Durango & Silverton

[richard]

Yeah, yeah I was away for most of the past week - we were doing a road trip through New Mexico and SW Colorado (Alamogordo, Durango, Raton).

Did drop by on the Durango & Silverton for their Polar Express ride.

The attached photo was taken on Wednesday - that morning we'd left the desert of Alamogordo, and had only told my son we were going to Durango to "find some snow". He only discovered there was a steam train - the Polar Express, no less - a few minutes before the photo was taken.

(shame about the McDonalds sign but that is the way of the world)

[Hatfield Shed]

What I noticed was a small boy having a good time, because there was a real steam engine as well as the snow. Doers the full run along the canyon now operate in winter, as that would be spectacular in snow conditions. I recall a six month season late spring to mid fall last time I was there?

Got to get back to Colorado, Wyoming, Washington one more time, before I am too old to enjoy it. Unlike stuffy European museums, I was allowed to get inside the firebox of the 4-8-4 at Golden, of course it is good and roomy...

[richard]

There is a daytime winter service - not sure if it goes all the way to Silverton, but it is definitely being promoted as "seeing the canyon in winter".
I think there is a coach option for the the return trip in the summer - not sure if that would have been wise this week. Road closures were the norm - and we made a number of route changes for the way back due to roads being outright closed or "we'd have to use snow chains which would probably get us into more trouble" (like 4x4 - should be used to get out of trouble, not into even worse trouble!). The drive back we were generally trying to keep ahead of the snow front which finally doused the Boulder fires. We even had snow here in Wichita Falls the evening after we arrived.

Access to locos is definitely varied. That photo was actually at a railroad crossing at the end of the station - there were a number of staff present, but no crossing barriers or anything like that! Just a yellow line through the station.

A lot of towns have a loco in a park which was donated. Generally they're off limits due to fears over asbestos, and the "owning" park or town museum simply does not have the funds to do anything about it.

Also, I think there's more money in preserved railways in the UK than the US. Texas (a damned big State) has a lot of small museums, but only ~3 tourist rail operations and a handful of larger static museums - DFW's big one had the big move 7 years ago to Frisco (TX), and the rolling stock is still out on a couple of sidings, guided tours only because they're busy fund raising for final track changes and paths (they now have funding - but it won't be completed until next year). They plan a nice fake station but that is probably decades away. Collection is nice though - a Big Boy, FEF, GG1 (only one west of the Mississippi), ?DD80 (?class, the monster UP diesel anyway), plus local stuff (the last steam switcher from Dallas Union, etc) - all out in the open...

[Hatfield Shed]

Lovely report! And yes, being sensible - especially with kids along - has to take priority. We got our rented RV snowbound last time at Yellowstone in mid September, fortunately the melt was as rapid as the snowfall, and you are in your portable home with all mod-cons anyway...

[rockinjohn]

Hi all @ query relevant I think they were everywhere on the E.R.some say 350hp some say 400hp both 08/09classes,I know of the "tinsley" twins & the S.R. speed modifications & higher crankshafts to clear the third rail,any suggestions welcomed & were they limited in orig.form to 15/18 or20mph before dire outcomes.jj