Day 5 - Monday 5/25/2015 - Ride the Durango & Silverton
This day was Memorial Day 2015. This is also the first time E was going to ride the Durango and Silverton. For this trip, we booked the Alamosa parlor car. The Alamosa was one of three parlor cars the D&RGW built for the San Juan passenger train. The car was a 'premium' car that was 21 and up only. It has a bar on board with a car attendant. All non alcoholic drinks were free. The car was also the last car on the train which allowed us to have amazing views from the back platform. After riding the Alamosa, E won't ride the line any other way.
We got to the depot to see the train in front of us with the 473 leave at 8:00am. E went to get a Durango Bagel that was near the depot. Chase Bond was the fireman on the 480 on our train. Chase is a good friend from back home in Texas. I got to say hi to him as I headed to our car, the Alamosa. It was the rear car on the train and used to be a Parlor car on the San Juan. It was worth the premium fair! Our car attendant was Ellie. The couple across the Alamosa from us, the guy was from Denver and the girl was a doctor from Vail. They were probably in their mid 40s and not married (the girl was real chatty). I think we told them we would send them pictures… The rear brakeman was Tyler, who was Chase’s friend from highschool (in Dallas). He was a pleasure to visit with during his down time and I was really surprised by his D&S / D&RGW knowledge.
In Silverton we went to Handle Bars and had a great lunch. We did some shopping. Emily got a Christmas ornament and some ear rings and we got Laurie a long sleeve shirt. I ran over to the Silverton depot and took some photos of the equipment the D&S had stored there (more like neglected) and got some photos of the 473 leaving town for Durango past the depot. On the ride back to Durango, a different group was across from us in the Alamosa. They were celebrating their Dad / Grandfather’s 100th birthday which was the day before. Their last name was Davison. We started talking and some of the grand kids (probably a little older than us) had gone to A&M. It turns out the grandfather had grown up in Granger, Tx. Granger was a small town next to the small town I grew up in in Central Texas. His parents ran the Commerce Hotel. They were kin to the Halls and sent Nancy Hall a Christmas card! Very small world! They lived near Farmington, NM now I believe.
When we got back to Durango, we walked over to Steamworks Brew Pub. Chase and Maria (his then girlfriend) joined us. After dinner, we walked throughout the Stratter Hotel while Maria went to get Chase’s lantern. Chase then took the three of us on a ‘tour’ of the Durango yard and roundhouse. We called it a very late night that night but well worth it.
We got to the depot to see the train in front of us with the 473 leave at 8:00am. E went to get a Durango Bagel that was near the depot. Chase Bond was the fireman on the 480 on our train. Chase is a good friend from back home in Texas. I got to say hi to him as I headed to our car, the Alamosa. It was the rear car on the train and used to be a Parlor car on the San Juan. It was worth the premium fair! Our car attendant was Ellie. The couple across the Alamosa from us, the guy was from Denver and the girl was a doctor from Vail. They were probably in their mid 40s and not married (the girl was real chatty). I think we told them we would send them pictures… The rear brakeman was Tyler, who was Chase’s friend from highschool (in Dallas). He was a pleasure to visit with during his down time and I was really surprised by his D&S / D&RGW knowledge.
In Silverton we went to Handle Bars and had a great lunch. We did some shopping. Emily got a Christmas ornament and some ear rings and we got Laurie a long sleeve shirt. I ran over to the Silverton depot and took some photos of the equipment the D&S had stored there (more like neglected) and got some photos of the 473 leaving town for Durango past the depot. On the ride back to Durango, a different group was across from us in the Alamosa. They were celebrating their Dad / Grandfather’s 100th birthday which was the day before. Their last name was Davison. We started talking and some of the grand kids (probably a little older than us) had gone to A&M. It turns out the grandfather had grown up in Granger, Tx. Granger was a small town next to the small town I grew up in in Central Texas. His parents ran the Commerce Hotel. They were kin to the Halls and sent Nancy Hall a Christmas card! Very small world! They lived near Farmington, NM now I believe.
When we got back to Durango, we walked over to Steamworks Brew Pub. Chase and Maria (his then girlfriend) joined us. After dinner, we walked throughout the Stratter Hotel while Maria went to get Chase’s lantern. Chase then took the three of us on a ‘tour’ of the Durango yard and roundhouse. We called it a very late night that night but well worth it.
