Durango, Colorado.

It’s about time I got around to sharing my images from our visit to Durango in July 2021. In October 2021, I shared photos of the journey on the narrow-gauge railroad excursion from Durango to Silverton here.

A couple of days after our excursion, we visited downtown Durango and stopped at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) Museum. Crossing the tracks to the museum entrance, Engine 481 was just begging to be my opening image. In 2023, there’s just one coal-burning train left at D&SNG, which is number 481. The other trains have either switched to using oil or have been taken out of service. Engine 481 will keep using coal until its current period for using its flue (exhaust pipe) time expires. After that, it will eventually be changed to use oil instead of coal. More details about the 481 can be found here.

Probably the oldest engine on display at the museum is Engine 42. Previously numbered 420, the engine weighs in at 35 tons. It was one of only six of its class manufactured by Baldwin Locomotive Works. Baldwin was the world’s largest producer of steam locomotives and operated from 1825 to 1951 when it was merged with the Lima Locomotive Works.

Many families and old railroad workers have donated or provided artifacts that tell the history of railroading, especially on the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) line. The 12,000-square-foot (1114 sq m) museum is the final result of a devastating fire that destroyed the D&SNG roundhouse in 1989. That roundhouse, constructed in 1881, was replaced by a 15-stall roundhouse that holds the distinction of being the only narrow gauge roundhouse built in the 20th century. The museum occupies eight of the stalls in the rebuilt facility.

So, I’m not good at taking notes, and I am not positive that this is the engineer’s view of Engine 42 when it is in operation. There are other engines on display at the museum, but these two images were captured within a few minutes of each other. Next time, I’ll take better notes. (Probably not! >grin<

In the museum, an 800-square-foot (74 sq m) area was reserved in 1998 to create a model railroad. The space for the model railroad was donated as a shell in 1998 and brought to life by thousands of volunteer hours. The model depicts the 1950s operations of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), which was a major railroad in the American West.

The model railroad is operated by a team of volunteers who use a variety of techniques to create a realistic setting. The trains are powered by a computer-controlled system that allows them to run on a variety of tracks and through a variety of scenery. The model also includes a variety of sound effects, such as the sound of trains whistling and the sound of steam locomotives chugging.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is a great place to learn about the history of the D&RGW and to experience the excitement of narrow gauge railroading. If you plan to take one of Colorado’s most popular train excursions between Durango and Silverton, be sure to leave some time in your schedule to visit the museum. Admission is free. More details about the museum can be found here. You can pixel-peep at the images in my gallery by visiting my Flickr album here.

John Steiner

Nestled in a mountain valley is the most populated town in San Juan County. In the 1860s, silver put Silverton on the map (hence the name). There is still gold and silver hidden in the nearby mountains, but the cost for the mineral acquisition exceeds the value of recoverable assets.

These days, the town’s biggest claim to fame is the historic Durango-Silverton Railroad. We visited Silverton twice, arriving on the train for a day trip once, and driving there to begin the journey on the Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Ouray. This post features images captured on our day trip.

D & K Wagon Rides offers stagecoach and wagon rides through the town. Generally, positive reviews from TripAdvisor indicate that a stagecoach ride is a fun and interesting way to tour the town. We will have to save that opportunity for the next time through Silverton.

Picturesque buildings line the streets that were laid out in 1874. The town became the center of mining activity and numerous mining camps sprung up in the area. By July 1882, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad completed tracks connecting Silverton to Durango. By then, the town of about 2,000 people was exhibiting all of the trappings of an 1880s mining town. Saloons, banks, hotels, and, as might be expected, a red light district.

Every piece of property in the mountain valley town has a spectacular mountain view given the ring of the San Juan Mountains that surround the town. Don’t forget to take your camera or at least be sure that you still have enough memory in your cell phone to capture the spectacular views during your walks on the streets of Silverton. The large building on the right is the train depot. This image was captured after the train left for the day.

Constructed in 1908, the Silverton City Hall building houses all of the typical governmental offices for the town. Most online references refer to the building as the town hall, but the sign above the entrance columns clearly states the ambitions of the town to grow to become a city.

On the day of our visit, there were a few rain showers, and we didn’t bring umbrellas. Fortunately, the rain was light and we stayed relatively dry. We bypassed the restaurants near the train depot. The train arrived just before lunch and everyone who stepped off the train had the same idea, “Lunch!!”

We walked down the street and then over a block or two and found a small restaurant that was far enough from the crowd to provide us with a very short wait time and very good food. I can recommend the food at the Kendall Mountain Cafe located near the northern end of Greene Street.

The Old Arcade is a general store and gift shop located right across from the train depot. It was quite busy there just after we got off the train so we bypassed it. Later we walked by when it wasn’t crowded but didn’t think to stop in. I’m sorry we missed it… I later learned that they have a reputation for selling the best fudge in town. Oh, well… maybe next time.

That about does it for our visit to Silverton. Soon we will be on our way on the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray. Feel free to click on any of the images above to get a detailed view in 2K HD. Alternatively, click here to go to the album where you can scroll through all of the images of our journey on a summer day.

John Steiner