And on to the Train!

 

Monday, September 9, 2024

 

Wow!  That’s about the only description that really fits today!  We took the Durango-Silverton Railroad on a round-trip journey on their steam train, and it was indeed an all-day adventure!  It was 3½ hours up, then 2 hours in Silverton to get

lunch/shop/whatever, and then 3½ hours back down to Durango.  

 

We had booked our tickets about 6 months ago, and had chosen the Alamosa Parlor car, which was the “adults-only” car for 24 people.  Included was a bar with a very nice personal attendant, Issac, a back platform if you wanted to stand outside, as well as two bathrooms!  My kind of car!  

 

Durango Train Station

Our Car!

Getting settled

Always helpful neighbor!

We boarded at 8:30 am this morning and found our pre-reserved seats – 23 and 24.  These were at a table for two, up front to the right-hand side of the bar.  Across from us was a table for four.  The car filled up fairly quickly; very nice folks all around.  We started promptly at 9 am for the mostly up-hill trip to Silverton. 

Our steam engine - the 480

The route runs along the Animas River – white water for almost the entire way.  It has cut some incredibly impressive canyons through the granite of the mountains.  The railroad was built in 1882 to serve the mining activity in the Silverton area – silver (naturally, given the name of the town) but also gold and other minerals. The mines, for the most part, have closed but the tourist train business seems to be thriving.

 

Issac was really a font of information of all kinds.  He has worked for the railroad for seven years and could answer basically everyone’s questions from the workings of the engine to the history of the mines in the area, to the movies that were filmed in and around Durango and Silverton, including those using the railroad cars and engines!  (Think “Butch Cassidy” for instance, and “Around the World in 80 Days” and many others.)  It was definitely an enjoyable trip, although narrow-gauge railroads do tend to be a bit jerky, despite the quality of the track surface, and at the end of the day, I, for one, am feeling like a bobble-headed doll and my neck wants a rest!!

 

We were served complimentary non-alcoholic drinks (coffee/tea/hot chocolate/soft drinks/water, etc.) all day, as well as an excellent blueberry muffin in the morning, and a great chocolate chip cookie on the return journey!  There was also, as mentioned previously, a bar, but it didn’t look like there was too much business on that front, at least not from us!

 

Great muffins!

We reached Silverton right on schedule at 12:30 pm and headed off the train to look for lunch.  Silverton, it appears, is basically shaped around the tourist market, most of which seems to arrive and depart on trains, although you can certainly get there by road.  (There are three trains up and back each day right now; possibly more in the summer?  Trains to Silverton actually only run May – October.  After that, the trains only go as far as Cascade, as there is the problem of SNOW!)

 

We chose Lacey Rose, the saloon in the Grand Imperial Hotel on Greene (Main) Street – or, as Issac said, “the only paved street in town!”  They have a piano player during lunch time, and he was excellent – playing rag time favorites, which was fun.  R had a BLT and I had a French Dip – both very good, washed down with glasses of Sauvignon Blanc – R’s from Chile and mine from France.  After that, we walked around town (it’s only a couple of blocks long, so not far…) and I picked up a t-shirt for R, and a fabulous vanilla raspberry chocolate truffle waffle cone for me!  YUMMY!  

R's BLT with fries

My French Dip with chips

 

Silverton City Hall

Beautiful downtown Silverton, Colorado

Then, back on to the train, and the return trip to Durango.  This time, we had the same table, but as the train had turned around, we were now on the opposite side of the rails than on the way up – in that way, everybody gets to see both sides of the journey.  

 

Arrived back just about 6:15 pm – exhausted after a long day, but the scenery was absolutely glorious!  We were still full from lunch (and ice cream and cookies…) so headed back to the hotel, which is just a few miles away.  (Wanted to get a load of wash done tonight too…we all know how I am…)

 

We took SOOOOOO many photos that I think I may just post a few in the text, and then do another posting with nothing but photos!  

 

So, will close now so R can get started downloading pictures!  Tomorrow, on to Denver!

Much love,

m

xxx