Silverton's Railroads

Silverton's Railroads. . , Railroads were vitally important to the development of mines, hauling out ore and bringing in coal and supplies. They made mining lower grade ore profitable. Railroads were lifelines in supplying the needs of the people in the mining communities. At one time Silverton was served by four railroads., The Historical Railroads: , D&RG = Denver and Rio Grande (until 1921) , D&RGW = Denver and Rio Grande Western , SRR = Silverton Railroad , SN = Silverton Northern , SG&N = Silverton Gladstone and Northerly, Otto Mears (1840-1931) , Already famous for his San Juan Mountains toll roads, he used road and mining profits to build two railroads, SRR and SN, in Silverton and buy a third, SG&N. He also built the Rio Grande Southern (RGS) from Ridgway through Rico to Durango in 1890-91., D&RG arrived in Silverton in 1882, but refused to build close to the main business street or to mining communities higher into the mountains beyond Silverton. The line from Durango to Silverton was known as the Silverton Branch and its passenger train was called The Silverton., SRR, incorporated 1887, was built northwestward up Mineral Creek to the Red Mountain Mining district. SRR reached Red Mountain and Ironton by the end of 1888 and Albany in 1889. It was 17.5 miles long with up to 5% grades and 30-degree curves. Regular operations ceased in 1921 and the final run was in 1926., SN, incorporated 1895, was built northeastward up the Animas River to Animas Forks. It began at Silverton with two miles of SRR track, reached Eureka in 1896, and was extended up a 7% grade to Animas Forks in 1904 for a total length of 12.5 miles. The branch up Cunningham Gulch was built in 1905. A few trains ran occasionally on the Animas Forks section into the 1920s, and regularly on the lower section to Eureka until 1939, when the Sunnyside Mine closed because of a miners' strike. SN ceased in 1942 when the U.S. Army drafted three SN locomotives to serve its needs in world war two on the White Pass and Yukon in Alaska., SG&N was built by the Gold King Mining Company in 1899, 7.5 miles between Silverton and Gladstone. Mears leased it in 1910 and bought it at auction in 1915. Operation ceased by 1926., D&RGW was formed in 1921 as a reorganization of the financially troubled D&RG. Declining revenues caused D&RGW to plan to discontinue the Silverton Branch after world war two. Hollywood began making movies in the area 1946, many involving the railroad. Tourist ridership saved the Silverton Branch, even after the main line to Alamosa was abandoned in 1969. Wishing to be rid of the short, isolated branch line, D&RGW finally sold it in 1981. It became the 45.6-mile Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) - a tourist railroad.