Why The Durango Train Isn't Going To Silverton

Above, a winter view of Silverton, Colorado. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last week, Mitch Geriminsky and I were going to take a vacation camping trip to southwest Colorado. The vacation would have included a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Unfortunately, a week before the trip was to begin, Mitch came down sick with, what the doctors initially thought, was COVID-19. So we cancelled the trip.

Later, it turned out after more tests, that his illness was caused by bacteria in his face mask(s) that gave him Legionnaires' Disease. He is nearly over this illness.

At the time of the cancellation of our trip, a representative for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad said they expect to begin selling tickets for train trips to Silverton in mid-August. At present, the train only goes part way to Cascade Canyon. This is a nice trip, but the complete ride to Silverton is even better. So far, no announcements have been made. I decided to do some checking.

I had thought that the rides to Silverton were stopped due to the coronavirus, but my perusal of news articles present a different picture.

The Durango Herald posted this article on July 14:

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s plea to a federal judge for permission to resume a fire mitigation project along its tracks, as well as a separate project to repair a damaged bridge, was denied Tuesday. 

In recent weeks, the U.S. Forest Service has ordered the D&SNG to stop two projects along its tracks. 

On May 27, the Forest Service sent the railroad a cease-and-desist order after concerns were raised the D&SNG was removing and selling mass amounts of trees along its right of way to reduce fire risk. 

Then, on July 2, the Forest Service told the D&SNG to stop emergency repairs at the Elk Creek Bridge, which was recently damaged by debris during a washout, effectively cutting off any potential trips to Silverton. 

The D&SNG on Friday asked the federal court judge who is overseeing the lawsuit in which the Forest Service is suing the railroad for millions of dollars for the 416 Fire to override the agency’s stop orders. 

The Forest Service, according to court filings, said the D&SNG is allowed to work within its right of way, but may have to secure a permit for projects that are outside the scope of routine operations and maintenance. 

A spokesman for the Forest Service referred all questions to the U.S. Department of Justice. Jeffery Dorschner, spokesman for the department, said in an email, the “U.S. attorney is pleased with the court’s decision,” but declined to comment further. 

On Tuesday, Judge Robert E. Blackburn denied the D&SNG’s request, saying the issues raised over the railroad’s stopped projects are unrelated to the 416 Fire lawsuit.

Above, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in the 1980s. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The repairs to the washed-out section of track would take up to four months to complete, according to the article. At present, the repair project is still stopped. Nobody knows when the bridge repairs will be allowed to start again. In the meantime, the businesses in Silverton who rely on tourist dollars from train passengers suffer.

It is alleged in the 416 Fire lawsuit that sparks from a coal-fired locomotive started the fire in 2018.

We will likely reschedule our vacation shortly.

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