RAILS: On a Railroad Journey Back in Time : Riding the Rails on a Journey Back in Time

On a chilly evening when the air is still and the crickets are silent, a small, restless boy opens the window that looks over the back garden and listens. It is late--later than a small boy should be awake--but he knows that he can hear “the sound” on a night like this.

And soon he hears it-- the sound-- rolling up a hillside from the deep, mapled valley a mile below. The hoot comes first, then the gentle puff-puff-puff. The boy listens as the sound grows until it fills his room and his mind.

As the sound recedes the boy’s eyes flutter a moment, then he is asleep, dreaming of places far away from his rural valley--of Chicago and New York, San Francisco and St. Louis--of places connected to his hometown by the silver thread of the railroad, pulled by steaming engines that puff late in the night.

To many Americans of a certain age--those born before or shortly after World War II--the sound of a steam locomotive chugging its way along a rail bed brings back memories of another time and place. When they smell the coal smoke and feel the cinders on their faces the remembrance of small towns and Christmas trees digs it way out of their subconscious and they are young again.

Strater Hotel

I was reminded of that small boy recently as I awoke in Durango to the sound of the puff-puff-puff once again.

I opened my eyes and blinked. My room in the 100-year-old Strater Hotel was pure Victorian, from the flocked red wallpaper to the swooning couch in the corner. Time and place were, for the moment, suspended. I could have been that small boy again, or even his father as a child, awakening to the sounds of a steam engine pulling out of the station.

Soon I joined dozens of other small boys and small girls--some in their 70s, many living their first decade--and climbed aboard one of America’s most famous railroads, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge, for a trip back in time.

The railroad has been making the 45-mile journey through the snowcapped mountains of Colorado since 1882, climbing impossible grades and hugging granite mountains to transport more than $300 million worth of ore from the mining town of Silverton to Durango for smelting.

Although the mines have been closed for years, the little railroad continues to prosper as it mines another lode--the nearly 170,000 tourists who come to this southwestern Colorado town each year to ride the rails.

Narrow Gauge

These rails are smaller than those used by most railroads--3 feet wide, as opposed to 4 feet, 8 inches, which is standard on most.

The rails are closer together because of the difficult terrain through which the track was laid; narrow track also cost less. The smaller track makes for a ride that rocks and rolls more than normal trains, but that adds to the excitement of the trip. When you ride the Durango & Silverton, you know you are on a train.

A huge, silver-fronted, black-steaming 1920s locomotive pulls the pumpkin-and-black cars, usually 13 or 14, from the Durango station at a sedate pace, moving past Frontier Liquors and Mid-Town Firearms as it sweeps out of town like an overweight dowager.

Soon it is chugging over the raging waters of the Animas River and through broad valleys.

The train rumbles along the level, passing a high bluff the color of cinnamon as it begins its climb into the spine of the Rocky Mountains.

Former Railroader

Standing on the back platform of the car named Alamosa and holding onto a black iron support stands H. H. Holloway of Baton Rouge, La., a retired man of some means who used to own his own railroad, the Louisiana Midland. The old man is smiling, his white hair dusted by cinders, as the Durango & Silverton climbs.

“You know,” he says to no one in particular, “this makes me young again. It’s as if I’ve never left my 20s. This is good.”

Good it is for the hundreds of riders who pack the train, some riding in coaches with simple metal and brown vinyl seats, others in the “gondola” cars that are open on the sides and provide--if it isn’t raining and if the wind isn’t blowing that rain inside--the best views.

At the tail of the train dances the restored 1880 Alamosa car. Those willing to pay a bit more are treated to the special elegance of this private car, an ash-paneled beauty complete with bar, restrooms, plum-colored captain’s chairs and little square tables on which to place a route map.

The Alamosa always brings up the rear of the train so its passengers can stand on the open back platform and smell the coal smoke, feel the cinders and take pictures as the train turns back on itself on long, sweeping curves shadowed by black spruce and ponderosa pine.

Soon the train reaches High Cut 500 feet above the Animas River. It tiptoes along a granite cliff with nothing between it and the river but a tiny rail and the clear air of the San Juan Mountains.

Stops for Water

The train stops for water twice--both times just feet away from the river, which roars with immense power. Along its banks, hiding in the slower water behind mouse-gray boulders, you can see orange-spotted brook trout, their white-edged fins waving in the water.

The train halts at Tall Timber Resort to drop off a few guests. Visitors can reach this remote, high-quality resort only by train or helicopter. Later it stops again, this time to discharge a few backpackers who plan to hike into the high country where the deep blue columbines (Colorado’s state flower) nod under the spray of waterfalls.

As the trip continues, now in a deep valley misted by water falling hundreds of feet from melting winter snow patches, people walk the length of the train, meeting other train buffs, talking to small children wearing engineer caps, stopping in the snack bar for a doughnut and a cup of coffee, a glass of sarsaparilla and some popcorn.

Soon--too soon for most, I suspect--the train curls around a sweeping turn, enters a wide valley rimmed with wildflowers the color of honey, and pulls into Silverton.

Then it’s off the train for lunch, perhaps a walk past tiny houses the colors of a box of crayons, and some browsing in the innumerable tourist shops that front the dirt streets of the old mining town.

About two hours later the tourists climb back on the train for the return to Durango and, for many, a return to their childhood as well; to a night so many years ago when a small boy lay awake in his bed and listened to the mournful call of a train whistle and dreamed impossible dreams.

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The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs May through late October. Round-trip tickets cost $28.10 in the gondola or coach cars, with children ages 4 to 11 riding for $14.10.

The Alamosa parlor car, limited to those 21 and over because of the bar, costs $48.30. There are four trains each day, but only the 9:30 a.m. train from Durango has a parlor car. Because the train is so popular, reservations are advised and may be made by calling (303) 247-2733 or by writing to Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 479 Main St., Durango, Colo. 81301.

Although the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge in Colorado is perhaps the most desirable train ride for tourists because of both its history and scenery, there are many other popular steam train rides in America.

Other Steam Trains

Among the best:

Cumbres & Toltec, New Mexico. This steam train takes passengers on a 54-mile ride between Chama, N.M., and Antonito, Colo., passing over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass and through Toltec Gorge. Round-trip fare is $27 for adults, children 11 and under, $10. Runs mid-June through mid-October. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, P.O. Box 789, Chama, N.M. 87520.

Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge, California. This 6-mile, 1 1/2-hour trip takes you through the spectacular redwoods near Felton. It climbs an 8% grade and winds around horseshoe loops to the summit of Bear Mountain. Fare for adults is $10, children $7. Open year-round. Write to P.O. Box 338, Felton, Calif. 95018.

Through Dense Woods

Texas State Railroad. This trip takes you on the original Texas State Railroad line that was built in 1896 and passes through the dense and heavily scented Piney Woods of East Texas. The train runs Saturdays and Sundays March 21-May 24 and Aug. 22-Nov. 1 and daily May 25-Aug. 16. It travels between Rusk and Palestine. The fare is $8 for adults, $6 for children. Texas State Railroad, P.O. Box 39, Rusk, Tex. 75785.

A Pretty Trip

Heber City, Utah. Known as the Heber Creeper, the train takes you on a pretty trip through the high mountain meadows and along the mountains of Utah. It runs daily Memorial Day through Labor Day and weekends May 9-24 and Nov. 28-Dec. 27. Fare is $9.50 for adults, children $5. Write to P.O. Box 103, Heber City, Utah 84032.

Cass Scenic Railroad, West Virginia. This former logging railroad is operated by the State of West Virginia. The 22-mile ride takes you to the top of Bald Knob, one of the highest points in the state, moving up grades as steep as 11%.

It runs May 23 through Labor Day, and on weekends in September and October. Adults $9.50, children $4. The dinner train is $20. Cass Scenic Railroad, Cass, W.Va. 24927.

Strasburg Railroad, Pennsylvania. This train chugs nine miles through the lush farmlands of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The trip takes 45 minutes and runs weekends March through December and daily May through October. Adults $4.50, children $2.50. Also at Strasburg is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Write to P.O. Box 96, Strasburg, Pa. 17579.

Sugar Cane Line

Lahaina, Kaanapali and Pacific, Hawaii. A former sugar cane train, the charming little railroad runs between the resort area of Kaanapali and the old whaling village of Lahaina on the island of Maui. The train is a replica and takes one hour to cover the 12 miles through fields of sugar cane. Daily. Adults $7.50, children $3.75. P.O. Box 816, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii 96761.

New Georgia Railroad. The train leaves from near the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in underground Atlanta and makes an 18-mile journey through many of the historic areas of the city, including the Martin Luther King Historic District and the Chessie System piggyback yard.

Operates Saturdays throughout the year and costs $10 for adults, $5 for children. New Georgia Railroad, 1 Martin King Jr. Drive, Atlanta 30334.