Rails Into the San Juans

Rails Into the San Juans. Colorado. , Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad , If not for the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, Silverton might have vanished long ago. The twisting, turning, forty-five-mile spur from Durango took nine months to build; when it finally opened in July 1882, shipping rates immediately tumbled fivefold - a life-sustaining boon to this region's mining industry. And long-suffering residents at last enjoyed reliable access to hardware, lumber, fresh produce, and other basics. The D&RG was Silverton's lifeline until after World War II, when mine closures and the rise of auto travel nearly allowed the company to abandon the branch. But its breathtaking scenery made it increasingly popular as a tourist attraction in the late 1940s. Known today as the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, it ranks among Colorado's best-loved vacation stops, providing nearly 200,000 passengers annually with a real taste of nineteenth-century rail travel., It took a special kind of railroad to negotiate the arduous terrain of the Rocky Mountains. Narrow-gauge lines, with rails spaced just three feet apart (rather than the standard four feet, eight and a half inches), allowed for the tight turns and daredevil engineering this labyrinthine landscape demanded. William Jackson Palmer's Denver and Rio Grande Railway was one of the first to introduce narrow gauge to Colorado, and he hoped the newfangled track would revolutionize the industry. It didn't, but it did transform life in mining towns such as Silverton: Freight that otherwise would have plodded along via wagons or pack mules now could roll back and forth with greater speed and efficiency. Between 1882 (when the D&RG arrived) and 1899, four narrow-gauge lines served Silverton, tying the community firmly into Colorado's commercial network., Captions , 1. Undeterred by surveyors who deemed his Silverton-to-Ouray toll road too steep, Otto Meers (stabding far left about 1900) laid his Silverton Railroad tracks to within eight miles of Ouray. At this point, the landscape conquered even the "Pathfinder of the San Juans" and passengers ended their trip by stage. , Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection , 2. A Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion arrives in Silverton 1962. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1967, the Denver and Rio Grande Western sold the line in 1981 to today's owners, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. , Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection , 3. The D&RG route from Durange to Silverton showcases the daring of its nineteenth-century engineers. Here, a train negotiates tracks laid on a rock ledge blasted from sold granite four hundred feet above the Animas River, c.1896. , Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection , 4. Built in 1899 to serve the Gold King mine and mill nine miles north of Silverton, the Silverton, Gladstone and Northerly railroad also ran picnic and wildflower excursions. It ceased operating in the early 1920s. , Colorado Historical Society , 5. Even today, no amount of engineering skills can conquer the San Juans' snowy weather. As seen in this 1890s photo of the D&RG tracks in Animas Canyon, weather still can cut off Silverion from the outside world. , Courtesy Denver Public Library, Western History Collection