Advertisement

Durango and Silverton railroad clears path for first ride May 4

By Herald Staff Report

|

Friday, April 19, 2019 8:04 PM

Crews with Durango-based Bonds Construction were able to clear the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks two weeks early ahead of the first ride to Silverton on May 4.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad encounters avalanche danger north of Cascade Canyon, where 10 avalanche paths hold the potential of reaching the tracks.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

Crews ride up Cascade Canyon to reach an area where avalanche danger is particularly high. Some avalanches this winter dumped 60 feet of snow on the tracks.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

Crews clearing Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks are regularly trained to work in areas of avalanche danger. This year the danger was especially high with heavy snowfall.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad ran up to Silverton year-round from 1882 until 1951, when highways became an easier way to reach the high mountain town. Back in those days, it was a constant battle with the elements. Crews would even dig out tunnels so the train could pass through.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

Somewhere beneath all that snow are the tracks to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Bonds Construction announced this week the entire stretch is clear to Silverton, two weeks early.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

“We’re finding slips in places that don’t usually run,” D&SNG General Manager Jeff Johnson said in a previous interview. “It’s been a lot more effort and cost just to keep the tracks open, and not even just because of avalanches; there’s the amount of snow that’s fallen.”

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

Bonds Construction posted to its Facebook page this week that crews plowed through 42 avalanche/slide areas over the course of 14 miles in the past few weeks. As a result, the tracks were cleared two weeks ahead of schedule.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

Crews started around mid-March clearing the tracks of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The job was completed this week, two weeks before the first ride up to Silverton scheduled for May 4.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, with the help of Durango-based Bonds Construction, has cleared the 45-mile track from Durango to Silverton.

Bonds Construction posted to its Facebook page this week that crews plowed through 42 avalanche/slide areas over the course of 14 miles in the past few weeks. As a result, the tracks were cleared two weeks ahead of schedule.

Efforts to reach the D&SNG and Bonds Construction were not immediately successful Friday morning.

Heavy snowfall this winter presented a challenging task for crews responsible for clearing the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks. The first ride to Silverton is May 4.

Courtesy of Bonds Construction

The D&SNG’s route from Durango to Silverton doesn’t encounter true avalanche danger until it reaches Cascade Canyon, about 26 miles north of the train station in Durango. From there, north to Silverton, eight to 10 avalanche paths can reach the railroad tracks.

But this year, crews saw avalanche paths slide that had never been witnessed running before. One particular avalanche was near Needleton, which put 60 feet of debris on the tracks.

By all accounts, the D&SNG will be ready to make its first round-trip from Durango to Silverton on May 4.

Advertisement