Rocky Mountain Train Ride (picture heavy)

[johngross]

The wife and I went to Durango, Colorado for a long weekend to take the scenic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train ride. Lots of pictures below .

While there are several old and historic hotels in Durango, we decided on the Hilton Doubletree becasue it was on the Animas River and had a great view not only of the water, but also the huge mountain right out the back door of our patio. Our ground floor room also offered easy access to a nice walking/biking path known as the ART (Animas River Trail). And as a bonus, the hotel is walking distance to the train station and everything else in the historic downtown area.

While the Hilton is a modern hotel, they decorated it nicely to blend in with the Old West theme Durango is known for. Below are a few pictures of the lobby and a close-up of one of the very large wood carvings on the wall (it measures 12 feet long!).

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Just a few steps out the door of our back patio was the river, walking trail, and the mountain showing the reflection of the sun.

The following morning we headed out for the 5+ hour train ride. Our car, the Yankee Girl, is an original from 1880. Of course over the years it's been restored and updated. The interior is beautiful with all mahogany, oak, and bird's eye maple. Also note the ceiling with decorative tin tiles.

Oh, yeah. This ride is not for the faint of heart . Since our car was next to last I was able to get a good photo as the train snaked it's way around the edge of the cliff with probably a 400 foot drop to the bottom.

This next picture was taken from the outside viewing platform on our car looking down into the canyon below and the Animas River. The steel rails are not the train track, but some type of reinforcement on the walls of the mountain (I would guess to help prevent erosion from weather and the vibration of the train?).

Another photo the acrophobias on the group might enjoy, taken from the window by my seat.

During the summer the train runs all the way to Silverton, about 45 miles. But in the winter it goes a bit over half way (26 miles) to Cascade Canyon, stops for about 45 minutes for us to get out, and turns around to head back to Durango. Here's the wife in front of the engine at Cascade.

The day after the train ride we went on a dog sled tour and also visited and had lunch at the historic Strater Hotel. But I've posted enough pictures for now, so maybe tomorrow I'll offer up a new post with photos of the dog sledding, etc.

Thanks for looking and hope you got a feel for a ride on the Durango & Silverton RR. So for now one last photo as the wife says...

"Bye all Y'all."

 

[CB3]

BTD. Great photos. Brought back memories. Thanks.

 

[arjay]

Beautiful area down there!

 

[quikdraw67]

Cool. Old narrow gauge train.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Shark Bait]

Thanks for the pictures. I'll have to check into that one. I've done the Cumbres-Toltec out of Chama, NM.

 

[Rudi]

Looks like a great trip!

 

[arjay]

The high line!

 

[glenncal1]

In the summer you can do a combo trip where you take the train to Silverton in one direction and a bus in the other. The bus takes you on Hwy 550, the million dollar hwy. Both the train and the bus routes are very scenic and you let someone else do the driving. That whole area of the state is pretty spectacular.

 

[johnjohn]

Thank you, we took that ride several years ago. Brings back happy memories.

 

[S&W Fan]

Great post and photos, glad you had a great time! Durango and Steamboat Springs are my two favorite "staycations" destinations.

 

[vt_shooter]

That looked like an amazing time! Great photos, beautiful train. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sistema1927]

Love both the Durango Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec.

Quite a few years ago, we were camped near Durango, and decided to take the train. It was the wife, two kids, and dog. The dog couldn't ride the train, and we weren't going to leaver her in camp. So, we purchased two tickets. The wife and daughter rode the train to Silverton, while my son, dog, and myself drove there. Then in Silverton, the ladies drove back and us guys rode the train.

That way, we saw that route both high and low. Quite an experience.

 

[islamoradamark]

That looks great,

 

[Chubbo]

Rocky Mountain Train Ride

You folks surely brought back fond memories.

Circa 1955, A man and his wife, and my wife and I, traveled from Denver, to Durango, through Ouray, to make that same train ride. This delightful excursion was done in much more primitive style, than yours. We camped in small travel trailers, outside an original hotel, had pictures taken in an original barber shop. We had to wait in line, for ticket cancelations, of that ride, and got them. Passengers made that train ride in unaltered train cars, and an original engine. I have a picture of us in that barbershop on our wall. Pictures of the Engine, train cars, and us, are still in my stuff. I have pictures taken in rout, of twisted, abandoned rails that were washes out and lost, in the canyons below the rebuilt tracks on which we traveled. It was a cool, sooty, scary, but delightful round trip.

Pardon my long story, and lack of pictures, but it was one of our life's great adventures

Chubbo

 

[jeffsmith]

Took that Train Ride on my Honeymoon in 1994

Next time try the Starter Hotel

 

[robvious]

have a super 8mm movie my mother took during our family vacation in 1969 somewhere.. some of it pointed straight down out the window.. she was farm girl with 5 kids.. she feared nothing

 

[Autonomous]

Outstanding! We did the trip a few years ago, highly recommend it.

 

[cfplinker]

If you can make reservations for the Photographers Train. It runs once a year so early reservations are needed. It is the first train out of the station and makes two stops en route to Silverton. At each stop everyone gets off the train, lines up, and takes pictures of the second train as it passes by. Stops again so you can photograph the third train as it goes over the low trestle outside of Silverton. After a quick lunch break it heads back down to Durango with two more photos stops as the other trains pass it. Well worth the extra $20 or so that they charge. Of course it is scheduled for late September when the aspen are at their peak.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Here's a shot of the High Line.
The Durango - Silverton RR runs mostly down in the bottom of the Animas River Canyon except where the canyon narrows.
There they blasted a shelf on the canyon wall called the High Line.
I shot this a few ago on the Photo train.
The train stops and you hang up on the side of the Mountain with a hundred of your closest friends.
The Train backs up and then runs at you a Bat out of Hell!
Then it stops, Backs up, and you climb down and reboard.

 

[PALADIN85020]

My mom and dad took that ride when they both had retired in the mid 1960s. They raved about it. I was glad for them as they both had worked their behinds off over the years and that was their first chance to really take a beautiful trip - just the two of them.

Great pictures here.

John