SPECIAL CHARTER on the Durango & Silverton
On February 11, 2007, the Durango & Silverton operated a special charter train, arranged by Dave Gross. This train would be special in that all of the equipment was to be lettered for the Denver & Rio Grande Western, the historic builder and operator of the line up through 1980.
I found out about it via a friendly tip from an employee, so I scheduled a day of railroad photography in and near Durango. Accordingly, I headed out of Farmington shortly after 6:00 AM. The weather was abysmal, with a steady drizzle. I hoped that it would be snowing in Durango-- photos would be better than in the rain.
(note: previously I had listed this charter as being booked by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club, but this information was erroneous. -Jim
When I arrived at 7:15, the train was making up on the yard lead, with the power (K-28 No. 478) already coupled. It was still raining here, with some sleet mixed in. I noticed some curious activity atop the locomotive.
I piled into the car and raced for the Animas River bridge, just north of downtown. I needn't have hurried. It took the train at least 10 minutes to get there. This gave me plenty of time to plan out my shots. Unfortunately the dim light pretty much ruined most of them-- the train blurred too much.
There was a D&S employee who showed up here. He was ruefully observing the weather; he said that it always did this to him on his days off. Just out to take pictures of the action.
![]() Looking across the bridge as the train approaches from the southwest. |
![]() Here she is, stepping out onto the span. It seemed to me that they were pushing the speed a lot more than normal. |
The train was made up of the locomotive, three box cars, a flatcar, another box, three more flats (two carrying rail or other track parts), the caboose, combine car "Home Ranch", and coach "Animas".
I stopped at the 29th street crossing for another roll-by, but muffed the exposure and was rewarded with nearly-black film. Oh well; time to head out of town. I stopped three times for photos between Durango and Hermosa (not inclusive). It was starting to snow more in the valley.
Next hop was to Hermosa, where there is a railroad facility. They park the MOW cars here and have some sheds and a water tank, as well as a whole bunch of junk scattered about. There's a bridge over Hermosa Creek at the south end of the lot.
Next I headed for a grade crossing just north of Hermosa, where the tracks have begun their ascent on the mountain. The first significant grades are encountered here. From the highway I could see the train, and it seemed to be struggling. I was right. Once I got set up on the semi-private road, I could hear the locomotive slipping badly. It sounded something like chuff chuff chu-chu-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-chuff as the drivers lost footing on the wet and snowy rail. This happened repeatedly; the train was stalled. Finally, the whistle sounded for a backup, and I heard the whole process start over. This time they managed to maintain forward momentum, and before long the train crept into view.
Next stop: a set of condos built up against the right-of-way, north of Honeyville (for those who know the area). I parked and climbed up the fill, crossed the track, and climbed to a vantage point on top of the sidehill cut. There was a bit of a wait (remember, the train was moving pretty slow earlier). Finally it came into view, moving at a better clip now.
I skipped the highway overpass in favor of some less-common shots from County Road 250 (old US 550). It's hard to get a decent photo of the train on the cliff due to the powerlines, but I managed one. Then I plowed up the slushy road to the grade crossing for a few more views.
Next up: Rockwood. Fortunately the train stopped there, because it beat me badly (thanks to treacherous road conditions). Here the train stopped, and the paying customers dismounted for photos. This would be as far as I could chase the train, as the track moves into the Animas Gorge where there are no roads.
I couldn't wait around for the special to return in the afternoon, so I returned to town, shot a few photos around the yard, ate lunch, bought some windshield wipers that weren't falling apart (!!), and headed home. It was a pretty good day. One doesn't see steamers in authentic Rio Grande paint every day, especially pulling freight cars, and I was very glad I was able to get this event on film.
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© 2007, James R. Griffin. All rights reserved.