What If?... What if the Denver and Rio Grande Western ran its largest narrow gauge locomotives to Silverton, what would it look like? Wonder no more...
To watch this footage without narration, check out: • Rio Grande 493 to Silv...
To watch 'A Slim Princess in The Rockies', check out: • The Slim Princess in T...
In this video, we’ll follow the Durango and Silverton’s largest operating locomotive, K-37 493 as it pulled a mixed train up the line from Durango to Silverton. Catching up to the train after dawn, we got on board and pondered the views of What if the Denver and Rio Grande Western ran something larger than a K-28 past Rockwood. Historically, nothing bigger than those 470’s made it past that little hamlet until the Durango and Silverton took over the line in 1981. During the 1980’s the railroad brought on larger K-36’s and a lone K-37, the 497 to the roster, with the latter being traded to the Cumbres and Toltec for another 480.
In the late 2010's though, it was decided to bring back long unused 493 back into operation after 50 years to be an oil burner due to the changing long-term climate conditions in the southwestern United States.
In September of 2021 the late Jim Wrinn, the editor of Trains Magazine sponsored a charter that featured this locomotive front and center on the first day. Meanwhile, on the second day, the trip was split with the 493 mainly handling the passenger consist, and Southern Pacific 18 taking the freight portion to Tacoma where it was all put back as a mixed train. If you’d like to check out the Southern Pacific 18 on this trip, check out my other video, The Slim Princess in the Rockies.
So join us now on our trip to this look into an alternate reality of what could have once been on the Rio Grande Narrow Gauge. We'll hit up the Rockwood Shelf above Shalona Lake, The famous "High Line", Tacoma High Bridge, Tacoma, Teft Bridge (located in the canyon below Purgatory Ski Area, formerly 'Durango Mountain Resort), Needleton, Elk Park, Highball Alley, Bakers Park, and Silverton. The video ends with the train traversing the famed Rockwood Cut, made famous by Robert Redford when he jumped from it onto the top of Union Pacific's 'Overland Express' in the 1969 movie, 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. We'll also catch cameo appearances by 'Slim Princess' 4-6-0 # 18 of the Southern Pacific Railroad on loan from California's 'Carson and Colorado Railroad Museum' in the Owens Valley, one of the remnants of that railroad's narrow gauge empire. Also, we'll catch K-36 480 on the daily Silverton train at Elk Park and Tacoma.
So join us as we leave the Durango YardLimit following the only operating 490 that is not taken care of by Hyce. Become a Virtual Railfan as I do all the hiking off the train to bring you the views from high on the slopes. There are no distant signals on this railroad, as the Rio Grande never installed signals and we're in dark territory, but not under siege. Coaster Fan? Well, the railroad is like a roller coaster sometimes, and we're on the shore of Shalona Lake. So make sure to put on some C.W. McCall and enjoy that if you hate my voice.