Join us as we ride the Durango and Silverton on a fantasy trip that explores what if the Denver and Rio Grande Western had ran its famed Silverton Train in the dead of winter. The golden yellow coaches are backdated to full D&RGW lettering while the 476 received the proper flying Rio Grande heralds, and even the historically accurate diamond stack returns to its proper location.
Fifty years ago, the Denver and Rio Grande Western’s Silverton Train was a strictly summer/fall operation. Year-round availability of access to Silverton via US Highway 550 meant with the harsh winters in the Silvery San Juans that rail access was no longer needed. and at the time, the ski areas at Telluride and Purgatory were in their infancy and did not draw the crowds that they pull in now.
The Silverton’s season extended from early June to late September/early October when the line would go dormant. With the lack of rail connection to the outside world that had been severed at the end of 1968, locomotives would be worked on in the lonely remnant of the roundhouse, and coaches either repaired in the open air or trucked to the Grande’s Burnham Yard in Denver for reconditioning. Train and Engine crews would exercise their seniority elsewhere on the system.
Winter trains on the line would not return until 1981 when the newly formed Durango and Silverton took over operations of the line. Charles Bradshaw proclaimed during the opening day ceremonies that this would have been the last season opening day and the Silverton would be open year-round with trips halfway to a location now known as Cascade Canyon starting with the first train # 261, beginning on November 30th. But also for this year, the regular trips to Silverton were running until the previous day. This presented the closest look into Silverton Service running in the depths of winter, as these photos by employee Mike Ramsey present.
But under the guidance of railroad event manager Russell Heerdt backdated K-28 #476 to its historically correct appearance of 1972. To accomplish this look, the tender received the correct ‘Flying’ Rio Grande herald for 1972 onwards. Yes, the fireman’s side ‘wrong way slanted’ herald is correct for the period. The rerailing frogs on the tender were painted yellow, the doghouse removed, while extra silver trim and larger railroad Roman numbers were added to the cab and number board below the headlight. Finally, the historically accurate diamond stack was reinstalled around the regular stack. Of course, when we say historically accurate, we do mean to the time, as these locomotives, built in 1923, unlike true 1880s locomotives, did not come with them as built. Other than aesthetics, the stacks served no purpose other than to falsely backdate these modern steam locomotives back to the wild west days. As a bit of a lightning rod, many in the older railfan community considered them a tacky addition to these locomotives. For those of us born too late though, there was an urge to see them reinstalled, but only for a short time.
To complete the train, a set of coaches and a gondola were re-lettered into the correct ‘circus font’ that spelled out the full name of the Denver and Rio Grande Western. Three of the 330 series of coaches home built by the Rio Grande at Burnham in 1963 and 1964 were turned to have their bathrooms on the leading edge, another detail noted by Heerdt to be correct for the era, though the blank panels on the cars that once held the coal burning stove has now been replaced with a second restroom facility. These steel cars would have been seen on the leading edge of the Grande and early D&S trains from their introduction. Following these cars was concession car 212, a bit modified from the 1972 season such as more window and roller bearings, but with the re-installation of a baggage door, it looks more like it should than it has for the last forty years. Coach 327, a modernized San Juan Coach brings up the rear of the enclosed cars, while gondola 412 brings up markers.
We’ll follow this Grande What If? On a hypothetical trip along the line.
This production is a composite of two separate excursions and we’ll be following it in the order of a single out and back trip. We'll catch this train both in and outside the Durango YardLimit, er Yard Limits. We won't be Delayed In Block as there's no Distant Signal to look out for here since the whole narrow gauge was unsignaled. Keep an eye out for Hyce, as He's somewhere in the shots. oh, and we'll be next to Arkansas Locomotive Works and SLORailfanning also. Enjoy this non-Cumbres and Toltec Video... Wait, we do a lot that arent the C&TS? We already do too many D&SNG? And the whole C.W. McCall reference is tired and unoriginal? More narration, too much? Is anyone reading this? Yes, there's music... No, it's too bad you're hurt over it.