About 25 years ago my family made this trip. We saw rafters on the river and had to stop part way back to pickup someone who was injured. We also dropped off a group of hikers. The train goes slow in several spots to provide photo ops. Every time I see this I marvel at the people who built this RR. No computers or heavy equipment. Just dynamite, slide rules, and survey equipment. Just pre planning the best route was fantastic.
I'm watching this video for the first time and I must say that this is a very unique perspective of not only the trip, but the line and the surrounding stations. I don't think that I've ever seen a D&S video shot this way.
Wow! Thanks for bringing back some great memories. I did the trip 15 May 2018, on the second train of the day, with 480 at the point. 476 led the first train. I did the train both ways. It was a magnificent day, not a cloud all day and not even too cold (for my Aussie bones) in Silverton. I was back in Silverton the following day, driving back to Grand Junction. We have nothing this spectacular in Australia.
number 42 has an operating sister number 41 operates at Knott's Berry Farm theme park in California along with Rio Grande southern Galloping Goose number 3
if you have not rode yet, i recommend sitting up front to get good volume from the locomotive, middle for best pictures, and the last closed car is the communications car so you can hear the conductor report to dispatch the location, wherever you sit bring sunglasses for the cinders
And when you ride, as we did on June 1, hang on tight. The track on this line is really rough and they had a derailment a week or so after we rode it. I do not intend to ride this one again, the Cumbres & Toltec is a better one for the money, and the open air car is not reserved - you can also photograph from the end platforms, something that the D&S frowns on. I will admit that the D&S is unique in that it takes you somewhere and leaves you there for an hour or two, while the CATS takes you somewhere and 20' later you take a bus back.
