Heading west from Chama to Durango... into the storm

Durango Yard

It's raining and cold

I took the shop tour and it's well worth

the $5 dollars... quite a bit more actually.

Machine Shop

K36 486 was the first NG Locomotive I ever laid eyes on. I saw her in 1994 at the Royal Gorge while on a high school band trip.

This is the first time I've seen 486 since that 1994 trip

Sand Tower

Turntable

Roundhouse and Turntable

Car Repair Shop

Paint Shop

Our tour guide (Andy) in the Car Shop

Wood Shop

DRGW Boxcars used as storage and as a view block on the south

(RR east) end of the yard

Uintah Water Car #0470 now owned by the DRHS (the group that restored 315)

Looking west around

the balloon loop from

 the south

West end of track where boxcars are stored. No connection to the loop

Looking east along boxcar storage track

Looking east around balloon loop from south (same spot as above)

K37 498

Looking east towards Chama. This is roughly the spot where the main line left the yard and headed south to Carbon Junction, then east to Chama or south to Farmington. Durango Yard is a mere shadow of what it once was, so you have to really use some imagination to see things as they were. I envy Otto Perry, Bob Richardson, John West, and others that were lucky enough to see this area in it's heyday as the "Narrow Gauge Capitol of the World"

486 on the turntable

D&RG Class 70 #420

RGS #42

K28 #476

K28 #473 at the 15th Street bridge

Heading into Durango

1920 meets 2009

I left the D&S Museum in time to catch the last train of the day heading south through Hermosa. But, it was still raining hard, so I stayed in the rental car and ran the video camera through the window. I didn't have enough hands to run the video camera and get still shots. I got ahead of the train again a few miles south and got a more video. Then headed back to Durango. Fortunately the rain stopped as I hit the city limit. I set up the video camera up on the tripod at the 15th street bridge. This freed my hands to get pictures. Had I had more time to scout the area I would've set up on the jogging trail near the bridge. I'll do that next time.

As soon as the train cleared the crossing I headed east, stopping at Wal-Mart for supplies and gas. East of Durango I drove back into the rain and it came down pretty steady all the way "home." Once I got east of Pagosa Springs I started seeing deer again and had to slow down to 80. I made it back to Chama about 2000 (8 PM) thoroughly exhausted after 15 hours of being on the move. Fosters provided some much needed dinner. Dang, those red chilis are awesome!