Greg Scholl Wrote:
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> I suggest going there on a charter, but I suspect
> they don't do many shots there at the bridge,
> since there may not be enough room for the 100 or
> so they take on those trips(D&S specials).
>
> Greg
Greg,
I have ridden a number of D&S Specials.....both Fall and Winter Photo Trains, as well as Railfest Specials with guest equipment. Nearly all stopped at the bridge, but as Jerry indicated in a later post, it was virtually always on the northbound run to Silverton. That's because there is more room on the north side, and there are two shooting locations, one next to the bridge and one down near the riverbed. Only once can I recall stopping southbound and that was with 315 and a mixed train, and probably because we had only 19 passengers on board. Railfest Specials tended to be expensive, and the numbers of photo stops were pretty limited, due to the number of trains out on the line.....but they were the only opportunities to see the visiting equipment on this line. The 2010 event was definitely worth attending.
Doing a photo charter on the D&S has always been problematic, even when there were folks in the chain of command who were amenable to that kind of trip. With limited passing locations, and heavy tourist train activity, the Conductor's first priority was always to keep the photo train out of the way, and that generally isn't a good thing, if your goal is to arrive at key photo spots when the light is best. The best charters I've ridden on the D&S were the ones that were operated by Willow Creek Productions. They weren't inexpensive, but they were optimized for photography to the greatest degree possible. Ridership was typically 30-40 people at most. They generally started early and finished late, utilizing 2 crews. That way, we could shoot for a couple of hours in the morning, without concerns about tourist trains. In the afternoon, we could get passed by the last southbound regular run, and then be sure to hit the High Line, because we were the only train left out there. The Willow Creek winter trip ran on a Monday and Tuesday.....and there were no other trains on the line all day. THAT was optimal.
Unfortunately, as we've discussed before, the D&S people who assisted in planning and executing that type of trip are no longer there. Yes, there are still fall and winter specials run by the line, but the equipment is not lettered for Rio Grande, the photo stops are limited and definitely subject to last minute changes, and the photo lines are typically twice the size of what I described above. Still, good shots can be had if you're OK with the terms.
Here's a small album from our last Willow Creek trip in 2016. Our operator had a knack for scheduling great weather.
2016 Willow Creek Productions Charter
/Kevin Madore
