In which US state is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway?
"but then quickly steepens again, topping off 4% at MP 488. From MP 488 to Elk Park the fireman finally gets a break on the wider, sweeping curves and flatter grade. Elk Park is the last siding, wye, and flagstop before Silverton. Not as popular as Needleton for hikers, Elk Park is where the railroad crosses the Colorado Trail and it often serves as a hunting camp in season. Also past Elk Park, the railroad is among some of the highest concentration of avalanche chutes in the state. The Snowshed Slide once had a snowshed, until burning and leaving behind"
"just as rare as any other narrow-gauge equipment. All of the diesel engines of the D&SNG are of center cab style, where the cab straddles the center of the locomotive. Below are the diesel engines currently used by the D&SNG: The railroad runs from the Durango yard to Silverton, crossing the Animas River five times throughout the trip. Once trains reach Silverton and unload passengers, the train is turned on the wye, backs uptown to pick up returning passengers, and makes the trip back to Durango. One way scheduled trains take 3½ hours to run the each way, with a"
"and Silverton and the Cumbres & Toltec railroads. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad uses the portion from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM. The portion from Durango to Silverton (not part of the San Juan Express) is run by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The line from Antonito to Alamosa, CO is now standard gauge only and belongs to the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. San Juan Express The San Juan Express (also known as simply the San Juan) was a narrow gauge train that ran on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) route from"
"serve the tourist industry and the railroad operated a seasonal passenger service during summer months. In 1981, the route was sold to Charles E. Bradshaw Jr. who then operated the branch as the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The line is currently owned by American Heritage Railways. The Santa Fe branch, also known as the Chili line or Española branch, ran southwards for 125 miles from Antonito to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was built by the D&RGW during the 1880s as part of a planned rail link with El Paso, Texas. However, construction didn't go beyond Española due"
"Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) was a narrow gauge railroad which ran from Durango to Ridgway in the western part of the US state of Colorado. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) had built branch lines to the mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, but the San Juan Mountains between Ouray and Silverton were too formidable to allow the building of a railroad directly connecting the two towns. The Silverton Railroad, built north from Silverton, had reached within of Ouray, but the remaining stretch through the Uncompahgre Gorge was considered too difficult. A cog"
"the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina. In August 2012 American Heritage Railways sold the Texas State Railroad to Iowa Pacific Holdings. In addition to continuing passenger operations, Iowa Pacific Holdings opened the track to the main line in Palestine on November 1, 2012 to begin offering freight services. A leading supporter of keeping the railroad operational is Texas State Representative Byron Cook of Corsicana. The varied schedule of the railroad allows visitors to ride trains pulled by diesel and steam locomotives between the park's Victorian-style depots and through"
"its freight cars were retired cars from the abandoned Colorado and Southern narrow gauge system. Today, much of the former D&RG and RGS rolling stock has new life in tourism, including the Western River Railroad and Knott's Berry Farm railways, as well as the Silverton Train (which has been in continuous steam service since 1881) and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Knott's Berry Farm trains are maintained with their original colors and railroad identification. The right of way can be traced by going west from Durango to Mancos on Rte 160, then to Dolores via Rte 184, north"
"on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado. Several Alco-built mainline engines are still operational, such as Union Pacific 844, Union Pacific 3985, Milwaukee Road 261, Soo Line 1003, and Soo Line 2719. What is probably the most famous Alco steam locomotive ever built, Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, is being restored by the Union Pacific Railroad for excursion service. In Portugal an Alco 2-8-2 locomotive built 1945 (Construction number: 73480) is undergoing major restoration to be displayed at the National Railway Museum at Entroncamento. In February 2014, in the episode ""The Locomotive Manipulation"" of the TV series"
"New Mexico in 1970. The last D&RGW narrow-gauge line, from Durango to Silverton, was sold in 1981 to the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, exactly one hundred years after the line went into operation. In 1988, Rio Grande Industries, the company that controlled the D&RGW under the direction of Philip Anschutz, purchased the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP). The D&RGW used Southern Pacific's name with SP due to its name recognition among shippers. In time, the D&RGW's fast freight philosophy gave way to SP's long-established practice of running long, slow trains. A contributing factor was the rising cost of"
"The gold rush reached its peak after the creation of Colorado Territory in 1861, bringing thousands of fortune seekers to this remote region. Silver was discovered along the Animas River in 1871 and led to the growth of present day Silverton below the area's labor intensive hard rock mines. The narrow gauge San Juan Extension of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) was completed in 1881, linking Durango with the rest of the D&RGW system at Alamosa, Colorado via tracks through the upper San Juan River canyon. The rapidly rising number of settlers faced conflicts with Ute and"
"In 1881, the line reached Durango and a short time later, a branch was built up the Animas river valley to the mining town of Silverton. In addition to the ore traffic, lumber and various agricultural commodities were also hauled along the route. When the D&RGW began the process of converting most of their mainlines to standard gauge in the early 1900s, the railroad had also planned to convert the San Juan extension. As a result, the section from Alamosa to Antonito was converted to dual gauge in 1901 with the addition of a standard gauge only branch from Durango"
"relocating the line, which began operating in August 1962; however, this section along the San Juan River was abandoned barely five years later due to falling traffic. (The section of the San Juan Line east of Chama has been preserved as the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, and the section from Durango to Silverton as the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.) In 2015, one of the worst environmental disasters in Colorado and New Mexico's history occurred when the Gold King Mine near Silverton experienced a massive wastewater spill. The accident occurred when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was attempting"
"this year-round theme park). All six original Geese and the reproduction No. 1 are operational. The last non-operational Goose, No. 4, was restored to operation in August 2011 by the volunteers of the Ridgway Railroad Museum and the Telluride fire department. Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) was a narrow gauge railroad which ran from Durango to Ridgway in the western part of the US state of Colorado. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) had built branch lines to the mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, but the San Juan Mountains between Ouray and Silverton"
"the name of the Durango Land and Coal Company. By the end of the year, a Durango newspaper reported all of ""Animas City is coming to Durango as fast as accommodations can be secured."" The population, at the time estimated between 2,500 and 3,000 people, crammed into the little ""box town,"" where the only permanent structures were saloons, dance halls, restaurants and stores. When the railroad arrived in August 1881, the train stopped in a jubilant Durango, not Animas City. The railroad pushed on up the Animas River, reaching Silverton in July 1882, passing through Animas City without a stop."
"and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The D&RG built west from Leadville over Tennessee Pass in an attempt to reach the mining areas around Aspen, Colorado before its rival railroad in the area, the Colorado Midland, could build a line reaching there. The D&RG built a line through Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs, reaching Aspen in October 1887. The D&RG then joined with the Colorado Midland to build a line from Glenwood Springs connecting with D&RG at Grand Junction. Originally considered a secondary branch route to Grand Junction, the entire route from Leadville to Grand Junction was upgraded to standard gauge"
"(70 mph) connection for Farmington, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Most of U.S. 550 in Colorado is two-lane mountainous highway. It is one of only two north–south U.S. Highways in Colorado which runs west of the Continental Divide The other route is US 491. The route travels north through the San Juan Mountains. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango"
"Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the Nevada State Railroad Museum, and the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum among others. When the engine is not participating in such events, it is kept stored in Markoff's specially constructed shed, which is not open to the public. Dan Markoff is rather cautious as to how often the engine operates, and does not intend to have the engine operating regularly as the engine still retains its original boiler and several other components. Eureka Locomotive The Eureka is a privately owned steam locomotive in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of three preserved Baldwin Class"
"Silverton Railroad The Silverton Railroad, now defunct, was an American narrow gauge railroad constructed between Silverton, Colorado and mining districts near Red Mountain Pass, Colorado. The Silverton Railroad is remembered for the innovative solutions to difficult engineering problems presented by the steep, mountainous terrain which were devised by the railroad's chief locating engineer, Charles Wingate Gibbs – the Chattanooga Loop, the depot in a wye at Red Mountain, and a covered turntable on the main track at Corkscrew Gulch – and for the unusual and expensive annual passes presented by the owner, Otto Mears. The Silverton Railroad was the first"
"successful, and was finally dismantled in 1926. Silverton Railroad The Silverton Railroad, now defunct, was an American narrow gauge railroad constructed between Silverton, Colorado and mining districts near Red Mountain Pass, Colorado. The Silverton Railroad is remembered for the innovative solutions to difficult engineering problems presented by the steep, mountainous terrain which were devised by the railroad's chief locating engineer, Charles Wingate Gibbs – the Chattanooga Loop, the depot in a wye at Red Mountain, and a covered turntable on the main track at Corkscrew Gulch – and for the unusual and expensive annual passes presented by the owner, Otto"
"Chicago Basin is somewhat unusual. The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, driven by a historical steam locomotive, runs through the canyon of the Animas River. It makes a stop (when requested) at Needleton, a location near the confluence of Needle Creek and the Animas. Visitors to Chicago Basin typically ride the train from Durango or Silverton, get off at Needleton, and hike about 6 miles up Needle Creek to the basin itself. There are goats at Chicago Basin. Many backpackers continue over Columbine Pass to the watershed of Vallecito Creek. Chicago Basin Chicago Basin comprises the upper portion of"
"be broken up and hauled in sections up to Cumbres where it was then reassembled before continuing its journey. On other portions of the route, freights were operated either by double heading or with a bank engine. The Alamosa–Durango line was host to several branch lines which diverted from various points along the route to connect nearby towns and industries. Among these were: Opened in 1882, the 45-mile route from Durango to Silverton was built by the D&RGW to serve the mining industries in the San Juans. Almost abandoned in the 1960s, the branch was retained by the D&RGW to"
"to compete with other transcontinental carriers, the railroad continued to operate the surviving steam-powered narrow-gauge lines, including the famed narrow-gauge line between Durango and Silverton, Colorado. Most of the remaining narrow-gauge trackage was abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s. At the end of 1970 it operated of road on of track; that year it carried 7733 ton-miles of revenue freight and 21 million passenger-miles. Two of the most scenic routes survived in operation by the D&RGW, until they were sold to tourist railroad operators. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad assumed operation of the line between Antonito, Colorado and Chama,"
"Weminuche Wilderness The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. It is about south east of the town of Silverton and about northeast of Durango. At , it is the largest wilderness area in the state of Colorado. The wilderness was named after the Weminuche Indians. The area is divided into two sections by the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that follows the"
"Silverton Northern Railroad The Silverton Northern Railroad, now defunct, was an American narrow gauge railroad constructed to reach the mining area north of Silverton, Colorado along the upper Animas River. This line, the third railroad project by Otto Mears, began in 1889 as a branch of the Silverton Railroad to Eureka. Incorporated in 1895 as the Silverton Northern Railroad, the line was projected to run past Eureka to Animas Forks and on to Mineral Point and then on to Lake City via Henson Creek, including a proposed three-quarter-mile tunnel through the mountains. However, Animas Forks was the end of the"
"and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) as part of their San Juan extension stretching from Alamosa, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. The line was originally built to support mining operations in the San Juan Mountains, mainly around Durango and Silverton. By the mid 20th century, the ore traffic had dwindled but the line continued to support various agricultural and industrial operations until the 1960s. In 1968, freight traffic was virtually gone and the railroad began the process of abandoning the line. However, the states of Colorado and New Mexico purchased the 64 mile portion between Antonito and Chama in 1970 and"
"be required to drive. North of Durango, the highway passes by Trimble Springs, hot springs that have been open for visitors since the late 19th century. The highway runs north along the Animas River, under the Hermosa Cliffs. It enters the San Juan National Forest and goes past Haviland Lake and Electra Lake. Drivers pass by Engineer Mountain and Twilight Peak before crossing Coal Bank Pass. Next is Molas Pass, which offers a panoramic view of Molas Lake, the Animas River Gorge, and Snowdon Peak. Northbound travelers then pass through the town of Silverton, elevation 9,320 feet (2841 m), surrounded"
"Needleton, Colorado Needleton is an unincorporated community in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. Its elevation is 8,277 feet (2,523 m). Needleton was a station on the old Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad. The Needleton post office opened in May 1882, and closed in January 1919. The Needleton station was washed away in the flood of 1927. Needleton is now a flag stop on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Just north of the flag stop is one of the last of two remaining wooden water tanks on the Durango and Silverton. Needleton is a popular trailhead for"
"Durango, Colorado Durango is the county seat and the most populous municipality of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. It is home to Fort Lewis College. The United States Census Bureau reported a population of 16,887 in the 2010 census. The town was organized in September 1880 to serve the San Juan mining district. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) chose the site on the Animas River for its depot following a brief and most likely perfunctory negotiation with Animas City, two miles to the north. The city was named by ex-Colorado Governor Alexander C. Hunt after Durango, Mexico,"
"Resort, once known as Durango Mountain Resort, is a small ski area 26 miles north of Durango. There is also skiing on Wolf Creek Pass at the Wolf Creek ski area. Recently Silverton Mountain ski area has begun operation near Silverton. The Rio Grande drains the east side of the range. The other side of the San Juans, the western slope of the continental divide, is drained by tributaries of the San Juan, Dolores and Gunnison rivers, which all flow into the Colorado River. The San Juan and Uncompahgre National Forests cover a large portion of the San Juan Mountains."
"The July 4th cancelations and highway, rail, and trail closures have devastated the tourism industry of Silverton, and has had a substantial impact on the economies of Durango and elsewhere in southwest Colorado. Areas of San Juan National Forest are closed, specifically: 416 Fire The 416 & Burro Fire Complex are active wildfires in the southwestern portion of Colorado in the United States. The fires are predominately within San Juan National Forest, 13 miles north of Durango and 14 miles south of Rico. The 416 fire started on June 1, 2018 and the Burro Fire followed on June 8th. The"
"Durango narrow-gauge line mentioned above, now operating separately as the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, continue to use steam locomotives and operate as tourist railroads. By the end of the 20th century, around 1,800 of the over 160,000 steam locomotives built in the United States between 1830 and 1950 still existed, but with only a few still in operating condition. Trials of diesel locomotives and railcars began in Britain in the 1930s but made only limited progress. One problem was that British diesel locomotives were often seriously under-powered compared with the steam"
"Silverton tourist trains from the 1950s onwards. The Durango & Silverton inherited these when it took over the Silverton Branch in 1981. As of February 13th, 2018, all three locomotives are operational. Due to their smaller size, these engines are often used by the Durango & Silverton for shorter trains, usually the first or last on the schedule, and also for helper service or sectioned trains. Despite being slightly smaller, a little older and less powerful than the K-36s, the engine crews tend to favor a trip on these engines because the design ALCO used was superior in balance and"
"3% grades and longer gradual 2-2.5% while winding through many reverse curves. Unlike the mainline that was constructed by the D&RG before arriving in Durango, the Silverton branch was laid without compensated curves, and the trains can really drag into some of the reverse curves against the engine. A speed restriction covers a sharp curve above a rock face at MP 481.5. Needleton flag stop is roughly from the Needleton siding, and another beyond that to the Needleton water tank. Trains stopping at Needleton flag stop are for backpackers usually hiking up to the Chicago Basin, as well as occasional"