Steam & Excursion > Durango and Silverton Cascade Trains 07/21-22/2020

Folks:

Last month I received permission from my wife, who is a Nurse dealing with Covid, to venture out of the house in SE Phoenix and meet our youngest son in Durango, Colorado. Her only stipulations were, don't stop in New Mexico and wear a mask. And to insure I social distance from other railfans :). On Tuesday the 21st we rode the 3:15 Steam train, after a tour of the D&S Shops and Yard ($6 with a train ticket). My son thinks he is a cool college freshman, but is was fun to ride a train with him again. I returned the next day to watch the 9:15 departures, and then ride the 12:15 Diesel train. 

The trains depart out of Rockwood, 18 miles north of Durango. They run north 9 miles to the Cascade Wye and the trip takes about two hours. They are running out of Rockwood, I believe, because Durango has stricter social distancing rules. Out of Rockwood they can run the cars at 50% capacity. I must confess, I was interested in seeing their Diesel engines in operation.

1) Locomotive #7, 87 ton, former Algoma Steel, is turning on the wye after arriving back at Rockwood with the 12:15 train. Note the stub switch. I think they take a coach around the wye to avoid having an open car by the locomotive.

2) #7 passing K37 #493 before backing down the north leg of the wye to the other four cars of its train.

3) A shot of #7 from the open car of the Steam train as we depart Rockwood.

To be continued....

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4) Our train has turned on the wye at Cascade and is waiting for the Diesel train to pass, so we can head back to Rockwood.

5) The next day, Wednesday the 22nd, the two 9:15 trains are ready to depart.

6) The Steam train departs, the gentleman kneeling in the lower right is the Car Shop Superintendent, who was kind enough to answer a few questions before the train left.

To be continued....

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7) A few minutes later the Diesel train departs

8) In addition to running three Steam and Diesel trains per day, they also run a special train for guests of the Tall Timber Soaring/Zipline company the runs a zipline at the site of the former Tall Timber Resort, six miles north of Rockwood. The train backs down the south leg of the wye after loading. #11 is a former US Steel Locomotive. Per the website DRGW.NET, which also provided info on Diesel #7.

9) I believe the coach is owned by the the Zipline Company and usually operates on the regular trains, unloading at Tall Timber. The open car is one of D&S's premium cars. It has much better seating than the regular open cars. The train is now on the north leg of the wye passing by the front yard of a Rockwood resident.

To be continued....

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10) True confession, I fell asleep in the car while waiting for the trains to return. #493 has to hustle around the wye before the Diesel train returns.

11) The 9:15 Diesel train returns.

12) Something I never thought I would see, a Diesel powered train heads out of Rockwood and on to the "High Line", one of the most spectacular sites on the line. View from an open car on the 12;15 train.

Thanks for looking, given the circumstances, I think the D&S is doing a pretty good job. When I was there both days, all six trains were sold out out.I just noticed they extended the trains through 10/31. Four trains a day. And they officially announced they will not be going to Silverton this year, due to a washout just south of Silverton.

Stay safe,

Randy in PHX

 

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Great post with complete coverage of the action!  Props to the D&S for doing what they have to do to keep running trains.

Rhetorically, though, it seems like they have turned the clock ahead to 1955, when the first diesels started to appear.  While it seems unlikely that steam will ever be fully replaced on D&S, are railfans going to document the coming of diesels?  Or will they take the same attitude that many did in the 1950's, and ignore the diesels, and only shoot pix of the steam?  Interesting question, and I'm sure emotions will run high, just as they did in the 1950's.  BSB

Unrelated qustion, what is the purpose of all the coverings on the trucks of the diesels?  Also good report, and beautiful scenery. I rode the D&S in 2000.

Trainhand Wrote:
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> Unrelated qustion, what is the purpose of all the
> coverings on the trucks of the diesels?  Also
> good report, and beautiful scenery. I rode the D&S
> in 2000.

Ballast. These are ex steelmill locos where tractive effort is King!

The ROW at Cascade doesn't look very good these days.