One Last Coal Fired Cab Ride on The Durango and Silverton

We climb the hill at Hermosa and venture into the canyon below the snowy slopes of Purgatory Ski Resort.

[davidgrisez]

This is an interesting train ride. It also the closing of an era for the Durango and Silverton Railroad burning coal in its steam locomotives. The 416 Fire in that area changed things. Because the climate in the area is becoming more dry, it was necessary for the Durango and Silverton railroad to convert its steam locomotives from burning coal to burning oil to reduce the fire hazard of its locomotives starting line side fires.

[YardLimit]

Glad you got to do this! Thanks for the cameo, too!

[davidrubin]

Thanks very much. I would have loved to have ridden behind a coal fired engine on the D&S but times are changing and this is one change that a higher power is in charge of.

[FJX_Productions]

Thanks for capturing such an awesome video about the 481 as a cold burner! I got to fire this engine many times over the years as a fireman and loved the memories of getting to work on the D&S! Would have been neat to get back there more recently to see it myself but that’s what your videos are for 😉 great work 🤘

[stephensfarms]

What a shame that #481 is turned into oil. You could have left it for winter trips. A million dollars to convert. This RR, be making lots of money to convert it. It’s a shame you did this. Glad Cumbers and Toltec still have almost all coal trains. 🚂. Cumbres is a better ride too. I’ll never ride this train ever again.

[jamespercival]

I think it was the fireman who carried the steam whistle back through the train for us to see after the nipple attaching it to the boiler rusted in two on the way back to Durango from Silverton. While we were in Silverton, we could see steam leaking out of the hole in the nipple which, on the way back, finally gave way.

[wolfgangpfeilergartenbahnd]

A fantastic video from the cab of a coal-fired steam locomotive. ⚒⚒ Simply excellently filmed. Thanks for showing and best regards from Germany

[micksavage]

This is an historic video, many thanks for capturing the event. I am so pleased to have have ridden on the D & S in the old coal fired days.

[Kfan]

I was a UPS tractor trailer driver for 41 years. They always ran the exhaust pipe down on the ground like a car, they didnt want their trailers getting the black smoke stain from a normal tractor exhaust pipe that goes up in the air. We had to get out and hook trailers all the time with that smoke pumping out all around us, trailers were only about 3 feet apart on the load walls. Around 2003 they went to normal exhaust pipes going up in the air. So Im really used to diesel smoke/exhaust. Two years ago I rode behind the diesel to Silverton, it was the only tickets we could get. We sat in the open air gondola and it was terrible. The diesel smoke was just gagging, almost impossible to take. I dont mind that they have switched to oil after the big fire, if thats the only way to appease the locals and keep running, plus avoid super high insurance fees. But I sure do miss coal smoke.

[GabrielTruesdale]

But they're still have coal burning steam trains at the Strasburg railroad which is located in Pennsylvania, and my favorite route of New Mexico and Colorado is the Cumbres and Toltec scenic Railroad which they still have a coal burning even though they take precautions and it is still safe.

[doughuffman]

Fireman shoveling coal, does he not change hands? When I shove and toss snow, a lot of it, I change hands regularly to even out the strain.

[Tedroy]

Those Pullman cars are beautiful. Nice train ya got there.

[mikewalker]

I have ridden the D S R R many times in the past 15 years. Never seen a Diesel loco coupled with a steam loco before. Reason?

[douglas]

The general running speed seems a little faster than I remember seeing; is that due to the assist from that beautiful ALCO or is this standard running? Great job!

[OldIronVideo]

What was the purpose of the diesel on this trip?

[kmsbismarck]

Are they converting the k31 or scraping it

[conradfok]

How is The Engineer of 481 running with NO GLOVES????

[fwsauerteig]

I am against the oil conversion. But the enemies of the Durango and Silverton had the upper hand.