Steam & Excursion > D&SNG: Civilzed railfanning at its finest

Earlier today:

Please blame Apple and its iPhone for the photo's tipped over orientation, not the four Manhattans that I consumed while waiting to photograph the train, which was an hour and 45 minutes late, BTW. Iron Horse Inn, milepost 456.

EO

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Ah yes, the Manhattan Transfer....

Cheers!

More info on the location?  Hadn't heard of this place. 

The Iron Horse Inn is a motel on the northern outskirts of Durango. Some of its rooms face the D&SNG trackage.

Not following the D&SNG very closely, how many steam trains a day would go past the Iron Horse Inn at peak season?

NKP779 Wrote:
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> Not following the D&SNG very closely, how many
> steam trains a day would go past the Iron Horse
> Inn at peak season?

Up to six ... three north, three south.

Regards,
Burlington John

EO text' me that later a 4th train went by! I had no idea they were that busy- whoa!
SR

More info: is there indeed four trains each way per day currently. D & S only advertises three, so I imagine th imagine that Play run the fourth train on an as needed basis. The iIron Horse Inn, where I took the shot, is about 3 miles north of Durango. Last time I was here, I stayed in the United Campground next door. It has a fantastic place to railfan - there is a back in only spot on the extreme south eastern corner of their RV area which is the perfect place to set up a table and chair and watch the trains go by. Highly recommended! I am currently laying over in Silverton. Here is a shot that I took from the Cinco Animas.

EO



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/17 11:07 by hogheaded.

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Most days there are 4 trains each way, but the last one does not go all the way to Silverton. It is for hikers and kayakers who get dropped off or picked up along the way. There are three round trips a day to Silverton.

bobs Wrote:
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> Most days there are 4 trains each way, but the
> last one does not go all the way to Silverton. It
> is for hikers and kayakers who get dropped off or
> picked up along the way. There are three round
> trips a day to Silverton.

AHA! Thanks for the illumination!

I learned why the trains were late yesterday. A newly shopped boxcar on its first trip manage to derail - not due to track issues, purportedly. That the train delayed only one hour and 45 minutes pretty well lays to rest the idea that "tourist" railway employees don't know their stuff. A tip of the hat to them from a lifetime railroader!

This was not the only incident of the day. A motor car hit a rock and rolled over down a bank. Luckily the operator was not injured.

EO

I think the D&SNG and C&TS are real railroads, not just tourist trains. When I visted the C&TS I was impressed with the crews, being a modern railroader it was amazing to see these guys perform our job like it was a hundred years ago. My hat too is off to both operations.

I wish I could quit the class 1 and work for on the narrow gauge ..but the money would be hard to live without.

Posted from Android

Not so. These days an extra section is being run between the second and third normally scheduled trains, typically K28 473 flying green flags with 7-9 tourist cars, a mixed of closed and open. No boxcar or combine on the head end, so definitely not carrying hikers or kayakers. This has been running Monday through Thursday as weekdays are the busiest for this tourist line, weekend ridership is a little lighter as visitors are often coming or going and not in a position to take an all-day trip.

Fourth train of the day is a normal consist for scheduled train #3 with boxcar on the head end and the normal mix of tourist and first-class cars so presumably covering the normal schedule with intermediate discharge/pick-up stops all the way to Silverton.

I expect that this situation will continue for at least a few more weeks until kids start to go back to school and ridership begins to decline.

The railroad is evidently having a great summer season this year.

LJG

bobs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most days there are 4 trains each way, but the
> last one does not go all the way to Silverton. It
> is for hikers and kayakers who get dropped off or
> picked up along the way. There are three round
> trips a day to Silverton.

bobs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most days there are 4 trains each way, but the
> last one does not go all the way to Silverton. It
> is for hikers and kayakers who get dropped off or
> picked up along the way. There are three round
> trips a day to Silverton.


All 4 are currently running to Silverton.

jointauthority Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the D&SNG and C&TS are real railroads, not
> just tourist trains. When I visted the C&TS I was
> impressed with the crews, being a modern
> railroader it was amazing to see these guys
> perform our job like it was a hundred years ago.
> My hat too is off to both operations.
>
> I wish I could quit the class 1 and work for on
> the narrow gauge ..but the money would be hard to
> live without.
>
> Posted from Android

The only difference between a "tourist" and "real" railroad should be that one is
taking sightseers, and the other is a common carrier moving people and freight
from point "a" to point "b".

As a general rule, while I have seen exceptions, most crew members on a tourist and
museum lines are all too aware that they are not dealing with toys, and have the
the potential to cause great harm if they do not adhere to proper safety rules and
do their jobs in a proper, professional manner.