Durango & Silverton Railfest 2007

It’s time once again for coverage of the Durango & Silverton’s annual Railfest celebration. This year, the highlight of the show was the unveiling of D&RGW 315, a C-18 class 2-8-0 painstakingly restored by the Durango Railroad Historical Society over the past seven years. Finally, after some fifty-seven years of sitting cold in a Durango park, 315 steamed back to life on Friday for that night’s photo shoot. While it didn’t make any trips over the road, and had to be quickly put away after only an hour or so due to a stuck check valve, it was still more than worth the trip. A huge congratulations to everyone who has been a part of this restoration.

Also, as in years past, the traditional RGS Goose 5 runs and Presidential Special rounded out the special operations for the weekend, though one thing notably missing was the traditional photo special on Friday. I’ve included coverage of Saturday’s Presidential Special, along with the regularly scheduled trains, from trackside. However, for the first time, I actually rode the Goose over the entire route on Sunday. The final two sections contain photos of the Goose run, along with a number of shots of the slide that shut down service to Silverton for a week back in late July. Enjoy!

Friday – Aug 24, 2007

Friday Night Shoot with D&RGW 315 – Aug 24, 2007

Saturday – Presidential Special to Silverton – Aug 25, 2007

Sunday – Silverton to Durango via RGS 5 – Aug 26, 2007


All photographs in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS 20D using either a Canon 24-105mm F4 L IS/USM or a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS/USM.

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