Into Colorado - The Durango & Silverton Railroad

13 June - Friends had recommended this steam train trip high into the mountains of Colorado on a historic narrow gauge railway line.  It was expensive, but it was a superb day's outing!  The railway was built in 1881-1882 to bring supplies up to the isolated mining towns in the hills, and to bring the wealth of minerals out.

Durango - Our train waiting to set off, we departed at 8.45 am

We were riding in an open air "gondola" carriage as on the right

It was cold, especially as we gained in altitude.  We were very glad of our down jackets.

Owen took this photo of the engine on a sharp curve

At times you could reach out and touch the rock cuttings

We followed the River Animus upstream.  There had been a lot of rain in the weeks before and the river was still in flood.  Sometimes we seemed incredibly close to the water.