Day 28, Tuesday, 10-6-15 Durango & Silverton Railroad

Today was a day we’ll always remember and will probably think of quite often. 
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

We boarded our train, Car San Juan, Seats 25 and 26, at 7:45.  Departure was at 8:00 accompanied by the whistle blowing and the steam billowing as we pulled out of the station.  We exchanged grins and our excitement built.  Since words cannot describe the beauty of our trip on tracks, the pictures will have to tell the story.

We were on the narrated car.
 



Our guide portrayed Mrs. Hartman,
wife of the first newspaper owner. Frank Hartman started the Trade's Journal. There was a shoot-out between Hartman and Dave Day, of the Durango Democrat, during which Hartman got a bullet through the calf of his leg. (neither were a good shot)  In 1928 the two papers merged into the Herald.
She had plenty of stories about the area

Narrow Gauge can make tight turns.

 

 

We arrived in Silverton 3 ½ hours later.  Silverton was a mining town in the 1800’s, and what a town it was.  There were numerous bordellos, saloons, dance halls, etc.  It was quite lively.  Wyatt Earp, Batt Masterson, and Doc Holliday also appeared on the scene, but we’re not sure where they made a scene!

The two main streets have not changed.  The buildings have been repaired and restored, but are still there.  The streets are still dirt.  A stroll around town now shows a calmer scene with shops, restaurants, bars, and different businesses. 

Inside the bank.

Natalia's (house of ill repute)

 



We had lunch at the Bent Elbow

We were to board our train for our return trip to Durango at 1:35.  However, instead of four sharp blasts on the whistle alerting us to board, our train left!  The train that was to arrive 15 minutes behind was sitting on the track six miles from Silverton with a broken piston rod.  Our train had to leave to rescue the stranded passengers.  Whether they got the broken engine off the track would determine if we returned to Durango by bus or by train.    Needless to say, we had quite a lot of time to kill.  Finally at 4:00, it was determined that we could return by train.  Another 3 ½ ride with the most beautiful and breathtaking scenery.  Some of the pictures show you why the word “breath taking” is used.

Our train going back to rescue the passengers .



Everybody disembarks in Silverton

 

 As we were leaving Silverton, our guide told us to focus our attention on a statue up on the hill to our right.  It’s a statue of Jesus, purchased and brought there by Italian miners after no more silver was found in mines.  After the statue was delivered, miracles started to happen in Silverton.  The mines started to produce silver once more.  The bubonic plague hit Silverton, but there were people surviving in miraculous ways.  They could never get anything to grow on the hill, but where the statue is, are beautiful trees.  There were more miracles, but those are the ones we were told of and remembered.

It was getting to be dusk and on our way past a house out in the country, a huge black bear started running towards the train.  We had been told we wouldn’t see any bears, deer, etc. because the train scares them away.  This bear however, intended to scare the train away.  He did a good job as the train continued on its way.

 

It was 8:15 when we arrived back at the Durango station.  We stopped next door at McDonalds for a bite to eat, and returned to our hotel, a little tired, but still grinning.