DURANGO, Colo. — Full Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad service to Silverton, Colo., will resume today (Friday, June 28), the railroad announced Thursday afternoon.
Service to Silverton, the railroad’s northern endpoint, has been suspended since the morning of June 22, when a rock slide was discovered that had covered the tracks at milepost 485.9, north of Needleton and about 10 miles short of the usual destination [see “Rock slide blocks Durango & Silverton route,” Trains News Wire, June 23, 2024]. The heavy rains that led to the slide also created a pond over the tracks behind the slide.
Since then, the railroad has been working to clear the slide and repair the right-of-way, offering abbreviated trips to Cascade Canyon in the interim. Once the slide was cleared, track damage proved to be “fairly minimal,” General Manager Jeff Johnson told the Durango Herald.
A post on the railroad’s Facebook page thanked the railroad’s “awesome maintenance-of-way, operations, and reservations staff who worked diligently to expedite this return to service,” as well as thanking guests for their patience and understanding.
The first train to run to Silverton was slated to depart at 9 a.m. Friday morning.
Glad it wasn’t 9 a.m. Friday evening. Why say something once when you can say it twice?