By Thomas Best
In this, my last episode about our vacation to the American Southwest, I am not going to describe either a state or a national park. Instead, I want to describe a fun experience we had on the drive home. This episode is about the adventure we shared traveling through the mountains in southwestern Colorado aboard the steam powered railroad train known as the “Durango and Silverton.”
Considered the #1 rated North American Train trip, this railroad travels along the route of the old Denver and Rio Grande Railroad short-gauge mountain system. This antique steam engine and its cars rumble out of the tourist town of Durango north to Silverton. Not far from the “four corners” region, Durango is a small city that has the feel of Galena, Illinois with its quaint shops and tourist sites. With old stone and wooden buildings, dating to its days as a western frontier town built on area mining and ranching, Durango’s railroad enthusiasts have lovingly restored this 19th century railroad system. Here riders are given the ride of their life up and through scenic river canyons and the San Juan Mountains.
Operating for over 150 years, it is not only the train itself that is of interest to tourists, but also the train station and the workshops. If you go, take time to stroll through the jam-packed museum with a myriad of railroad exhibits as well as artifacts relating to Native American weapons, mining equipment, and even some of the earliest airplanes and cars to come to the area.
As we came in late April, we were still on their winter schedule. That meant that we could only ride to the half-way point on this route. Nonetheless, we still experienced beautiful narrow canyon passes and breathtaking deep river overlooks. Not until the upper mountain passes are free of snow and ice does the longer, nearly 100-mile, excursion route open up for the season. We were just as happy traveling about 42 miles out and back through the canyons featuring roaring streams of melting snow along the Animas River, narrow rocky crags passing just inches from the coaches, and awesome-looking evergreen forests. Indeed, in a rumbling open air-car, I took breath-taking photographs I will long cherish. For about $100 each we got the ride, a delicious box lunch, access to the snack car with an assortment of many treats and drinks, and seating in a comfortable coach with lots of windows for viewing and picture taking.
The Durango and Silverton Railroad will give you the thrill of a lifetime. Thank you for your interest.
