Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - Lost Souls of the San Juans

For roughly 143 years, the Silverton Branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad has seen nonstop narrow gauge railroading action. Originally constructed in 1882 to connect the expanding industrial town of Durango, Colorado, to the mining hub of Silverton, about 46 miles North along the Animas River, or originally designated by Spanish explorers as the Rio de las Animas, which translates to the river of lost souls, commemorating those who have lost their lives in the river. Today, this historic branch line now serves as one of the United States' most scenic and beloved tourist railroads since 1981 as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. In this production, we got to spend three days documenting and chasing the railroad's operations in the early fall, when the trees began to change color, allowing for a unique and dynamic atmosphere for both us and the passengers on board. Starting in early September, the railroad operates two steam-powered trains up to Silverton and back and we took full advantage of this somewhat different experience due to recent events that has only allowed one steam-powered train to Silverton throughout the summer season. Join us as we chase locomotives #476, with a Lonergan 3 Chime, #480, with an Ashton 3 Chime, #482, with a D&RGW 5 Chime, and #493, with a New Haven style Nathan 6 Chime, up and down the Animas River Canyon along with some doubleheaded trains and some of the railroad's MLW DL535E diesel locomotives, purchased secondhand from the White Pass & Yukon Route. Check out ‪@TrainChamber‬'s video, who was also in attendance! Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:23 - Durango Depot 1:57 - Departing Durango 2:49 - Overlooking Durango 4:29 - 36th Street 5:08 - Oxbow Park 5:46 - Event Park 6:09 - Home Ranch Siding 6:50 - Riverbend Ranch 7:18 - Falls Creek 7:35 - Hank's Pond 8:11 - Trimble 8:35 - Trimble Crossing 9:29 - Hermosa Meadows 9:58 - Hermosa 11:22 - Lake Mountain Road 11:45 - Thompson Lane 12:20 - Milepost 466.9 12:56 - Milepost 467.4 13:34 - Elbert Creek 14:20 - Rockwood 15:46 - Helper #476 decouples 16:14 - Helper #476 at the Horseshoe Curve 17:09 - Road #493 departs Rockwood 17:51 - Horseshoe Curve 20:30 - Kendall Gulch 21:18 - Cataract Gulch 21:56 - Mineral Creek 22:42 - Wye operations in Silverton 24:21 - Diesel train arrives in Silverton 25:11 - Diesel and steam trains swap at the wye 27:00 - #482 backs up to the boarding area 27:21 - Idling in Silverton 27:51 - Mineral Creek 28:15 - New Animas River Bridge 29:08 - Helper #476 at the High Bridge 29:48 - Road #482 at the High Bridge 30:38 - Overland Curve 31:16 - Milepost 470 32:17 - Rockwood Cut 33:32 - Lockes Mountain Road 34:05 - Hermosa 34:37 - Hermosa Meadows 35:15 - Hank's Curve 35:47 - Falls Creek 36:18 - Event Park 37:04 - 2nd Avenue 37:32 - Rotary Park 38:33 - Credits Copyright 2025, Jack Fellure. Any reproduction or reuse of this footage without permission will have consequences for those who decide to not abide by this request. I take a lot of time, money, and effort into these, and I would appreciate it if you respected what I request.