Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
| Silverton – Durango | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Route length: | 72 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 914 mm ( English 3-foot track ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a narrow-gauge , museum railway with 914.4 mm (= 3 feet ) gauge in the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado . The route runs for 72 km between the cities of Durango and Silverton . Today's museum route is a section of the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad .
The route has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark .
history
The Durango to Silverton railroad was completed in July 1882. After just a few years, it became known as a tourist attraction because of its spectacular nature, and continued to operate as a passenger train even after freight traffic was discontinued in 1951. Over time, a total of 18 films were shot there. In 1969, the Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D & RGW) decided to shut down the line, which was forbidden by the supervisory authority in view of its high tourist importance. From 1971 the D & RGW searched intensely for buyers for the line and in 1979 it found it with Charles E. Bradshaw Jr., a citrus farmer from Florida.
Change of ownership
In 1981 Charles Bradshaw bought the line with all land and rolling stock and invested heavily in the line. The locomotives of the types "K-36" and "K-37", which had been parked for a long time, were put back into operation, and the passenger cars from the 1880s were restored. In addition, new cars were bought in order to be able to cope with the steadily increasing flow of tourists. The facilities in Durango were generously expanded, and locomotive sheds and locomotive treatment systems were repaired and modernized. In 1989 the locomotive shed in Durango, which dates back to 1881, was destroyed by fire and all locomotives were damaged. The engine shed was rebuilt in 1990 using the original bricks from the old shed.
In 1997 Charles Bradshaw sold the company to First American Railways Inc., based in Hollywood . A year later the company was sold again, this time to American Heritage Railways, which then moved its headquarters to Durango.
business
Depending on the season, up to three pairs of trains run a day. The company also offers numerous special offers or the combination of train travel with other events.