{"id":97834,"date":"2018-09-22T19:58:39","date_gmt":"2018-09-23T01:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-rolls-again\/"},"modified":"2018-09-22T19:58:39","modified_gmt":"2018-09-23T01:58:39","slug":"durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-rolls-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad-rolls-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad rolls again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"A
A Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train goes over an area of track Friday morning that was destroyed by flood water and debris in July after more than a half inch of rain fell in the 416 Fire burn area north of Hermosa. Two trains filled with passengers left Durango for Silverton on Friday for the first time in almost two months.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad pulled out of the station in Durango headed for Silverton on Friday, marking the first full trip since track damage caused by floods hamstrung the train almost two months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I used to be considered a tough businessman,\u201d said owner Al Harper. \u201cBut as I\u2019ve gotten older, there must have been a change in my chemistry because I was very emotional seeing it leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been a tough year for the train and the community, Harper said.<\/p>\n

The D&SNG was first sidelined June 1 after the 416 Fire broke out north of Durango, suspending service for about 40 days during peak tourist season as the wildfire chewed through 54,129 acres and conditions were too hot and dry to safely run.<\/p>\n

The train resumed full service from Durango to Silverton in mid-July, after the 416 Fire started to burn out and fire danger across Southwest Colorado began to subside with the arrival of modest rainfall.<\/p>\n

But then, mudslides and debris flows caused by heavy rains on the 416 Fire burn scar washed out part of a mountain slope where the train runs north of Hermosa, requiring an extensive rebuild of the hillside and tracks.<\/p>\n

The D&SNG\u2019s trains have been trapped above the mudslide area, unable to return to Durango. For the past two months, the train has offered rides from the Rockwood station to Silverton, but ridership has been down.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cI\u2019m
\u201cI\u2019m so happy the train\u2019s running again, I\u2019m going to cry,\u201d said Blanche Harmon, as she wiped away tears after waving to passengers leaving the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot on Friday. The railroad estimates it lost about 60,000 passengers this summer.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The economic toll on the D&SNG \u2013 and the communities of Durango and Silverton \u2013 are not yet fully understood.<\/p>\n

Harper said in a normal year, the D&SNG brings in about $20 million from rides and gift shop sales. This year, the train is trending at about half that, he said.<\/p>\n

Christian Robbins, a spokesman for the D&SNG, said the train lost about 60,000 riders from June to August. It will be difficult, but possible, to bring ridership back on track for the season, which ends late October.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a shot,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cBut it will be a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that doesn\u2019t take into account the money the railroad has spent on repairs and intends to spend investing in diesel and oil-burning locomotives to run in the future when fire danger is too high to risk running coal.<\/p>\n

\"Harper\"
Harper<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Harper estimates it will cost about $8 million to make that investment. He also said it will cost about $1 million to make the necessary repairs on the tracks north of Hermosa \u2013 work that will likely continue over the next few months.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been the toughest summer you can imagine,\u201d Harper said.<\/p>\n

Nearly five months after the start of the 416 Fire, the U.S. Forest Service has still not named a cause. Gretchen Fitzgerald, a spokeswoman for the Forest Service, said Friday a cause should be released in the late fall or early winter.<\/p>\n

Witness accounts<\/a>, however, peg the D&SNG as the culprit. Neighbors near the origin of the fire say the fire broke out minutes after a train \u2013 known for sending off cinders and starting fires \u2013 passed by the Meadowridge subdivision.<\/p>\n

Harper said the D&SNG is taking the immediate steps of investing in diesel and oil-burning locomotives to make sure the train is never shut down again as a result of high fire danger conditions.<\/p>\n

Harper said he is confident the improvements made to areas where floods wiped out the tracks will prevent damage so severe that the railroad suspends service. For the long term, Harper said: \u201cIf anything, the lesson we need to take home is that we need to review every single thing we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis railroad ran the same way for 130 years. \u2026 It\u2019s not going to be a revolution, it\u2019s going to be an evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Garrett
Garrett Bonds, owner of Bonds Construction, examines two 8-foot round culverts that have been placed below the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge tracks that his company rebuilt north of Hermosa. Water and debris flows destroyed the track in July. Two trains filled with passengers left Durango for Silverton on Friday for the first time in almost two months.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

With the train season winding down, Robbins said the D&SNG is looking forward to the holiday season and the Polar Express, which books about 34,000 riders. The railroad is also focused on next year.<\/p>\n

The D&SNG had its largest ridership in history in 2001, with 210,000 boarding the train for the mountainous trip from Durango to Silverton. The next year, the Missionary Ridge Fire broke out. Robbins said it took nearly 10 years for ridership numbers to recover from the fire.<\/p>\n

This time around, however, Robbins said he doesn\u2019t expect the 416 Fire to hurt ridership. He said the train is planning, and fully expects, to hit 200,000 passengers in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we can do is plan for what we are going to do next summer,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cThe train can\u2019t afford it, the town of Durango can\u2019t afford it, Silverton can\u2019t afford it for us to shut down next summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The absence of the region\u2019s largest draw, responsible for an economic jolt of an estimated $200 million, caused intense reflection for the communities of Durango and Silverton this summer.<\/p>\n

DeAnne Gallegos, director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, said conversations have picked up about how the small mountain town of about 600 people can make itself economically diverse so it doesn\u2019t have to rely solely on the train.<\/p>\n

The possible answer? Promoting outdoor recreation and trying to bring in more year-round residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be the extreme-sport base camp of Colorado,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to go more toward outdoor recreation. Our number one asset is the San Juan Mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallegos said businesses in Silverton made it through summer strong, in large part because of people in Durango coming up to eat and shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cDurango has shown its allegiance and love for Silverton, and we\u2019re truly grateful,\u201d Gallegos said.<\/p>\n

The return of the train, she said, will help give the town a boost before winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited,\u201d Gallegos said Friday morning as she awaited the train\u2019s arrival. \u201cI won\u2019t believe it until I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Several
Several miles of track were damaged this summer as a result of rains on the 416 Fire burn area, which caused floods and mudslides that wiped out the tracks north of Hermosa. Some sections of track sustained more damage than others.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In Durango, too, there has been a sort of sea change happening, with calls to diversify the economy and efforts to make the train a better steward of the community going forward.<\/p>\n

A new group, called \u201cSave the City, Green the Train,\u201d seeks a middle ground between two camps that formed this summer: those who support the train no matter what and those who want to shut it down in the wake of the 416 Fire, said Rachel Landis, director of The Good Food Collective and a board member for La Plata Electric Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a group of concerned citizens and business owners and professionals who would like to see our train thrive in our community but do so in a way that doesn\u2019t impact air quality, health and present a fire hazard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Save the City, Green the Train meets every two weeks. Landis said the group won\u2019t approach Harper until it develops a clear vision and goal to present.<\/p>\n

Harper, for his part, said his door is always open, and he welcomes hearing any ideas.<\/p>\n

\n