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The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
steams along the Aminas River
Scenic vista between Durango and Cascade Canyon
Pristine snow and full throttle!
Shiprock, New Mexico
MORE
INFO:
The Durango &
Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
is located in downtown Durango at 479 Main Ave,
Durango, CO, 81301. Reservations and information
can be obtained by telephone at 1-888-TRAIN-07,
or you can check out the railroad's website
at www.durangotrain.com.
Click here for
a summer trip on the S&DNGRR.
Lodging:
While in Durango, accommodations can be found
at dozens of motels and hotels. Try the historic
Strater Hotel downtown, or for budget accommodations,
the Econolodge on US550 a little north of the
downtown area is clean and friendly. I also
recommend the Ramada Inn Express on US550; the
facility is new, prices reasonable, and the
staff was friendly and accommodating.
Food: Try
the Ore House downtown for steak or burgers,
or if you like Italian cuisine, Mama's Boys
is excellent and is located in mid-town along
US550.
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DURANGO,
COLORADO—
On February 26, 2005, the Durango & Silverton
Narrow Gauge Railroad operated its first winter photo
excursion train. White snow, black locomotive, yellow passenger
cars -- how could I possibly resist? Getting to Durango in
time for an early Saturday boarding meant leaving Phoenix
on Friday afternoon. My daughter Mandy and I took the fast
route -- north on I-17 to Flagstaff, I-40 to Gallup, NM, and
then US491, US64 and US550 through Shiprock and Farmington.
We arrived in Durango 500 miles later at about 1:30 a.m. While
there were some rain showers, the roads were clear.
Next morning, we arrived at the D&SNGRR
depot about 7:20 a.m, and were in our seats shortly thereafter.
As soon as there was no time left to run back to the truck,
I discovered I left my sunglasses behind as well as my watch.
The harsh glare of sunlight reflected off snow made some parts
of the day very uncomfortable for me. The watch, however,
I didn't much care about. It was, after all, a Saturday and
the only time schedule we had to meet was already met.
The train, with 100 intrepid train-lovers
and photographers aboard, chuffed out of the depot promptly
at 8:00, and headed north through Durango and along the Animas
River. The plan was to stop at several pre-set locations between
Durango and Cascade Canyon. The railroad crew had marked "photo
lines" with ribbon and crime-scene tape, and we disembarked
according to their instructions, keeping to a well-defined
pathway. The goal was a pristine field of view, with no human
footprints in the snow to spoil our photos. The train would
let us off, back up, and then charge past us at top speed
making as much noise, steam and smoke as possible. The D&SNGRR
had picked the locations for us with regard given to scenic
location and vantage, so that our photos would be worth the
effort. They did a great job.
North of Durango, the tracks follow the Animas
River through an area called "the highline."
The tracks were laid on a narrow shelf blasted out of the
mountainside in the mid-1880s, several hundred feet above
the river. Quite simply, it is spectacular! Farther north,
the rails run along the banks of the river as they continue
toward Silverton. A more scenic location doesn't exist anywhere.
The railroad doesn't venture too much beyond Cascade Canyon
in winter, because of rock slide and avalanche dangers, but
with the breath-taking locations they chose for our photo
stops, I didn't feel cheated. On the return trip, we saw deer,
elk, and at least one red-tailed hawk.
We arrived back in Durango just in time for
an early dinner at a great restaurant called "Mama's
Boys" and had a leisurely evening and a good night's
sleep before heading back toward Phoenix. Around Shiprock,
I made frequent photo stops along the highway as we passed
that very scenic area. We found a little freezing rain and
some snow showers between Tohatchi and Gallup, but the roads
were still clear, and we were home by 7:00 p.m.
The railroad operates photo junkets every
autumn, but this was their first winter trip. They hope
to make these a tradition too. I am already thinking about
a complementary set of steam train photographs to be taken
in the midst of autumn color along the Animas River.
Bob
Schaller
March 13, 2005
