The Durango to Silverton Railroad Trip – July 26, 2011

We met Keith and Mary Kay for breakfast in our hotel then walked the short distance to the Durango train station.  We watched the 9:15 am train get ready, loaded, and then leave.  Our train was next at 10:00 am and we boarded about 15 minutes beforehand with nice seats in a nice car.

The distance from Durango to Silverton is about 45 miles and the steam locomotive takes about three hours with two stops to add water.  The train ride is great – those who have done it know this – and the photos do not give it justice.  Sort of like the photos of the Grand Canyon.  It’s difficult to capture the true majesty of the scenery.  The train chugs along slowly swinging from side to side making old train noises and almost lulling you to sleep except for the gorgeous scenery outside your open window.  You smell the steam and get black soot on your face but it’s all worth it.  

At the beginning of the trip the train takes a while to get out of populated areas and after about an hour it starts its ascent, slowly climbing higher and higher.  For the next hour you are hundreds of feet above the fast flowing Animas River.  Occasionally you see the engine turning a corner ahead of you as you are perched on the edge of a cliff.  Then, for most of the trip, the train descends again and runs alongside the river just a few feet higher than the river.  

We arrived in Silverton in a slow, cool rain about 1:15 pm and looked for a place for lunch.  Silverton is not a pretty town but it has character.  It looks like a town out of a western movie.  One main street is paved but the rest of the streets were muddy.  Some buildings are brightly painted and we chose to have lunch at the Shady Lady which was the last brothel to operate in Silverton, closing in 1947.  The food was adequate, if overpriced, but the beer was good and cold.

Our train departed for Durango at 3:30 pm and shortly out of town we spotted a black bear high up on a mountain ledge.  There was no time to try to photograph it.  Then the rain continued on the return and the trip became quieter and more solemn than on the way to Silverton.  The scenery was still spectacular but everyone became sleepy in the cool, wet conditions.  We arrived in Durango about 7:15 pm and were sorry the trip had to end.

We had dinner with Keith and Mary Kay in the Diamond Belle Saloon attached to our hotel.  A piano player kept us entertained with rag time and oldies music.  The small saloon was crowded with cowboys and tourists like us.  A nice end to a very nice day.