Steam Engine 480
by Richard Gehlbach
Title
Steam Engine 480
Artist
Richard Gehlbach
Medium
Photograph - Fine Art Photography
Description
The railroad line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and is one of the few places in the U.S. which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives. In March 1981, the Denver & Rio Grande Western sold the line and the D&SNG (Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge) was formed.
William Jackson Palmer (1836-1908) was a former Union General serving in the Civil War who came to Colorado after managing the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railroad into Denver in 1870. Prior to the war, he had risen within the ranks of the Pennsylvania Railroad serving as secretary to the president. After arriving in Denver, he formulated a plan to build a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad southward from Denver to El Paso, Texas. In 1871, the Denver & Rio Grande Railway began to lay rails south from Denver. Palmer and his associates agreed that the choice of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge would be well suited to the mountainous country, and relatively less expensive construction costs would enhance the viability of the new railroad project. The original north-south plans of the D&RG eventually expanded to include extensions throughout the booming mining country of central and southwestern Colorado.
On August 5, 1881 the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad arrived in Durango, Colorado. The new town was founded by the D&RG in 1880 chiefly through the talents and organization of General Palmer's business partner Dr. William Bell. Construction to Silverton, Colorado began that fall. Only 11 months later, the D&RG reached Silverton on July 10, 1882. Trains hauling passengers and freight began immediately. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway soon re-emerged as the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1886 and ultimately began operating as the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) on July 31, 1921. This was after re-organization of the Colorado lines and Rio Grande Western of Utah. Eventually, the railroad became widely known as the "Rio Grande".
The Silverton branch, as it became known, struggled under D&RG ownership following the Panic of 1893 (a recession caused by railroad construction expanding too quickly and collapsing financially). Typical of many portions of the surviving narrow gauge branches into the middle of the twentieth century, the line faced sagging revenue due to ever declining mining ventures, highway trucking competition, and insignificant passenger revenue. Annual snow slides and several major floods on the branch would only continue to challenge the railroad's ability to survive. After World War II, domestic tourism began to grow across the country, and the Silverton branch of the railroad would benefit. Bolstered by national exposure via Hollywood movies being filmed along the line in the late 1940s, the railroad began to see a gradual increase in passenger traffic on the mixed train to Silverton.
In 1950, the railroad adorned a locomotive and four coaches with a colorful paint scheme and launched a modest public promotion. With this effort, "The Painted Train" officially started a new era of tourism that continues to this day. Freight traffic, however, continued to decline and by the early 1950s, year round operations had ceased and only summer tourist traffic and very light freight business would be handled on the mixed trains during summer months. By the 1960s, a modernized D&RGW did not see the Silverton Branch as worthy to maintain and a petition was filed with governmental agencies to abandon the route. The Interstate Commerce Commission declined to grant the request due to the continued increase in tourist patronage. Following the ICC's ruling, the railroad reluctantly responded by investing in additional rolling stock, track maintenance, and improvements to the Durango depot. The railroad purchased some of the property around the depot, cleaned up the block extending north to Sixth Street, and facilitated the opening of gift shops and other tourist friendly businesses. The area was now christened "Rio Grande Land" A second daily train to Silverton was added in 1963, and the ridership continued to grow.
Since 1971, this line and the line that is now the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad had been the only remnants of what was once an extensive Rio Grande 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge network. Rio Grande was actively trying to sell the line, and in 1979, Charles Bradshaw, a Florida citrus grower, offered the railroad a legitimate opportunity to divest itself of its antiquated and isolated line as negotiations began for purchase of the rail line. The last train in the line under Rio Grande operations departed in October 5, 1980. After a work train operated the following day and returned to Durango, the railroad concluded its 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge train operations.
The 480 series or K-36 locomotives were ten engines designed for the D&RGW. They were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925. The 480s were the last ten narrow gauge locomotives constructed for the D&RGW. The 480s were used for freight-hauling throughout the D&RGW 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge network.
A typical trip uses around 3–5 short tons on the way up to Silverton, and another 1–2 short tons on the return to Durango. Ergonomically, the engines are less comfortable than the others as well, with the crew seats being further back from the back head, and the engineer having to lean forward constantly to adjust the throttle and use the sanders. The running gear on the locomotives also tend to wear out faster than the ALCO designed K-28s, and the resulting pounding rough ride can take a toll on the engine crew.
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A Fireman needs to feed the firebox of his engine four scoops every 15 seconds when the train is ascending a steep incline. Each scoop weighs about 25 pounds, and every time he opens the butterfly doors that contain the firebox, 190 degrees of heat comes shooting out, hitting him head-on. The train will use 5 tons of coal in a round trip to Silverton, all of which is shoveled in by the fireman.
The Fireman must anticipate turns and steep inclines by shoveling in extra coals to increase pressure to meet the engines demand. Every scoop and large piece of coal is carefully placed in the furnace to keep the water temperature up and the boiler running, but there has to be the right amount of coals or the fire will burn out.
This photograph is one of the steam engines still operated on the Silverton Durango run in Colorado.
Uploaded
February 19th, 2017
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