Steam & Excursion > If you're not afraid to look down...

We've all seen pictures of the Durango & Silverton trains creeping around the cliffs on the "High Line" above the Animas River in Colorado. But what do passengers see if they look down? From my ride last week...

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I fired D&RGW #315 a few years ago on the return trip. At this spot I recall looking down the barrel of the boiler and seeing nothing but blue sky ahead. It was quite a sight to say the least. To my left was this sheer drop off to the river far below. I was very glad to see the boiler swing around as we rounded the point and finally I could see something ahead of us besides blue sky and clouds!

This was one of my most memorable experiences firing a locomotive.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/17 09:00 by LoggerHogger.

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Martin
That was a get trip a lot for fun with great friends.
Luke

Posted from Android

Equally fun is walking around out there looking for good places to shoot! Great pictures John and
always a great ride.

Out

LJohnson Wrote:
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> Martin
> That was a get trip a lot for fun with great
> friends.
> Luke
>
Agreed!

Martin

How far down? I would assume that there is a guide rail for any derailment, and the speed is a crawl?

Posted from iPhone

If you had ridden on 6/17, you would have seen me and my dog in that little area next to the train in Martins photo! A walk in photo for sure!

Tom

Every time I see a pic of Windy Point from the train, my mind goes back to the Wm. Henry Jackson photo of a train, taken from the valley floor. Wm. Henry Jackson trudged his enormous box camera into the canyon, and a portable darkroom, chemicals, and glass plates into the canyon and set it up for a picture looking up at a train rounding the point. What a sacrifice! And, what a picture!

I've never seen anyone try to reproduce that pic, even with todays cameras!!!

-John

One of the reasons that is such a great ride!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

My mother, who was born in 1912, used to tell me when she was a little girl she used to be terrified by the sheer drop off to the river when she and her family rode the train between Silverton and Durango. In those times it was their link to the outside world, not a tourist attraction.

I was eight the first time I rode with my parents and it was still a true mixed train then, and yes for a little
kid that drop was pretty scary. Believe the speed through there is like six mph and there is a guard rail though
I'm not sure it would do anything for a car rolling over.

Out

LarryDoyle Wrote:

> Every time I see a pic of Windy Point from the
> train, my mind goes back to the Wm. Henry Jackson
> photo of a train, taken from the valley floor.

> I've never seen anyone try to reproduce that pic,
> even with todays cameras!!!

The 1984 National Geographic Special "Love Those Trains" featured a then-and-now sequence comparing the "modern" view from the bottom of the gorge to Jackson's photo. It's at around 23:45 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhD-V2tXlYg

The lighting was far from ideal for the "now" sequence, but nevertheless, there it is.

So, you talk long and convincingly enough and they'll do a photo runby, problem is that you have
to find a spot that's decently lit and preferably on the hill side of the track! From a few years ago.

Out

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Nice.

Al Seever
Phoenix, AZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/17 15:56 by alco636.

Did anyone find or see the Motorola walkie-talkie I lost there two years ago? It's bright yellow.

Ed

callum_out Wrote:
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> So, you talk long and convincingly enough and
> they'll do a photo runby, problem is that you
> have
> to find a spot that's decently lit and preferably
> on the hill side of the track! From a few years
> ago.
>
> Out


Who are the two ladies standing by the track?

There were a couple runbys done during the trip and this was between them so that people could reboard
if desired. The procedure was repeated in the afternoon which was pretty funny since the train ran by,
went down to Rockwood and changed crews and came back to pick us up.

Out