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Dangerous curves on the Durango & Silverton Railroad

March 11, 2008

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The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a historic train that runs from Durango, Colo., to Cascade Station, about halfway to Silverton, Colo., at this time of year. It is perhaps the most scenic train ride in America.

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It is also one of the scariest train rides. The dropoffs to the Animas River, below, are enough to give a test pilot vertigo.

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But the scenery! Words can’t even begin to describe it.

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5 comments

  • Tom Lanis

    FYI: The train runs all the way to Silverton! The half-way run only occurs in the winter when deep snow and avalanches prevent the train from getting all the way to Silverton. I Highly recommend the summer run and spending the night in Silverton.

  • http://travel-babel.blogspot.com Claire Walter

    Scary? Arguably. Dangerous? I don’t think so.

  • Christopher Elliott

    Only if you look out the window to take a picture and lean too far, like I did.

  • Victoria Woo

    My dad is a railfan and we took this train ride every single summer of my youth. When we’d go around the bends and everyone would come over to the side to look out my mom would always tell everyone that it was going to make the train tip over. (She was also the one who made the scene in your recent “Near Miss” article.). This happened every summer for about 15 years and never did the train tip!

    My dad is a photographer and he’d hang out the windows and I’d often join him, much to the chagrin of my mom.

    Beautiful ride and great memories!

  • Jim Adams

    For several years I rode with the Rocky Mountain RR club on the 3 day Memorial
    Day Trip and then came back in the Fall and rode with the Alamosa Kawanis Club. Many of the Rocky Club members made both trips but usually there were more “Daisy Pickers” on the Fall trip.
    Before and after the trip we would chase the old ROWs. I fell in love with Colorado and jumped at the chance to work as a Forest Service Volunteer at
    Maroon Lake CG.( 9600 ft.elv.) No RR involved, but it was the most beautiful spot in Colorado.

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