Re: Adventures on the Narrow Gauge, June '63 to June '64

Continuing on from Walsenburg on September 3, 1963 - with an impromptu decision to take the mail truck to Durango, I went back to my coach on Colorado & Southern train 7 to take my travel gear and my remaining 13 dollars and to head off into the unknown. Had there been time to make a cool assessment of the wisdom of leaving the security of a warm place on train 7 with such meager resources and so many unknowns, this adventure likely would not have happened. As it was, the transload of mail was about finished, train 7 left, and I climbed into the semi cab for the all night run to Durango. The driver was happy to have company and someone to talk to, and I kept my eyes open for glimpses of such famous places like the La Veta and Monarch passes, although the views largely amounted to curving pavement in the head lights. Coming into Durango, there was morning light and one could follow the narrow gauge descending Bocea Hill. Arriving in Durango, I thanked the friendly mail truck driver, and headed to the depot and roundhouse office.

473 was being serviced.





I contemplated riding the Silverton train, but decided against it on account of my limited finances. Wandering over to the roundhouse office, I found out that there were no freight operations out of Durango, but that a double headed freight was running from Alamosa to Chama this morning, and that there would be a return freight from Chama to Alamosa the next day. Well, there seemed to be no practical way to get to Chama, so I found some economy lodging for two nights, hoping there might be some way to travel with the Intermountain Express charter trains to Alamosa and Walsenburg on Thursday, September 5.

499 was steaming quietly in the roundhouse



484 was scheduled to take the Intermountain Express charter train to Alamosa in two days





Edited 8 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2020 02:16PM by Olaf Rasmussen.