Durango Yard

These photos were taken in the early 1990's in Durango, Colorado. Some of these photos can actually be used as scale drawings. The black and white painted carpenter's square in the photos has the black and white changing on the one foot marks. On the long end of the square, the black and white stripes are both one inch wide. On the short end of the square, the inside white stripe is 1/2" and the outside black strip is one inch.

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This is what I call the north yard. I first visited Durango in 1972. This was in an industrial area. The pavement in the fore ground was dirt and I believe another track. Loading docks to several industries were still in existence.

What I call the south yard was where trains from Durango and Farmington arrived and departed and was south of the passenger yard and station. Currently, this location is about 2-3 feet above the highway leaving Durango to the south and east.

Steel flat car 6544 is one of about 45 steel flat cars built for the narrow gauge in the 1940's. They and the UTLX tank cars are the only "modern" freight cars the D&RGW used regularly (excepting the US Army equipment used in the 1950's).

Here is steel flat 5539. I know this is on the D&SNG. The C&TS purchased 13 of the 6500 series flat cars from the D&RGW. They fortunately made great conversions into passenger cars (those from the Antonito train set). Unfortunately, the C&TS was not able to save one of these for posterity. They can only be found on the D&SNG.

A couple of interesting items are in this photo. The first item is the stock cars shown here. Up close they show signs of having been burned. They are not original narrow gauge equipment. They are standard gauge stock cars on narrow gauge trucks.

The second item is the McDonald's in the back ground. It is currently the beginning of the balloon loop used to turn inbound D&SNG trains so they are ready for the return to Silverton.

In 1972, this location was a dirt lot. Prior to D&RGW's abandonment of the Alamosa mainline, the balloon loop faced the other way (towards Alamosa) and I think that the McDonald's was about where the larger loop started its 180 degree turn. It was in this loop near the Animas River where the Rio Grande Southern used to connect to the D&RGW.

In 1984, I passed through Durango. All I had was a pocket instamatic camera that was going bad. Here are the photos anyway.

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