Railroad crews are working daily to reopen one of Southwest Colorado’s most popular attractions. Record rainfall caused the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to shut down earlier in the week.
The company runs two services: a five-hour scenic round trip through Cascade Canyon and a two-hour ride to Silverton. The company announced Tuesday in a Facebook post that the rail line is temporarily closed while maintenance crews clean up flooding and debris. The train has continued daily operations and will continue to offer the Cascade Canyon round-trip over the coming days as they work on repairs. They hope to resume Silverton service within the next few days.
Roadbed damage was first discovered north of Rockwood on Monday, and heavy rains and rising river levels caused the cancellation of all trains.
“We appreciate the understanding of guests who have been affected by service interruptions during this period and plan to resume our normal schedule shortly,” the company said. “Operating trains in the San Juan Mountains is never easy, but the men and women of the railroad have kept this line running for over 140 years. It requires an unwavering commitment to keep the history of the Silverton Branch alive, and our team is up to the challenge.”
In an email from Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad VP/General Manager Jeff Johnson, the company anticipated problems early on. The last two trains bound for Silverton returned to Durango as precipitation grew Saturday morning.
Additional buses were arranged to pick up passengers from the first train and transport them back to Durango. An unscheduled train was dispatched to the Needleton pick-up location to bring 37 hikers from Chicago Basin. Two trains ran from Durango to Cascade Canyon in lieu of the Silverton excursions Sunday morning.
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has been transporting passengers on vintage steam locomotives through the San Juan Mountains since 1881. Scenic tours were officially promoted in 1882.
The train was registered as a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s. It travels 45.4 miles each way along the Animas River from Durango to Silverton during the summer season from May through October. During the winter, from November through early May, the train runs 26 miles each way from Durango to Cascade Canyon.
Southwestern Colorado saw the San Juan River levels rise due to the heavy rainfall over the weekend, which caused damage in communities like Pagosa Springs. That led to evacuations in Archuleta and La Plata Counties. The Archuleta Sheriff’s Office lifted its mandatory evacuation order at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. The evacuation order from the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office was lifted at 8:00 a.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service Office in Grand Junction had issued a flood advisory for Wednesday for both counties due to elevated river levels. But those levels are forecast to ease late tonight and through the next several days.
Editor's note: This story was updated with latest evacuation information.
