Have you actually ridden a narrow Gauge train?


MY wife and I have ridden the Durango and Silverton five times over the past 32 years, mostly in the fall color times
and it is spectacular in every way. We Live in northern Colorado mountains near Estes Park so just a day drive to get to
Durango. It is worth every penny and take some time to stay for a few days. Too bad they had to install some diesels
because of the climate getting dryer and the big fire did not help. If you can go, do it because you will remember it for your
lifetime. DR
 
After I was discharged from the USMC (Honorably in 1983) I went to work underground in a Gold mine in Silverton CO. We had 3 different gauges of RR underground, 16", 2' and 3' main level. They were all quite robust, even with rubber tire equipment in conjunction in operations. All chain final drive, what a pain in the operations that was, as they were all operating in a rock contaminated environs, like operating in a grinding compound. I hated working on those chain drives. They were mostly Plymouth made. Main level Loci's were 3' gauge, 25 ton powered by 3408 Caterpillar engines. Most others were powered by Duetz engines. The 16" gauge were in the older workings and were not used much if at all, and were powered by mules, if you went into those very old upper workings, there was still straw and droppings, and this was decades old, but cold and basically refrigerated. There were rock drills up there, we were told you can have, if you could carry them out. I tried 1 time.
 
gjslsffan said:
After I was discharged from the USMC (Honorably in 1983) I went to work underground in a Gold mine in Silverton CO. We had 3 different gauges of RR underground, 16", 2' and 3' main level. They were all quite robust, even with rubber tire equipment in conjunction in operations. All chain final drive, what a pain in the operations that was, as they were all operating in a rock contaminated environs, like operating in a grinding compound. I hated working on those chain drives. They were mostly Plymouth made. Main level Loci's were 3' gauge, 25 ton powered by 3408 Caterpillar engines. Most others were powered by Duetz engines. The 16" gauge were in the older workings and were not used much if at all, and were powered by mules, if you went into those very old upper workings, there was still straw and droppings, and this was decades old, but cold and basically refrigerated. There were rock drills up there, we were told you can have, if you could carry them out. I tried 1 time.
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That must have been interesting if very intense, given that you're high above the sea level. I did some exploring up in the hills around Silverton. On one train trip we had two hour layover in Silverton and i came up with a bright idea of hiking quickly up to northern hill where there is a visible mine shaft above town. I'm in shape, but damn that hike kicked my as$, since i knew i only had limited time and pressed my self. Learned to just take it easy when doing hiking, pace my self just so i can intake enough oxygen in the lungs. I'm guessing there are still some tracks in some tunnels and maybe abandoned narrow gauge jennies sitting around. Thanks for sharing and i'm planning to hit Colorado again this summer western trip.
 
KriegslokBR52 said:
That must have been interesting if very intense, given that you're high above the sea level. I did some exploring up in the hills around Silverton. On one train trip we had two hour layover in Silverton and i came up with a bright idea of hiking quickly up to northern hill where there is a visible mine shaft above town. I'm in shape, but damn that hike kicked my as$, since i knew i only had limited time and pressed my self. Learned to just take it easy when doing hiking, pace my self just so i can intake enough oxygen in the lungs. I'm guessing there are still some tracks in some tunnels and maybe abandoned narrow gauge jennies sitting around. Thanks for sharing and i'm planning to hit Colorado again this summer western trip.
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Thanks for the kind words and input. The mine I worked was at the end of the road. So, when you hit that T at the east end of Silverton, go east, and go to the end.
It changed hands a couple times. Was Sunny Side, Echoe Bay, then another couple outfit names.
I haven't been there for 3 decades. Last I heard the portals were sealed and they are trying to play like it never happened at all. There were at one time at least 8 working levels in that mine. I have seen the upper workings and actually saw, the bottom of lake Imogene. (thats a whole nother story).
 
I’ve rode on the Durango and Silverton, Cumbres and Toltec, Georgetown loop, all with the Rocky Mountain railroad club and they did photo run bys at different places so we all could take pictures. Then rode on the Virginia and Truckee (believe that is standard gauge).

All were done in the 80’s except for the V&T.
 
gjslsffan said:
Thanks for the kind words and input. The mine I worked was at the end of the road. So, when you hit that T at the east end of Silverton, go east, and go to the end.
It changed hands a couple times. Was Sunny Side, Echoe Bay, then another couple outfit names.
I haven't been there for 3 decades. Last I heard the portals were sealed and they are trying to play like it never happened at all. There were at one time at least 8 working levels in that mine. I have seen the upper workings and actually saw, the bottom of lake Imogene. (thats a whole nother story).
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Oh do tell about this lake. I've never heard of it.
 
The happened about 5 years before my time in the mine. Well Lake Emma (not Imogene) was up above the mine. The mine worked 2 shifts, 5 days a week. The miners would drill a round which basically means drilling all the holes needed to blast the face intended. If you didnt have time to load a blasting agent called Prell with a big stick of dynamite in each hole and shoot the round, you left the face for the next shift, to load and shoot, reason is, you never left a loaded round in a face for the next shift to walk into. On a Friday night they were drilling the face of a stope, (overhead essentially) the miners were complaining there was a lot of water coming in on them while drilling, the mine engineers said they were more than a safe distance from the bottom of the lake.
As it turned out they didnt have time to load a shoot the face so they left it for Monday morning. That weekend the rock gave way on the face and lake Emma drained thru the mine, with such force that rail equipment shot out the portal like ice coming out of a hose. But there was enough gold in the sediment that they made $$ mucking out the mine LOL. Then they started open pit mining the lake bottom. I remember you could go up there and look right out the top of the hole. I understand they cemented all the portals securely closed and now water is collecting again.

A little more on it https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/6865-lake-emma.html
 
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