{"id":99139,"date":"2018-06-15T20:46:02","date_gmt":"2018-06-16T02:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-train-faces-tough-questions-going-forward\/"},"modified":"2018-06-15T20:46:02","modified_gmt":"2018-06-16T02:46:02","slug":"durango-train-faces-tough-questions-going-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-train-faces-tough-questions-going-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango train faces tough questions going forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Large
Large water cars such as this one are used for fighting fires along the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks. D&SNG Owner Al Harper says the railroad will re-evaluate its firefighting measures in light of the 416 Fire. While no official cause of the fire has been determined, Harper said extreme drought conditions pose new risks along the 45-mile route.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Not since the Missionary Ridge Fire in 2002 has the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad been out of service for so long over the summer months.<\/p>\n

The raging wildfire 16 years ago \u2013 which lingers in the collective consciousness of longtime residents as the most haunting natural disaster in recent memory \u2013 closed the train\u2019s historic route from Durango to Silverton for 40 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we\u2019re going through now, there was a lot of emotion and a lot of thinking deeply about what could cause another fire,\u201d Bob Lieb, a La Plata County commissioner at the time, said Thursday.<\/p>\n

The exact cause of the Missionary Ridge Fire has never been determined. Fire officials say that at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9, 2002, a spark, the origin of which was never determined, fell on forest debris in a switchback on lower Missionary Ridge Road (County Road 253) north of Durango. The fire burned for 39 days, cost $40.8 million to fight, scorched 72,962 acres and destroyed 46 houses and cabins.<\/p>\n

The Missionary Ridge Fire ended up costing the D&SNG about $4.5 million that year through cancellations and expenses incurred during the closure, despite the railroad running shorter routes with a diesel engine out of Silverton.<\/p>\n

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

Owner Al Harper said the railroad and local officials were on the same page: The railroad had to suspend its service given the extreme danger of starting a fire concurrent to the one on Missionary Ridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always want to do what\u2019s right by the community,\u201d Harper told The Durango Herald on Thursday.<\/p>\n

These past few days have almost felt like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/p>\n

The D&SNG has been closed since the 416 Fire started June 1. The blaze, far from over, had consumed about 33,000 acres, mostly on the San Juan National Forest, as of Friday morning, and no structures had been destroyed. Officials expect the fire won\u2019t be contained until the monsoon arrives sometime in July.<\/p>\n

Harper estimated that when all is said and done this year, the railroad could be out $6 million from cancellations and expenses. The train has furloughed 150 employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a serious strain,\u201d Harper said.<\/p>\n

Since the outbreak of the 416 Fire, days of speculation, fueled by witness accounts, have blamed the coal-fired locomotive, known for sending out hot cinders that fall on the ground and start small burns, as the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n

\"Spark
Spark arresters, which employ a screen and small water nozzles on the smokestacks of steam engines, reduce the chances of hot cinders escaping and starting fires on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Owner Al Harper said this week if investigators determine the train was the cause of the 416 Fire, he will take full responsibility.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Investigators for the U.S. Forest Service, however, have not yet released an official cause because it is still being investigated.<\/p>\n

\u201cA team of trained investigators was on scene as soon as (June 1), the day of ignition,\u201d Forest Service spokeswoman Cam Hooley said previously. \u201cBecause of the size of the fire, the cost of suppression and the impact on the community, the investigation team will take the time needed to conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation before any determinations are released.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper, for his part, is aware of the possibility the train may be at fault. Although he has heard of other possible causes, Harper said he and his family, who have owned the railroad since 1998, won\u2019t shrink from responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our home,\u201d Harper said. \u201cNo one feels worse about what\u2019s going on than I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The railroad has preventive measures in place for forest fires. Pop cars follow each train about three to five minutes behind to look for fires, followed by a water tender that can put out flames. The railroad also leases a helicopter for $140,000 over the summer to monitor the tracks.<\/p>\n

\"Pop
Pop cars outfitted with a small water tank keep an eye out for fires along the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tracks. The D&SNG has suspended service until at least the end of June. Owner Al Harper said neither coal- or diesel-powered engines will run until Stage 3 fire restrictions are lifted.<\/span>Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019ve never spared cost or manpower,\u201d Harper said. \u201cBut sometimes providence teaches you that you need to do better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper said the past two weeks have prompted the railroad to enter a sort of self-reflection. Whether the Durango train started the fire or not, the railroad wants to ensure it poses no greater fire danger to the area in drought years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll look at everything,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want this to ever happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem is, many options just aren\u2019t feasible, Harper said. Solar power hasn\u2019t been developed for trains, and federal rules say propane and natural gas-powered engines require a separation of five empty cars between passengers.<\/p>\n

The diesel engines the railroad does own, Harper said, aren\u2019t made for the long haul from Durango to Silverton. And, it\u2019s nearly impossible to find or purchase a diesel engine for a narrow-gauge railway, which has a track smaller than a standard-gauge track.<\/p>\n

The railroad is resolved to learn from the 416 Fire, Harper said.<\/p>\n

The company may look into converting a standard-gauge diesel engine to run on the narrow-gauge track. But that could cost up to $4 million per engine, Harper said.<\/p>\n

And, the railroad may clear brush and vegetation along its tracks with more frequency. In years past, the company has rotated areas it cleans on a three- to four-year basis.<\/p>\n

This topic, in particular, was an issue from residents of the neighborhood adjacent to where the fire was reported to have started.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they did fire mitigation, ran smaller trains and used more experienced crew members, I think they could probably run (during extreme drought),\u201d Al Chione, a resident in the Meadowridge subdivision, said in a previous interview. \u201cI know a lot of people depend on that for their livelihood. But they\u2019ve got to be responsible, and they\u2019re not being responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harper said the railroad feels it followed the proper procedure in the days leading up to the fire, which started on the first day local and federal government agencies implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll question everything from top to bottom to see what we can do better,\u201d Harper said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to come up with long-range answers, but I can\u2019t tell you what they are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because the railroad was created by land grants in the 1870s, it falls under the authority of the Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Railroad Administration. These agencies don\u2019t have the authority to shut down the train because of fire danger but have some oversight of operations.<\/p>\n

Joanne Spina, La Plata County manager, said the county has authority under Colorado state law to ban open fires, including the use of coal-fired engines, if there is sufficient evidence of high fire danger.<\/p>\n

La Plata County enacted Stage 3 fire restrictions Tuesday. The railroad had already voluntarily suspended its service. Harper said the train won\u2019t run coal or diesel engines until at least Stage 3 restrictions are lifted.<\/p>\n

The county can ban coal-fired engines only when there is a high fire risk, Spina said. Though it is unclear if the county has authority over the train, Harper said that it would never be an issue while his family owns the railroad.<\/p>\n

Because the D&SNG predates the establishment of the San Juan National Forest in 1905, the U.S. Forest Service has no regulatory authority over the train, Hooley said.<\/p>\n

Harper said he is aware of the conversation members in the community are having about the train. The conversation, much of which is highly critical of the train and its impact on the environment, has ignited an impassioned debate between balancing the dangers of coal-fired steam engines and the vital role the train plays in the local economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrankly, we need to be quiet until the Forest Service comes and answers what they feel needs to be done,\u201d Harper said. \u201cThen I\u2019m going to respond and be open about it. There\u2019s no question I\u2019m going to work hard to make sure this doesn\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the Surface Transportation Board.<\/em><\/p>\n

Burro Fire slows; Mancos State Park joins list of closures<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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