We considered the SG&N, but it poses a lot of problems with several bridges, avalanche paths of major proportions, lack of cohesive control of right-of-way, use of a good part of the row by the county in what is a fairly heavily travelled road, but it would be a neat run for geared engines. The new Silverton Mountain ski area blocks the line at one point, but that could be skirted. It is a scenic canyon but paralleled by a road all the way to Gladstone, and the better part of the SN route will be inaccessible to car chasers.
And while we're in the dreaming mode, the Telluride Ski Corp has had very long range plans that were submitted to the Forest Service years ago as part of their master plan to build a ski lift/tram from the ski area to Burro Bridge on US 550. Burro Bridge is the turn off point for the Ophir Pass road. One suggestion to handle the people riding this thing, and supposedly Silverton would serve as a bed base extension for the ski area, would be to rebuild the Silverton Railway line that crosses 550 right at Burro Bridge to shuttle people back and forth from Silverton to the ski lift. That grade is reasonably intact and could utilize contemporary diesel operated cars much like we see in Switzerland on their meter gauge lines. If built to 3 ft, it could access downtown Silverton during the winter by connecting with existing trackage. This expansion plan has remained dormant for a long time, but mention of it surfaces from time to time at the planning level.
Bill Jones, who owns the Old Hundred mine tour, has had dreams of a rail shuttle from Howardsville up to his tour using 2 ft gauge Shays, but the economy has stopped his work. He and Jim Melcher of Melcher Machine Works in Durango had been working towards building the first engine, but it's stalled at the blueprint/planning/dreaming stage now. Melcher has several railroad projects under his belt including building the body of the Silver Vista.Melcher used to build boilers for John Braun when he lived here.
Our new SN track is slowly disappearing today under an increasing blanket of snow. It is coming down pretty good right now.
Fritz
