Another great trip down memory lane. It's sad to see railways like this decay. I am glad some of it is still up kept for future generations. Also liked the fact you can drive most of the line.
I wish the line would be restored and added to Durango and Silverton, you could even have national parks sponsor it and have it regulated by U.S. government and everything, just as long as line gets restored, or partially restored, i'm happy.
+Timothy Rice I have driven the line from antonito colorado to Durango. That one would be GREAT to get back and the grade is mostly fine. Imagine riding over La Veta to Alamosa on standard gauge steam, then from Alamosa to Silverton on a narrow gauge for 2 days!!!!!!!
Hey Toy Man, enjoyed watching your video on Ghost Tracking the RGS. The depot in Dolores is actually an exact reproduction built buy the Galloping Goose Historical Society in 1991.
+Robert Whitney Didn't know that. Explains why it's so good. I also found a guy in Durango who has built the Ricco Depot as a house. Needs to be a show!
My great grandfather used to hurd cattle from the LaSalle mountains to ridgeway Colorado and load them on the narrow guage train to denver and transfer the cattle to wide gauge train to go to kansas city stockyards.
The view here is amazing! Driving on the old railroad grade was a ton of fun... but I enjoyed walking on the grade looking for artifacts... such as old railroad spikes, pieces of what may have been a building or even the old depot. I like to imagine what this place was like back in the day.. Scenic and peaceful.. Loved this trip!!
Watch for the arrival of Rio Grande Southern locomotive 36 at Ridgway in the summer of 2017. This new-build loco will recreate the only American-class (4-4-0) loco on the RGS. We Ridgway RR museum members wanted an original RGS engine, but those are as rare as hen's teeth. So--new loco!
That was, excellent!! I really appreciate the high definition video work you do, Dale, and the way you really capture the details of the artifacts in the closeups. So much inspiration for the historian and modeler. Yes, I know you put this up a couple of months ago. I get behind on my watching sometimes. But really, thanks!!
+rohnerw They are always there! Watch as you can. Did you see Baldwin Radio? Another Ghost Track. Sort of. More coming on that railroad, mostly having nothing to do with that line!! But the history along the line is AMAZING. Ghost Tracking the Railroads of John Young, Ghost Tracking Urban Railroads. The Baldwin Radio history is as far out there as any story. But it's real!
The Denver & Rio Grande Western. Love it! The first railroad I knew anything about. I grew up in Bingham Canyon. The D&RGW delivered coal to the city. Carloads of lump and slack for the stoves and furnaces of the town. My first after-school job was unloading those cars and helping on the delivery trucks. The unloading bins were on a small hillside spur about a block or so up-canyon from beautiful old depot. As kids we used to swipe flares and railroad torpedoes off the cabooses.
Thank you for the fine Video of the Rio Grande Southern, Wish you could have swung the camera around to show more of the scenery but that's OK as I really enjoyed what you did show. Keep your Videos coming as The Toy man Videos are a favorite here in Virginia with my wife and myself. Happy rail fanning and Merry Christmas.
+vododragon We were in the wrong car for that!!! BDX 05, the red mustang. A race car. Hit some rocks. We were planning to drive from Lizzard Head to Trout Lake twice with the camera forward and to the side. Gave that up and got back on the pavement as soon as we could. Would be fine in ANY other car,
Thanks fer the Ride. some awesome scenery. The Mustangs are finally arriving down here. Two yr wait if you order one now.and that'll change the way the dollar is here + 30% is a bit of a hike not that I can afford one . Too many trains to buyCheers Les
Story was that people heading to the lawless silver camp were told, "To hell you ride!" And that's how the town got its name. It may be a "sea story", but it will do until something better comes along. :>))
+Thomas Coughran YUP. I love the stories more than the history. The shootout at the OK coral was a fight over the red light district. The legends are much more interesting!
Hi, Thanks for the great video. I'm a new subscriber and I look forward to watching the rest of your videos. Just a note about Ophir station, it wasn't the town of Ophir just the train station, ore bin and a boarding house for travelers. There is a dirt road (CO 630) that goes off to the right just at the spot the depot stood that goes up the canyon to the town of Ophir. When the RGS was running this town was know as Old Ophir as it existed before the RGS was built. The RGS didn't go up the canyon to the town as there were not a lot of mining going on above the town. The road continues past Ophir as CO679 up and over the Ophir pass at Crystal Lake and down to HWY 550 where you can turn right and go down into Silverton. It is a beautiful drive but the road at the summit can be in bad shape. Best to take a four wheel drive vehicle if you have access to one. The summit is at 11,800 feet and the view is breath taking.
Fun video (I'm still catching up on your older stuff). We have friends in May Day, Colorado. The old spur from Parrot City bordered their property. You can still see ashes along the old grade. I haven't been to Dolores since the mid '80s. Went up to Dunton Hot Springs before it got fancy.
I was up there last September on the bike pictured in my profile. I was ignorant of all this history. Would have been nice to see the road you were traveling up to Reco. It's frustrating not to see the grades you are driving upon.
I love the RGS. I haven’t done much chasing of it. Just from Ophir to Telluride to Ridgeway after riding Ophir Pass from Silverton. Have you screwed around the Mears’ short lines? I dream of modeling the Silverton Northern someday. Love the drive from Silverton to Animas Forks. Also the Silverton grade up Red Mountain Pass and down to Ironton. You know another old grade to chase is the Colorado Midland. Anyway, enjoying your channel! Subscribed and everything! If only y’all could convince my wife to be a Railroad and history buff! At least our honeymoon was to Pagosa Springs and Ouray. :)
The best railroad to ghost track. Less there every year. First time I went in the 80s snow sheds at lizard head, many trestles. So much gone. But still the best!!
Hallo . Diese Bockbrücken zu befahren verlangte von dem Lokpersonal alles ab .Je nach Zustand der Brücke,oder ob sie im Bogen verlief . Zu Bremsen konnte in einer Katastrophe enden. Auch mussten je nach Situation Leerwagen eingestellt werden ,um Gewicht zu verteilen .
+Werner Sievers HI. Dies war und ist ein Trick. Diese Brücken wurden nie großartig und mit dem Alter noch viel schlimmer. Heute ist sie ein Motor bei der Verwendung von zwei und kreuzt allein. Zurück "in den Tag" Sie würden Platz die Motoren in den Zug, so dass zwei war noch nie auf einer Brücke zusammen. Ich war beunruhigt nur zu Fuß über diese alte.
Be fun to lay some track down on one section. Be alot of money!! The folks with Goose 5 have talked about building track to a small resort/dude ranch. But I don't think it's happened
@@ToyManTelevision be great if they do. That way they don't have to cart the goose all over the place to run the thing! Unfortunately the only 2 RGS locomotives are at Knotts Berry Farm with the other goose. And probably will never escape
I really enjoy your videos. What a perfect couple you two make! Wish I could find a woman who enjoys trains like I do! Question: What does the term "ghost tracking" mean, chasing the lines of defunct railroads?
+Deane Richardson The red mustang!! Wrong car for that!!! A race car. Hit some rocks. We were planning to drive from Lizzard Head to Trout Lake twice with the camera forward and to the side. Gave that up and got back on the pavement as soon as we could. Would be fine in ANY other car,
I really liked the history you shared of the Rio Grande Southern, especially of "Lizard Head Pass" at 10,200' which is probably the highest RR pass in USA, now abandoned, however the flavor of this RR still exists on the 'Cumbress and Toltec Scenic RR", NM CO border, last October I found a view of the Gorge and Garfield Memorial tunnel from 10, 100 ft, no trail but easy cow trails and it is breath taking view, I had a drone with 4k camera but wind kept it from use, filmed this during the last of the Aspen's shedding on Oct 9, 2017, in snow squall, trees were getting bare, losing their golden fleece, I hope you understand how hard this was to film, snowing and 30 to 40 mph wind gust. enjoy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m-GD4vhA3No.html
I was shooting at Cumbres years ago and a storm came through. Wind. Then some rain. I kept rolling. Then lightning struck about 200 yards away. I felt the shock. Started packing up fast. By the time I was in my van, perhaps 30 seconds lightning struck 3 more times. Not a close. Then rain. Massive rain. Cumbres pass. Wow!!!!! Lizard head is beautiful but there was so much left first time I went there. Snow sheds partly still there. Now just grades.
+Joe Newstead YUP. It's the red stang, BDX 05. Was raced in the 2008 Time Attack where it came in second for the season with Paul Brown driving. Love us a Mustang!! This is one of 12 Barber racing BDX cars raced in 2007 and 8. Have several. WRONG CAR for ghost tracking. But we took it as it gets the best milage of anything we have. GO FIGURE. And we were on the road for like 3 weeks. And you never know when you may need to go 150. High centered on the grade though. WRONG CAR FOR THIS.
+Toy Man Television You can see it on the track in the "Open Track Day" show. And the Billy's new ride but with the wing off. And BDX 1 (White) BDX 2 (Black) BDX 5, this one, BDX 7 (silver) and BDX 9 (White with blue stripes) We have 5 and 9. I guess the original owners still have the others, but I heard one was sold.
+Toy Man Television very nice sir!!! I want to get a 1968 Chevrolet el Camino ss for me and my dad to work on. gonna be metallic green with white rally stripes
Yup. Some guys are doing that in Ridgway. They recreated Goose 1 and are now building a steam locomotive. They only have a few hundred feet of track, but will be adding several miles. AND the people in Delores are adding more track for their Goose. They have a few hundred feet but want to relay more. Nothing like rebuilding the part of the line you see here. WOW that would be something. But....
In the fantasy world where we have bill gates kind of money we would blow a billion or so rebuilding the entire narrow gauge loop. Starting with the missing section between Durango and Chama. Then the RGS from Durango to ridgeway and the little branch to telluride. Then close the loop at Alamosa. And the world would be a better place.
there actually is a fake 8th one & is for sale! Wish I could get it, restore it & put it on the rails! it is a rubber tired one made for parades also these Geese get 1-3 MPGs! LOL
I saw it at Golden years ago. They drove into the parking lot was like holy crap! They let them back it up to the train station so it looked like it was parked on the track
