Does anyone know of someone who has a layout of the Durango to Silverton Railroad? I am interested in building such a layout.
I don’t know of one but somebody probably has. The concerns I would have about such a layout are numerous and would be a detriment to me but others would reli***he challenge. Here are the issues:
- The only correct engines are brass
- The passenger cars would have to be scratch built
- Dependent on the era there is no freight traffic
- The scenery in the Las Animas canyon is gorgeous but that is the only area other than trees
- no industries to switch between Durango and Silverton
If you go to the Durango Station where you first board the train, they sell an HO scale model of the train in their gift shop, and i’d go ahead and take the train to silverton and back and take lots of photos…there are areas where you can switch rolling stock along the route and maybe you can scratch build some of the old rolling stock that is sitting on the sidings along the line…Silverton is a neat switching area because they do have a few sidings and spurs and a wye to turn the train around on…it will be worth the effort to take the trip there someday and see it for yourself to get ideas for the layout…it is a real nice scenic ride…Chuck[:D]
I road the photo special two wks ago. It was great. There are industries along the line. Lots of mines and ore processing. Also out from Durango there are cattle. There is a book avaliable that describes the Durango Silverton route with alot of colored pictures. I think it can be obtained online from there web site. If you use hon3 then there are freight and passenger cars avaliable. I plan to model from Durango to Chama N. M. and Osier.
If anyone would have anything to say about Durago to Silverton it would be Malcom Furlow he did a narrow gauge how to layout in MR called the San Jaun Central and he models the Colorado area quite exstensively.
My little railroad, the San Juan Southern, is inspired by the DSNGRR and others although I can’t afford brass engines and am not particularly worried about the prototype right now (That time may come.[:0])
Although my layout has a long way to go, and is not professional, I think that you can see some resemblance to Rocky Mountain railroading, or at least I hope you can. I’ve got a lot to learn about modeling and the prototype but it’s been great fun so far![^]
There is also a photo album taken on the DSNGRR a couple of years ago on my “links” page.
I hope you enjoy the tour. [:)]
If it’s the one we bought when we were there in July, it’s called “America’s Railroad - The Official Guidebook”. They were selling it as a package with the DVD on the line called “Tracks Through Time”.
The website for the railroad, if you don’t already know it, is www.durangotrain.com.
Sounds like a great idea to me.
Regards
Ed
I am modeling the D&RGW Silverton Branch in the 1940s in SN3. There were industries on the Silverton branch. Durango had alot of industries such as a flour mill, sawmill, freight station, stockyards, and some small industries. Along the branch at Hermosa there was sheep or cattle loading, merchandise, MOW. At Rockwood there was a Wye track, siding sheep loading etc. At Tacoma there was a power plant with passing track and siding. At Ah Wilderness they got merchandise. At Tefft there was a sawmill spur and town and they got merchandise. At Needleton there was a small stockyard, siding, and tank. At Elk park there was stock loading, spur, wye and passing track. At Silverton there was Ore loading, oil dealer, several lumber dealers, coal, hay, and interchange for three other railroads. There were several mines, mills, and one smelter early on. There wasnt much traffic in the 1940s, just two trains a week but there were much more early on from the 1880s to 1930s. Traffic picked up again in the 1950s and 60s with tourist traffic. There are good possibilities for models and alot of incredible scenery on that line. More guys model from Durango to Chama though as there was more traffic on that line.
Bob Helm
I missed this thread the first time around…
I also model the Silverton Branch, but in HOn3. I compensated for the real-world lack of traffic by imaging a Silverton with the three “little lines” still serving active mines, so there’s plenty of traffic.
I also put a saw mill at Rockwood, where one was in the early days.
At Tefft, my mythical Cascade Branch heads further into the mountains to bring down timber, stone, and oil. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/219241.aspx?page=1
And Durango is much busier, still dual-gauge, and is now located on a standard gauge secondary main that runs from Moab down to Grants, New Mexico.
You can see many more pics in the last year or so of the weekly WPF.
The train set sold in Durango, I believe, but am not sure might be a Bachmann set in standard gauge HO and doesn’t have much correct in it at all. For the reality, you have to model in narrow gauge. Real good scale engines do not have to be brass. Blackstone makes a high scale K-27 and a C-19 in metal with fabulous sound that can be had for a fraction of a modernized brass engine for about $320-$340 at the right train show. Next year they are planning to release a K-28 and a K-36. So you will have engines available at lower prices and better functionality than brass for much less, if you choose HOn3.
Choose an era and model that. Earlier it would have to be the D&RGW which a small section of it became the Durango and Silverton. Most all of the Blackstone engines are 1900-1940’s representations of D&RGW locos; most of which still run over the D&S tracks. Specifically these are the K-28 and K-36 models. To my mind, the prettiest narrow gauge engines are the K-27 “mudhens” and K-28 “sports model” Except for the 1890’s C series consolidations, all post 1900 D&RGW engines were mikados.
Good luck with your efforts.
Richard
Hi,
Like other posters, I have taken the trip before (twice) and found the scenery to be second to none. To make a layout based on it, you would have to have significant vertical landscaping, and be content with a town on each end and nothing in between. As pointed out, there are no industries of note, and very little secondary trackage in between the towns.
That being said, one could take modelers license and include a Durango in the layout, and have the trackage include mining, oil, and cattle ranching along the right of way.
BTW, while the Durango and Silverton trip has beautiful scenery, the Cumbres & Toltec trip is (IMO) a much better view of railroading “back when”.
Blackstone has not yet officially released the K28 and K 36 engines but they should come out late 2014 according to dealers and blackstone sales staff. I have some K-28s on order for my now HON3 Silverton branch layout. Couldnt afford to do SN3 due to the cost of cars and brass.
Bob Helm
D&RGW