Steam & Excursion > D&S Railfest with Eureka and Palisade 4

Aug 13-15 2009 the Durango & Silverton Railroad held their 11th "Railfest".
Special guest this year was the Eureka and Palisade #4 a 4-4-0 wood burning
steam engine.
I never thought I would be able too see this locomotive run but luck changed when
it was scheduled to run on the D&S.

The first image shows the #4 and it's short train near the north switch of the
Home Ranch Siding.

The second image was taken at Hermosa while a water stop was made.

Third is a going away shot north of Rockwood on the High Line Shelf that made the
Silverton Branch famous.
Nathan Z.

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On Friday night there was a night shoot in Silverton with the Eureka, also some
people from the Victorian Aid Society in Durango posed in period clothing.
Nathan Z.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/09 20:00 by Grande-Fan.

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On Saturday morning the tender needed to be loaded with wood for the day.
I helped with the process, didn't take to long to get a couple cords of
wood onboard.

Once the tender was loaded, they backed the train onto the wye and turned it
for our trip.
Nathan Z.

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Out on the line we made several run-bys from Elk Park down to Cascade.
One of the neat spots just south of Elk Park is a bridge over Animas River.
While there the E&P #4 crew and the D&S pilot and conductor posed on the pilot.
Dan Markoff owner of the 4
George Sapp
CW Craven
Lee Hobold
Jules Kabat

D&S guys
Rich Millard
Joe Dailey

Another nice spot was a clearing along the river north of Cascade.
Nathan Z.

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I crossed another shot of the bucket list. North of Cascade the tracks
cross the Animas River on a short truss bridge, we had time while waiting
on the second regular passenger train so a run-by was made and I got the shot
from the river level.

After turning the train on the wye at Cascade we headed back to Silverton.
The canyon was dark so we just high balled north until the #4 ran out of steam
on the Silverton Trestle. Once the train stopped we got the OK to bail off for
a few photos.

And the last shot shows the true paint color on the #4. If you think it is black, it is
really chocolate brown.

Enjoy,
Nathan Z.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/09 20:19 by Grande-Fan.

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Great stuff Nathan!!

Excellent series of photos!! It's so good to see Dan having so much fun. It couldn't happen to a better guy! A real gentleman.

Old Bob out in Lost Wages

Bravo, Bravo!!

Is she REALLY a wood burner?? Guess by the looks of the wood passing line, she is.....Amazing!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/09 20:55 by OKTrainboys.

Terrific series of images - THANKS for sharing. You sure got your monies worth.

Will the Eureka be at Railfest 2010? What are the dates in August 2010?

Grande-Fan Wrote:
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> On Saturday morning the tender needed to be loaded
> with wood for the day.
> I helped with the process, didn't take to long to
> get a couple cords of
> wood onboard.
>
> Once the tender was loaded, they backed the train
> onto the wye and turned it
> for our trip.
> Nathan Z.

Did Dan explain the 4 grades of wood? And what grade was he using on this trip?

Bob

That night view of the Victorian Aid Society party had me singing "Let's Do the Time Warp". At least the photo didn't require a tray of flash powder. Many kudos to Mr. Markoff for his work in bringing history to life. Between #4 and Leviathan, railfans in general and steam fans in particular have a lot to be thankful for.

I've been wondering about something with a woodburner. An oilburner will acquire a layer of soot on the flues, etc, that requires "sanding the flues" to scour it out and make it steam better.
Does a woodburner eventually get a layer of creosote or something that has to be dealt with? Fireplace flues do, but they aren't subject to the heat from the firebox.
Inquiring minds need to know.

Here is forward planning for you: We rode the Durango and Silverton on August 10th; didn't even know about the dates of this year's Railfest until we got to Durango. All we got was the flatbed with #4's tender on board passing us by as we left Durango the morning of the 11th.

Thanks for sharing something my family just missed....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/09 09:44 by Arkeytek.

Dan is a true gentleman and after having seen the Eureka up close, a true craftsman as well. He told me that more than 80% of the locomotive is original, and he still has most of the parts that had to be reproduced. Just wait untill he gets his combine out on the road too...

Thanks for the complements. The Eureka does burn wood, it smells like
a mobile camp fire! Dan did mention the 4 grades of wood, we could of
used more Atomic.
Nathan Z

I need to check on that helicopter ride to the other side:)

Its nice to see #4 running. She don't come out very often so its a pleasure to she pics of her when she does.