Durango - Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway

     We took our third train trip today.  It was on the most publicized of the many train rides in Colorado.  The trip takes four hours and goes between the town of Durango at 6500 feet and the town of Silverton at 9500 feet. Most of the ride follows the Animas River Canyon - the river which runs alongside our campground.

    The railway was built by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to haul silver and gold ore from around Silverton.  We could see the piles of tailings from the mining operations all over the mountains surrounding Silverton.  The 45 miles of track was laid in less than a year.  During the winter the workers were housed in log cabins that were only a few logs high.  The houses were so cold and uncomfortable that the workers who had families dug holes in the mountain for their families, because a cave was much warmer. It must have been miserable since just the 8000' altitude is a challenge.  I thought of them as we rode the rails on a warm, sunny day. 

Riding along the very edge of the rushing river

    The ride took four hours and then we spent a couple hours having lunch and wandering around the little town of Silverton.  I am not sure that the town would exist without the three trains a day that dump a couple hundred folks in town.  Rick had chatted with another train fan in the campground and found out which cafe could serve a quick meal so we wouldn't have to worry about catching our bus back to town.  Grumpy's was the spot and the burgers were delicious!
   The Durango Silverton comes up all the time when folks talk about amazing rail rides.  The scenery was just amazing with the river rushing through narrow canyons and the flattening out into ribbons along the valley floor.  The steam engines are beautifully restored, as are the rail cars.  But if you have real interest in old rail roads, the Cumbres and Toltec ride was more interesting with many big curves, trestles, huge gain in altitude and variety of terrain that it passes through.  On the other hand, the ride is longer and the town of Antonito offers little in sightseeing opportunities.  I hope that you get to take at least one of these trips if you love the sound of the whistle and the thunder of the rails.

    Back in Durango the weather had heated up over 90, so we hurried back to our resort on the river with a nice breeze.  I caught up with friends and family on the phone.  Tomorrow we head to Mesa Verde which will have no phone or Internet access.