Never again!!
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 8/14/08
My wife and I have been planning this trip for over one year. All of the people setting around us were also equally excited. When we left the train station at Durango early that August mourning, we just knew this day was going to be very special. After about an hour and a half of sitting on a padded bench seat, constantly cleaning cinders out of both eyes and we realized that for almost two hours all we have done is travel 15 to 20 miles up a flat green valley next to the road to Silverton. We were certain that the next 20 miles would be breathtaking!
After 8+ hrs on the train, and 2 hrs in Silverton, I am sitting here writing this review telling you just what to expect when you ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The staff are friendly, the food is just ok, the train ride is Very Slow with a slightly nauseating jerky side to side motion. During the ride up you will be standing 90% of the time in anticipation of something very special to observe. But this really never happens! On the return trip, you will be mostly sitting down and wondering if this damm train will ever reach Durango. Those once joyous and jubilant passengers on the way up to Silverton, are now realizing that the D&SNGRR is nothing more than a very long train ride next to a river with trees and tall mountains on both sides of you. The Conductors must get tired of answering the question " How Much Longer?". The cinders are everywhere. At times, the sky reminds me of when I used to live in So. California. My eyes took about a week to feel normal again. Sunglasses help, but cinders still find their way into your eyes. Your camera will be filthy. Your ears and nose will have enough silt in them to grow corn. Once you split from the main road and enter the very narrow V shaped canyon, you travel the next 20 miles next to a small river to Silverton. When someone yelled out "Silverton!" , I was relieved and disappointed at the same time.
In summary, if riding a coal, steam powered train is something you have always wanted to do, do it! Don't expect much more than a Very long train ride, that is rough and dirty. The views are just average. What I really enjoyed, was hearing the engine chugging along with the black silt pouring out of the smokestack. It gave me the sense of what it must of been like riding a train back in the1800s. Take the trip to Silverton ONLY! Take the bus back to Durango- even though they charge you $12 more for the bus ride than they do for the return by train. Or better yet, find a steam powered train to ride somewhere that doesn't have you always saying to yourself " Will we ever get there?".