinco-Animas-B-2 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Silverton_Cinco-Animas-B-2_2012-10-25.JPG)
Built in 1883, the Cinco Animas was originally an immigrant sleeper. Immigrant sleepers had very few amenities and had little consideration for passenger comfort. The original Cinco Animas could seat up to thirty passengers. It was turned into a business car in 1913. In 1963 it was purchased by the Cinco Animas Corporation, where it received its present name. Then, in 1982, the Cinco Animas was sold to the D&SNG. It runs daily throughout the summer.
Nomad B-3
Built in 1878, the Nomad was originally named Fairplay. In 1886, it was rebuilt as Business Car N. It is reportedly the favorite car of D&RG president William Jackson Palmer. The Fairplay has hosted Presidents William H Taft, Ulysses S Grant and Theodore Roosevelt. While being owned by several parties between 1951 and 1982 the Fairplay was renamed the Nomad. It was acquired by the D&SNG in 1982. Today it is the oldest private railroad coach still in service in the United States. It runs daily throughout the summer.
General Palmer B-7
The General Palmer was built in 1880 as a business car for the D&RG. In later years it fell into disrepair. It was restored in 2001 at a cost of $250,000 by the D&SNG. Its modern amenities include internet service and a twenty-inch flat paneled television. The General Palmer is exclusively used by owner Allen Harper, his family and guests.
San Juan 312
Built by the D&RG in 1887, it had clerestory roof and bullnose ends. It was finished in ash and seated forty-six. It was rebuilt in 1937 at the Alamosa shops. Vestuable ends, train-line steam heat, electric lights, and deluxe
Heywood-Wakefield reclining coach seats for 24 passenger were installed. The D&SNG named coach 312 the Silverton. In the winter of 2007–2008 it was rebuilt with overstuffed seating for in a wide three across arrangement and had its name changed to San Juan. It runs during the summer time.
Alamosa 350
![Silverton Alamosa-350 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Silverton_Alamosa-350_2012-10-25.JPG)
Built in 1880, it was originally named the Hildago as Horton chair car number 25. It was changed to car 403 in 1885. It was then rebuilt into an office living car for members of the Valuation Survey in 1919. Valuation Survey was inventorying the entire railroad property after it was returned to the D&RGW after World War 1. In 1924 it was converted into a parlor-smoker car. After a rebuild in 1937 it became a parlor-buffet car named Alamosa. The car had a closed vestibule, with steam heat, electric lights and seats for fourteen passengers. In 1957 it was converted for coach service. It was renumbered 350 in 1959. In 1981 it was purchased by the D&SNG and converted to a parlor car and seats twenty-five people. There was another car with the same name that was destroyed in a derailment on the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...
. It runs daily throughout the summer.
Prospector 630
Was built in 1984 as a coach and was named Hunt. In 2009 it became a family upscale coach. The Prospector features comfortable table and chair style seating. The ceiling of the Prospector features an enlarged route map, making it easy for passengers to follow the train's progress along the route.
Tall Timber Legend 631 & Tall Timber Legacy 632
631 was built in 1985 and named the North Star. 632 was built in 1986 and named Teft. Both cars were built as general passenger cars to help with the increase in passengers. In 2009 the cars were converted with overstuffed seats. They are used mainly to take passengers to Tall Timber to go zip lining.
Open observation gondolas
![Silverton Open-observation-car-415 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Silverton_Open-observation-car-415_2012-10-25.JPG)
Open observation
gondolas
The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hul ...
400–402 were built in 1963, equipped with passenger car
trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
,
steel roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...
s,
tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
floors and
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way seats. Gondolas 403–405 were built for the 1967 season on The Silverton. Between 1982 and 1985 the D&SNG built Open Observation cars 411 and 412. Open Observation cars 406–409 and 413–416 were built between 1982 and 1986
* Cars 400–405 and 411–412 are former standard gauge
boxcar
A boxcar is the North American ( AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...
s, built in 1916
* Cars 406–409 and 413–416 are former standard gauge
stock cars
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
, built in 1937
Silver Vista 313
The original Silver Vista was built in 1947 by the D&RGW. It was a popular glass-topped
observation car
An observation car/carriage/coach (in US English, often abbreviated to simply observation or obs) is a type of railroad passenger car, generally operated in a passenger train as the rearmost carriage, with windows or a platform on the rear of ...
and the only one of its kind. The original Silver Vista was destroyed by a fire in Alamosa in 1953. Because of its popularity, there has been speculation that the D&RGW destroyed it on purpose to drive revenue down so they could abandon the line from Silverton to Antonito. The recreation of the Silver Vista was built in 2006. It runs daily throughout the summer.
File:Silver Vista observation car Denver and Rio Grande.JPG, The original D&RG Silver Vista car
File:Silver Vista observation car Denver and Rio grande 1951.JPG, Side view of the car in 1951
File:Silver Vista on the Silverton 1951.JPG, The observation car on the Silverton route in 1951
Rio Grande 410
Built in the winter of 1987–1988, the Rio Grande was originally railbus trailer 1002 and was painted red. It was used with the Animas Canyon Railway Diesel-powered rail-bus. It was stored from 1992 to 1997, until it was rebuilt as an open observation car 313. It was given number 313, because it resembled the Silver Vista. After the Silver Vista was built in 2006, it became open observation car 410. In the winter of 2006–2007 it was again rebuilt into an open air observation car with comfortable and large overstuffed seats for a more expansive view. It runs daily during the summer.
Cabooses
![Silverton Caboose-0540 2012-10-25](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Silverton_Caboose-0540_2012-10-25.JPG)
Caboose No. 0505 was built in 1886 and is stocked with provisions to provide shelter and food. Currently out of service.
Caboose No. 0540 was built in 1881 and is a mini-warehouse, carrying the most common tools and supplies. It is used by Maintenance of Way.
Caboose 0500
Is long, and was built in 1886. It was originally known as D&RG No. 1. In 1950 it was sold to
Bob Richardson, then again in 1987 to a business in Cripple Creek. In 1993 it was acquired by the D&SNG and was restored to its original condition. It is available for charter and can hold up to eight people. On display in the Museum, out of service.
Rail camp car 3681
Rail camp car No. 3681 is an ex-D&RGW boxcar. It was rebuilt by the D&SNG in 1984 with a kitchen, a bathroom and beds. It is pulled to Cascade Canyon Wye for elegant camping. It can hold a group of up to eight people. Currently out of service.
Coaches not in service
*
Mail baggage car No. 66 was built in 1887. For some years it was the base of operations for the Animas River Railway in Rockwood, Colorado. Car No. 66 served as the office, ticket window, and waiting room for the railway. It was then moved to Hermosa, Colorado as the maintenance of way office.
*Mail baggage car No. 119 was built in 1882. Sold to private individual in 2020 for eventual restoration.
*Coach No. 460 is the only
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
tourist sleeper remaining from a group built in 1886 for the D&RG. In the early 1900s it was assigned to work service and was used on a D&RGW wrecking train as late as 1957. Then it was sold to the
Black Hills Central Railroad
The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. The railroad was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2003.
It currently operates the ''1880 Train'' on th ...
in
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
. Then in 1983, the D&SNG purchased coach No. 460. It has been chosen to be preserved as is and has no plans to enter service.
Silverton Maintenance-of-way-train 2012-10-25.JPG, Maintenance of way
Maintenance of way (commonly abbreviated to MOW) refers to the maintenance, construction, and improvement of rail infrastructure, including tracks, ballast, grade, and lineside infrastructure such as signals and signs.
Track
The most fundamen ...
train in Silverton on October 25, 2012
Silverton Maintenance-crane 2012-10-25.JPG, Maintenance crane in Silverton on October 25, 2012
Silverton Speeder-9002 2012-10-25.JPG, Speeder #9002 in Silverton on October 25, 2012
Museums
The D&SNG operates two museums, the D&SNG Museum and the Silverton Freight Yard Museum. They both feature historic railway equipment used on the D&RGW line.
D&SNG Museum
Opened in 1998, the D&SNG Museum is a tribute to railroading nationally and southwest Colorado. The museum is located in the Durango roundhouse. Half the roundhouse is used for the steam engines and the other half is for the museum. The museum features memorabilia from the D&RGW and other railroads. It also features many artifacts from the Durango and Silverton areas. There is an HO train layout in the museum. It depicts a narrow-gauge railroad similar to the D&RGW. There is also a movie coach that was used in the filming of
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where the railroad's informational and educational films are featured.
Class 70 engine no. 42
On display in the Durango and Silverton RR Museum, engine 42 was one of 6 class-70 2-8-0 locomotives built by Baldwin in 1887 for the D&RG. The engine weighs 35 tons and pulls with 17,100 lbs of tractive effort. It was originally numbered 420. In November 1916 the engine was sold to the
Rio Grande Southern
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...
and was used till the RGS was dismantled in 1952. Engine 42 and a caboose running from Grady, located east of Mancos, Colorado to Durango was the last train movement on the RGS. In 1953 the engine was sold to the Narrow Gauge Motel in Alamosa. In 1958 the 42 was sold to Magic Mountain Amusement Park in
Golden, Colorado
Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...
, where it was converted to burn fuel oil and operated for a short time. In 1968 the Woodmoor Corporation purchased the Magic Mountain property and in 1969 put engine 42 on display in
Monument, Colorado
The Town of Monument is a Home rule town situated at the base of the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is one of the three communities that make up the Tri-Lakes area (along with Palmer Lake and Woodmoor). Th ...
at the entrance to its Woodmoor subdivision. In 1971 engine 42 returned to Golden as a restaurant display at Heritage Square. Finally, in 1983 it was purchased and brought to
Durango. It has never been restored to operating condition. It is on display in the museum.
Baggage car no. 127
Originally built as flat car No. 6630, it was rebuilt in 1968 as a
baggage car for the film
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. No. 127 was the third concession car built by the D&SNG. It saw limited service and acted as a backup concession car. No. 127 is now used as a movie theater in the museum.
Image:16 21 2355 steam car.jpg, 1900 Mobile
Mobile may refer to:
Places
* Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city
* Mobile County, Alabama
* Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S.
* Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Mobile ( ...
steam car
A steam car is a car (automobile) propelled by a steam engine. A steam engine is an external combustion engine (ECE) in which the fuel is combusted outside of the engine, unlike an internal combustion engine (ICE) in which fuel is combusted ins ...
Image:16 21 2362 museum.jpg, 1925 Buick Roadmaster
Image:16 21 2369 cars.jpg, 1923 Nash Roadster (left) and 1924 Model T Ford
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
(right)
Image:16 21 2376 buggy.jpg, Sears & Roebuck buggy from the 19th century
Image:16 21 2397 velocipede.jpg, railroad velocipede
A velocipede () is a human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle.
The term was probably first coined by Karl von Drais in French as ''vélocipède'' for the French translation ...
Image:16 21 2404 wheelchair.jpg, 19th century wheelchair
Image:16 21 2419 curtiss.jpg, 1911 Curtiss Model D
Silverton Freight Yard Museum
The Silverton Freight Yard Museum was opened in 1999 and is located at the Silverton depot and rail yard. On display are outfit cars, some equipped with kitchen facilities and side-dumped gondolas. In the Silverton depot are local artifacts.
File:Silverton D&SNG-W0473 D&RG-3543 2012-10-25.JPG, D&SNG W0473 and D&RG 3543 on display, Silverton, October 2012
File:Silverton K-37-Steam-locomotive-493 2012-10-25.JPG, K-37 steam locomotive #493 on display before its restoration to operation, Silverton, October 2012.
File:Silverton Freight-Yard-Museum Rail-Yard 2012-10-25.JPG, Freight Yard Museum in Silverton, October 2012
File:Silverton Freight-Yard-Museum Depot 2012-10-25.JPG, Freight Yard Museum with the Silverton depot, October 2012
File:Silverton Depot 2012-10-25.JPG, The Silverton Depot on October 25, 2012
Animas River Railway
Beginning May 7, 1988 a new Diesel-hydraulic motorcar and trailer
railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed d ...
began making trips out of Rockwood, Colorado up the Animas canyon. The new company Animas River Railway was incorporated by the D&SNG, as an attempt to preserve the integrity of its own claim of "100% coal-fired steam locomotives". The railbus hauled hikers and fishermen into the canyon from Rockwood. Operations for the Animas River Railway were run out of Rockwood. Former mail baggage car 66 was used as the ticket window, office and waiting room for the railway.
Built in 1987–88 winter, motorcar 1001 was named Tamarron. It could seat 32 people and had a
six-cylinder
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
Caterpillar engine. It also had a baggage compartment and restroom. The trailer 1002 could seat 48 in longitudinal seats.
;1988 schedule
The first railbus trip left at 7:30 a.m. on May 7 for Elk Park. There were 12:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. trips to Cascade Canyon. The season for the Animas River Railway was supposed to last from May 7 through October 30, but lasted until September 4 due to mechanical problems.
;1989 schedule
The railbus was repaired and began operations on May 6, 1989. A 12:01 p.m. trip for Cascade Canyon ran until October 29. From May 27 through September 15 Elk Park trips ran at 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
;1990 schedule
The schedule for the Animas River Railway remained the same. The last excursion of the Animas River Railway was on September 23 from Rockwood to Cascade. Patronage never met expectations and has not operated since.
;2002 schedule
During the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire, the D&SNG voluntarily shut down steam service. To help continue service, motorcar 1001 now RB-1 and trailer 1002 now 313 took people out to Elk Park from Silverton.
Visiting equipment
Just as narrow-gauge equipment and parts are rare, narrow-gauge railroads are rare these days too. When narrow-gauge pieces of equipment come back to life there are very few places in the United States where they can run. Many of these pieces run during the railroad's annual Railfest held every August. Below are some pieces of
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
equipment that visit the D&SNG railroad.
D&RGW No. 315
D&RGW No. 315 is a C-18 locomotive, built in 1895 by
Baldwin Locomotive Works. It originally was owned by the
Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad
The Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad (F&CC) was a narrow-gauge railroad running northward from junctions with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad at the mill towns of Florence and later moved to Cañon City, Colorado, on the banks of the Arkansas ...
as No. 3. It was then bought by D&RG and became No. 425 and, after the railroad was reorganized into D&RGW in 1924, it became No. 315. Around 1941, 315 made its way to Durango and became a yard switcher. It worked around Durango until 1949. To save it from being scrapped, it was leased by the City of Durango as a display. When the D&RGW abandoned the line to Durango, 315 was donated to the Chamber of Commerce in 1968. In 1986 it was put on display at Santa Rita Park. Ownership of 315 was changed from the Chamber of Commerce to the City of Durango. It was restored to operating condition from 1998 to 2007 by th
Durango Railroad Historical Societywith some assistance from the D&SNG. It was first steamed up and moved under its own power after 58 years on August 24, 2007 at the D&SNG roundhouse during a photography event. Since then the DRHS has operated the locomotive occasionally on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and on the
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
. Since 2016, the No. 315 has been operating on special excursions at the C&TS.
E&P No. 4
Eureka and Palisade No. 4 is a Class 8/18 C
4-4-0 locomotive, built in 1875 by
Baldwin Locomotive Works. It originally was owned by the Eureka and Palisade Railroad, and was later sold to the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company. In 1938, it was sold to
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and was used in many films. Eventually, the engine went to the Old Vegas amusement park in Henderson, Nevada, where it became badly damaged by a fire. Finally, it was bought by Dan Markoff and restored to operating condition. Dan privately owns the engine, and on occasion brings it to various railroads to operate, including the D&SNG.
Casey Jones
The Casey Jones railbus was built in 1915 out of a
Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
and is a debatable predecessor of the
Galloping Goose. It was originally designed to be an ambulance servicing the Sunnyside Mine in
Eureka, Colorado
Eureka is a mining ghost town in San Juan County, Colorado, United States, along the Animas River, between Silverton and Animas Forks. The town derives its name from the Greek interjection Eureka!
History
Charles Baker's group of prospect ...
, and was often used by mine officials to commute to Silverton on the
Silverton Northern Railroad
The Silverton Northern Railroad, now defunct, was an American Narrow Gauge Railroad constructed to reach the mining area north of Silverton, Colorado along the upper Animas River. This line was the third railroad project built by known Colorado ...
. It has room for 11 passengers. The Casey Jones was restored and is owned by the San Juan Historical Society in Silverton Colorado. It has run on the D&SNG just a handful of times in the past during special events. It is on display at the Silverton Northern Engine House in the Summer, where D&RGW #315 is also stored when it is not visiting another railroad.
Galloping Goose Railbusses
The Galloping Goose Railbusses are products of the
Rio Grande Southern Railroad
The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...
, a fleet of 7 home made railcars used to haul the US mail and some passengers during the
Great Depression. Despite the overall demise of the RGS, 6 of the 7 "Geese" have survied today, and a couple of them have visited the D&SNG a few different times, most notably No. 5. Galloping Goose No. 5 was built with a 1928 Pierce-Arrow limousine body and running gear, and was rebuilt in 1946-47 using a World War II surplus GMC gasoline truck engine and a Wayne Corporation school bus body. In 1950, the freight/mail compartment was converted to carry 20 additional passengers for sightseeing trips. After RGS was scrapped in 1953, Galloping Goose No. 5 came to rest in Dolores, Colorado. Galloping Goose No. 5 was completely restored to operating condition in 1998 by the Galloping Goose Historical Society in Dolores, Colorado.
Southern Pacific No. 18
SP No. 18 is a
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
4-6-0 "
Ten Wheeler" type locomotive built in 1911 by
Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was restored by the Eastern California Museum from 2009 to 2017, with some help from members of the D&S Shop crew. 18 later arrived to Durango on lease from the Eastern California Museum in November, 2018 and it stayed until October, 2019. During that time it was used for oil-fired training in preparation for the D&SNG's conversion of their
steam locomotives from
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
to
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
for fuel. On April 8, 2021 it was announced that No. 18 was to return to Durango & Silverton from April, 2021 to October, 2021 and on April 11 it departed for Durango, Colorado via truck. In the 2021 summer season the locomotive has been in helper service for the 15-car Silverton Train, doubleheading from Hermosa to Rockwood, and then from Tank Creek all the way to SIlverton. As the D&S works to convert more of its locomotives to oil, 18 has been a vital resource serving as a helper.
In popular media
The train is the subject of the song ''The Silverton'', by
C. W. McCall
William Dale Fries Jr. (November 15, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American advertising executive and spoken word artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-drivi ...
.
D&RGW
*1950, ''
A Ticket to Tomahawk
''A Ticket to Tomahawk'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Richard Sale and starring Dan Dailey and Anne Baxter. It was released by 20th Century Fox. Marilyn Monroe appeared in one of her earliest roles.
Plot
In 1876, Johnny Jameson ...
''. An early western
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
film in which the scenery and machinery were complemented by a brief bit-player appearance by
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. The film is out of print as of August, 2006.
*1952, ''
Denver and Rio Grande
The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...
'' starring
Sterling Hayden
Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mos ...
*1954, ''
Siege at Red River
''Siege at Red River'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Rudolph Maté and written by Sydney Boehm. The film stars Van Johnson, Joanne Dru, Richard Boone, Milburn Stone, Jeff Morrow, and Craig Hill. The film was released on May 1, ...
'' starring
Van Johnson
Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II.
Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...
* 1955, ''
Run for Cover'' starring
James Cagney. Train scenes shot at the "High Line" above the Animas River Gorge.
*1956, ''
Around the World in 80 Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
''. The cast included
Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre Devine (October 7, 1905 – February 18, 1977) was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature fil ...
,
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
,
Buster Keaton,
Shirley MacLaine,
George Raft,
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years.
His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...
,
Frank Sinatra, and
Red Skelton
Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...
*1957, ''
Night Passage'' starring
James Stewart. Especially interesting is the train traversing the "High Line" above the Animas River Gorge.
*1965, ''
The Sons of Katie Elder
''The Sons of Katie Elder'' is a 1965 American Western (genre), Western film in Panavision, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. It was filmed principally in Mexico.
Plot
The four adult sons of Katie Elder – Jo ...
'' starring
John Wayne and
Dean Martin. Opening scenes of the film show D&RGW traveling along the
Animas River
Animas River (''On-e-mas''; es, Río de las Ánimas) is a river in the western United States, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System.
The Animas-La Plata Water Project was completed in 2015. The project pumps w ...
.
*1969, ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' starring
Paul Newman,
Robert Redford, and
Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross (born January 29, 1940) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Her accolades include one Academy Award nomination, one BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. A native of Los Angeles, Ross spent most of her ...
. Famous "cliff jump" scene shot near Baker's Bridge on Animas River in upper Hermosa Valley.
*1971, ''
Support Your Local Gunfighter'' starring
James Garner
James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...
,
Suzanne Pleshette, and
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...
D&SNG
* 1988, ''
The Tracker'' a made-for-television film starring
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
and distributed by
HBO Films
HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non- ...
* 1991, the railroad's own track was featured in a
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...
LS400 commercial.
* 2006, ''
The Prestige
''The Prestige'' is a 1995 fantasy novel by British writer Christopher Priest. It tells the story of a prolonged feud between two stage magicians in late 1800s England. It is epistolary in structure; that is, it purports to be a collection of ...
'' starring
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...
. The train shown in the beginning of the film is the D&SNG.
See also
*
List of Colorado historic railroads
*
List of heritage railroads in the United States
This is a list of heritage railroads in the United States. There are currently no such railroads in the states of Mississippi or North Dakota.
Heritage railroads by state
Alabama
* Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Shelby & Southern Railroad a ...
*
Colorado Railroad Museum
The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado.
The museum was established in 1959 to preserve a record of ...
*
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, often abbreviated as the C&TSRR, is a narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on of track between Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, in the United States. The railroad is named for two geogr ...
*
White Pass and Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rai ...
*
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad based in Bryson City, North Carolina, United States. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently owned and operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns and ...
*
Texas State Railroad
The Texas State Railroad is a historic heritage railroad between Rusk and Palestine, Texas. Built by inmates, it was founded in 1883 by the state of Texas to haul raw materials for a smelter at the prison at Rusk. Regular service on the line was ...
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Royem, Robert T. (2002). ''America's Railroad: The Official Guidebook of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.'' Published by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, First Edition 2002.
* Royem, Robert T. (2007). ''America's Railroad: The Official Guidebook of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.'' Published by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Second Edition 2007.
* Osterwald, Doris B. (2001). ''Cinders & Smoke: A mile by mile guide for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.'' Denver, Colorado: Golden Bell Press, Eighth Edition, Thirty-fourth printing, Western Guideways, Ltd., 2001.
* Danneman, Herbert (2000). ''Colorado Rail Annual No. 24: A ticket to Ride the Narrow Gauge.'' Golden, Colorado: Published and distributed by the Colorado Railroad Museum.
* Brown, Michael (2011). ''The Silverton Branch of the D&RGW and The Mears Short Lines.'' Published and distributed by lulu press. First edition 2011.
;Further reading
*
External links
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
{{authority control
3 ft gauge railways in the United States
Companies operating former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad lines
Durango, Colorado
Heritage railroads in Colorado
Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
Museums in La Plata County, Colorado
Museums in San Juan County, Colorado
Narrow gauge railroads in Colorado
National Historic Landmarks in Colorado
National Register of Historic Places in La Plata County, Colorado
National Register of Historic Places in San Juan County, Colorado
Railroad museums in Colorado
Railroad roundhouses in Colorado
Railroad-related National Historic Landmarks
Spin-offs of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
Transportation in La Plata County, Colorado
Transportation buildings and structures in La Plata County, Colorado
Transportation in San Juan County, Colorado
Rail infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Railway lines on the National Register of Historic Places