Durango Silverton Train
You can still taste the Old West and take a 100 year step back
in time each moment aboard the Durango Silverton Train.
Operated today it is still operated as a tourist line called
the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG).
The D&SNG railroad takes you on an unforgettable ride through
the San Juan
mountains of southwest Colorado. As you climb over a half
mile in elevation, you will see some of the most spectacular scenery
in the world.
The Durango Silverton Railroad crawls up steep mountain slopes
on track that clings to rock cliffs and crosses over shaky wooden
bridges.
The Durango train journey begins at the historic depot where
you can watch steam locomotives crawl out of the roundhouse in
the morning and take a spin on a magnificent turntable.
Once the train is assembled and passengers boarded, the ride
begins north along the Animas River
canyon to the town of Silverton. Along the way the train travels
from low rolling foothills to high mountain passes.
The lower elevations around Durango are semi-arid regions of
sand, sage brush and Juniper trees with giant red and tan rock
outcroppings here and there. The river valley is green and lush
fed by a constant flow of melted snow arriving from the high mountains.
As the train climbs into the deep canyons the scenery begins
to change quickly to more rugged rock cliffs with evergreen trees
and tall snowcapped peaks looming in the distance. The awesome
High Line area is where the track hangs on cliffs 400 feet above
the river. This is the beginning of rugged wilderness areas that
you can only reach by foot, horseback or train.
The trip continues up the Animas River valley and across an old
time bridge at Cascade. Then you pass long forgotten mining camps,
claims and other lost enterprises near Needleton and Elk Park.
Nearing the destination the train emerges from the canyon below
Silverton into a large bowl valley surrounded by famous 12,000
foot peaks where the old time miners and engineers hooted and
hollered from the top of the world.
A real steam locomotive has a heart and soul that you can really
feel while on board. Several trains are sent up the line and back
each day so there is lots to see. Reservations to ride the train
are best made in advance. The hospitality you will enjoy is first
class throughout the area.
Many of the historic buildings and track appear the same today
as they did 100 years ago. Highway access is easy throughout the
San Juans. You can spend a number of days exploring old mining
towns, hiking, fishing and all those other things you like about
the mountains. If you like to shop, you will see plenty of stores
with the local wares.
The National Park Service designated the Silverton Branch of
the D&RGW Railroad as a National Historical Landmark in 1967.
Furthermore the American Society of Civil Engineers has designated
it as a Civil Engineering Landmark.
Experiencing the Durango Silverton Railroad would be nothing
today if not for the people who operate and preserve old railroads.
Most experts agree that the best way to preserve a steam locomotive
is to run it. Employees of the active railroad lines, museums,
volunteers and historians all play a part. Even the visitors who
ride the Durango train, support the effort through the dollars
they spend.
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