Steam & Excursion > Diesel Passenger Service on the Durango & Silverton 10/17/2020

Folks:

Last Friday 10/16, I rode the Durango & Silverton's 3pm Cascade Express with my younger brother. While watching the 9am departure, we were informed by a couple employees that they had added a few extra runs the next couple days with a diesel. We made a decision to ride a diesel train on Saturday the 17th. And we decided to try catch the deadhead move from Durango to Rockwood in the morning.

Between the 9am departure and our 3pm train, we did a Durango Roundhouse tour and hung out by the depot.

1) K37 #493 departs in the cool morning of 10/16.
2) "Intermodal/COFC" service on the D&S. I think they were moving around containers full of props for the Polar Express experience.
3) I just thought this shot of a diesel switcher parked in front of the Durango Depot was interesting.

To be continued.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/20 05:30 by randyr.

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Talk about ugly...

I was hampered during the chase by 1) poor sun angle, 2) a malfunctioning lens and 3) my failure to scout other locations besides the water tank at Hermosa and the US 550 overpass.

4) A few miles north of the Depot, at the crossing below the City Market.
5) I think this is Home Ranch siding, they made a brief stop.
6) Hermosa Water Tank, no need to stop for water!

To be continued.....

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7) View of the train from the US 550 overpass, my lens failure prevented a wider view of the train.
8) 12 pm train ready to depart Rockwood.
9) View down the Animas Canyon on the return trip.

Thanks for looking. Good news, that with even such short notice, the Saturday trips appeared to be sold out, with the cars limited to 50% capacity by the county.

Randy in PHX

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Randy-Thanks for the stunning images from your Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge visit.  You nailed the autumn colors-!

What kind of diesel and how much horsepower?  Why are the wheels and side frames covered?

Very nice photos.

Regards, Jim Evans



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/20 15:27 by FiveChime.

Awesome first picture    lol

First-class photographic beauties.
Bob

That last picture is very nice.   That diesel is god awful.

Give it a break, it never thought it'd get out of that god awful steel mill!

Out 

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> Talk about ugly...

You didn't have to be pretty to work in a steel mill. 

FiveChime Wrote:
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> What lind of diesel and how much horsepower?  Why
> are the wheels and side frames covered?
>
> Very nice photos.
>
> Regards, Jim Evans

Wheels and side frames are "covered" by ballast blocks to increase the unit's weight and tractive effort.
 

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> That last picture is very nice.   That diesel is
> god awful.

The White Pass engines are much better looking, I'll say that.

 It might look less ugly if all the railings were black except the top and inside quarter of the top pipe and only yellow strip on hand rails where any hand is expected to use the railing.  Yellow where the user can see it but it should look black from the distance at other angles.  Just a little specificial work would fix it a little.

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> Talk about ugly...

Yes, a sad day, indeed.  

I understand the negative takes on the D&SNG diesels. But, please note, that poor little ugly #7, a former Algoma Steel mill switcher,  pulled an additional 4 sold out trains the weekend I was there. The Forest Service has banned coal burning locomotives in the San Juan National Forest, and the railroad has only one operating oil burning steam locomotive. So like them or not, their little switchers are helping the railroad out. And, I suspect, with the arrival of the four "new" roadswitchers from the White Pass and two more remanufactured/kitbashed from some firm in South Carolina, all their former steel mill switchers will probably be put up for sale. I was surprised how fast it could motor up to Rockwood, we clocked it at 18 mph while chasing along US 550. So it was interesting to see them in operation this summer. Here are a a couple shots of some of their other diesels. 

1) Former White Pass and Yukon 107 outside the shop on 10/17. I was unable to get a clean shot during the Roundhouse/Yard Tour. They are working on it to get it operable asap.
2) Former WP&Y 101 sitting outside by the carshop, waiting to be serviced and made operable.
3) #1203. a Porter, I believe, last May working on the fire mitigation trains, at Rockwood. I was kind of surprised this one wasn't on the Cascade diesel trains.

Randy in PHX

 

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I would rather have a dieselized D&S than another abandoned RR as a hiking trail.
After seeing narrow gauge mountain railroads in similar, stunning scenery in Switzerland, almost always electric, diesels might pass too some day.
The mountains, river, trees, and vistas will outlast all our troubles.

So the D&S is done with coal?

Posted from Android

I believe the plan is to convert all eight of their steam locomotives to oil. Three K-28s, four K-36s and one K-37 (already converted). All are Mikados. K-28 473 is already well into the conversion process. The oil bunker is being installed in the tender. Here is a pic of a "naked" 473 on 10/16. It had been pulled outside the roundhouse earlier in the day. And a shot of the tender getting an oil bunker installed. I believe they plan on using two coal buring K-36s this winter on the Cascade Canyon trains, out of Durango. And on the Polar Express trains.

BTW, thanks for all the takes and comments, 

Randy in PHX



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/20 20:05 by randyr.

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If the King Mine shuts down this is going to be a moot argument and more so for the C&TS. I appauld D&S for their foresight
and as for the diesels, many years ago rode to Tacoma behind one of the mill engines and thought it was totally cool. There's
room for all their power and certainly reasons for that to happen.

Out