Personal Projects, Photography, and Pointless Pontifications
Durango & Silverton Railfest 2009
A History of the Eureka
Eureka, an 1875 Baldwin 4-4-0
Around 1864, silver was found about 90 miles of Palisade, NV, a tiny
point on the Central Pacific’s standard gauge transcontinental route.
By 1869, that tiny spot in the middle of Nevada became a silver boom
town virtually overnight. Like many Old West boomtowns, getting a
railroad was a high priority, both for hauling supplies in and for
moving the finished product to market. Local business interests founded
the Eureka & Palisade Railroad in 1873 to string 90 miles of narrow
gauge from the CPRR at Palisade over Garden Pass to the mines at
Eureka. The road was completed by 1875, and instantly enjoyed the
profitability of the silver boom at its terminus.
One of the engines originally built to operate the line was Eureka
& Palisades #4 – named “Eureka”. The engine is a tiny three-foot
gauge, wood-burning “American” type 4-4-0, built by Baldwin back in
1875. Weighing in at only 22 tons and operating at a boiler pressure of
only 120 pounds, it’s a tiny engine by any measure. Through many
twists and turns of fate, Eureka survives today as the oldest operating
narrow gauge locomotive in North America.
The initial silver mining boom lasted only about ten years. Both
smelters in Eureka shutting down in the 1890-91 timeframe and other
related traffic trailing off through the 1890s. In either 1896 (most
sources) or 1901 (R&LHS Newsletter 22-2, p5), the E&P and #4
Eureka parted ways, as the company no longer needed the engine and it
was subsequently sold to the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company. By
1900, the original Eureka & Palisades Railroad would be bankrupt,
and would be reorganized as the Eureka & Palisades Railway. Between
1902 and 1905, the new owners were once again enjoying increasing
traffic, almost entirely due to a resurgance in lead mining in the
region. In the early months of 1910, the line suffered a crippling
amount of flood damage, with up to thirty miles of track underwater at
various times. Damage was estimated at nearly $150k, and the owners
gave up any hope of repairs. The assets again changed hands, and
operations restarted again in 1912 as the Eureka-Nevada Railway Co. The
line ran at varying levels of profitability for another 28 years, but
by 1938, better roads, a decline in mining, the loss of its General
Manager, and the financial pressures of the Great Depression proved to
be too much for the little railroad, and the line was abandoned.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company rebuilt Eureka
as an oil burner – so as to avoid throwing sparks in the forest – and
was renumbered #5. The locomotive worked the company’s logging lines
out of Hobart, CA, near Truckee. The locomotive hauled its last load
around 1938 (ironically, the same year its original railroad was
abandoned) and was subsequently sold to a San Francisco scrap dealer.
Gerald Best, in addition to being a noted railfan, was working for
Warner Bros. around that time. When he found out about Eureka’s
impending date with the torch, he convinced the studio to acquire the
locomotive for motion picture use. In 1939, the studio officially
acquired the locomotive, which went on to appear in such movies as
Torrid Zone, Cheyenne Autumn, Finian’s Rainbow, the Great Train Robbery,
and briefly in John Wayne’s The Shootist. From there, it was sold to
Old Vegas, an amusement park in Henderson, NV, in 1979. It remained
there until 1985, when it was severely burned in a structure fire.
A year later, Dan Markoff, a Vegas attorney, stopped by Old Vegas in
1986 and learned of the fire. Seeking to preserve what was left of
Eureka, he stepped in and purchased the remains of the engine, which at
the time were still under the charred remains of the building. Over the
next six years, Dan and friends returned Eureka to her original 1875
glory. In addition to returning it to its original appearance, it was
also converted back to a wood-burner and restored to operation. The
Eureka made its public debut at CSRM’s Railfair 1991, and has
subsequently operated on the Cumbres & Toltec, Durango &
Silverton, short stretches of track at the Nevada State Railroad Museum,
and on the US Gypsum plant railroad in Plaster City, CA.
The engine had a good fifteen year run, and made its last appearance
in Colorado at Railfest 2005. The next year, the flue time ran out as
Eureka came due for her 1472 day inspection. FRA requirements dictate
that all flues be removed at this point for a thorough boiler survey.
Needless to say, it’s a lengthly and expensive process. Given the
boiler’s extremely limited service and the excellent storage conditions
Eureka was given over those fifteen years, Markoff petitioned the FRA
for a waiver on performing the work. After three years, it was finally
granted, and Eureka could once again hit the road. Railfest 2009 marks
its first return to Colorado rails in five years.
Today, Eureka is the oldest operating narrow gauge engine in North
America, thanks to the devotion of Dan, his family, and his friends. I
can’t thank them enough for their tireless efforts to keep this living,
breathing piece of America’s mechanical history on the road for us all
to experience.
Friday, August 14: From Durango to Silverton
Railfest 2009 marked the first time that Eureka & Palisades 4 – aka “Eureka” – had returned to Colorado rails since 2004. Otherwise, Railfest 2009 was a bit of a lean event, with only the regular appearance of Goose 5 and a Presidential Special in addition to the Eureka runs. For those of us who hadn’t gotten the chance to photograph it and ride behind it during its earlier visits, most of us worried we’d never get the chance. Eureka’s flue time had run out in 2006, limiting its operations to non-FRA lines in Nevada where it was still approved by state boiler inspectors. Thanks to its very limited use and excellent care, Dan finally managed to convince the FRA to grant an extension waver in mid-2008, allowing for continued operation. Given that Dan and Eureka both aren’t getting younger, I decided to seize the opportunity to just spend the whole weekend riding and chasing Eureka through the San Juans.
On Friday, August 14, Eureka and train made their way from Durango up to Silverton. I opted to chase rather than ride, which might have not been the optimal decision given that it rained from Rockwood to Silverton.
After the two scheduled morning trains, E&P 4 leaves Durango with a full load of passengers and caboose 0540.
Despite good light at Durango, by the time we got to Home Ranch siding, the clouds and drizzle had rolled in.
A shot of the fireman’s side of Eureka around Home Ranch.
Creeping up to the spout at Hermosa. Eureka, being a small engine, has a very small tank and needs to take water frequently compared with the big Rio Grande Mikados (or even 315, for that matter).
Just an artsy shot with some of Colorado’s ubiquitous sunflowers at Hermosa.
After watering up, 4 and train start up the climb out of the valley.
Just a shot departing Hermosa
Everybody’s favorite secret spot at the US Highway 550 overpass
Pulling into the hole at Rockwood for a little maintenance and to let the second daily train run ahead of the special.
Since they’re stopped for a bit, Dan and his crew get out to do a walk-around of Eureka, checking for problems and lubing up the bearings.
The man himself – Dan Markoff – at work on Eureka
After the work was done, the photo line convinced him to pose with the engine for just a minute before the regular train showed up.
Not the greatest shot ever (hey, it was raining, I had the ISO way up, and this is a serious crop), but it’s a decent comparison between the size of Eureka and one of the big K-36s.
Following a brief pause, 480 makes its way out of Rockwood towards the High Line.
Just what I thought was a neat view of the fireman looking back over the train as they head into the big cut.
After a nearly forty minute wait, Eureka finally heads out of Rockwood through the big cut.
And running fifteen minutes behind Eureka is Rio Grande Southern Goose 5. By now it’s raining pretty good, so it seems like a good time to pack up and head to Durango for lunch.
Upon reaching the other side of the cut, we found the NARCOA speeders lining up for their trip north, following the Goose and Eureka.
After the usual lunch at Steamworks with the other Nathan and his wife, it was up to Silverton to catch Eureka on the way in. As we were coming down the hill, 486 was headed out of town with one of the regular trains.
About forty-five minutes later, 480 shows up with the second daily train.
Uh oh, this isn’t good… RGS 5 left Hermosa after Eureka, and comes wadling into Silverton ahead of her.
Finally, several hours behind, Eureka appears in the canyon below Silverton. Apparently a combination of wet wood and wet rails made for a tough trip, but Dan’s wasting no time now.
Crossing the Animas just south of Silverton in the pouring rain. Of course I’m the crazy one standing on a hillside getting soaked…
Upon arriving at the Silverton depot, the rain stops and the clouds part for just a second. Talk about good timing!
Having little else to do before the night shoot (and wanting to be inside, since it’s pouring outside), the other Nathan and I took his Yukon up on one of the backroads east of town to shoot back at Silverton. Here’s Eureka and RGS 5 at the depot.
As part of the Eureka night shoot, a group of locals turned out in period dress. It added a nice touch to an otherwise somewhat lifeless scene.
Just another of Eureka at night with the Silverton depot in the background.
The rain didn’t give us that much of a window in which to shoot, so I only took a limited number of angles. It wasn’t like previous years where I could stay for an hour or two working on natural light scenes after the official shoot had ended.
Saturday, August 15: Silverton to Cascade Canyon and Back
One of the morning rituals with Eureka is the lineup to load the tender. Coal and oil are so much more convenient…
Work’s happening over there – that’s why I’m over here. (Just kidding – they were almost done by the time I showed up.)
With the loading of wood complete, they’ll take the trainset down to the wye to get it pointed south again for the day’s run to Cascade and back.
Backing into the wye… If you use just a little imagination, it’s almost like a train coming off the Silverton Railroad. (Though I feel the need to note that the D&S’s wye is *not* where the SRR co nnected.)
Coming south off the other leg of the wye…
While backing towards the station, the morning light really shows that Eureka is deep chocolate brown, not black.
On her way back to load up for the day’s trip. I believe there were 15 of us total that Saturday, as opposed to the 50+ packed seats the day before. Bad for the D&S, good for us photographers…
On account of a few delays getting started, we pretty much had to highball all the way down to Elk Park to clear for the first reguarly scheduled train. Here we are sitting in the hole north of the wye.
Another shot of Eureka in the Elk Park siding.
About thirty minutes after we cleared up, 482 showed with the first of the day’s regular trains.
Following on the first regular’s markers was RGS Goose 5, having just come out of the wye on the first of its three trips from Silverton to Elk Park and back.
But wait, there’s more! The final train for the morning was a work extra powered by diesel Hot Shot 1. They would be working at Elk Park, but pulled up to let us by.
Bet this is one of the few times that Eureka has ever met a diesel.
By the time that we’d met all three, we had just enough time to drop down and duck into the Elk Park wye to meet the second regular train.
Eureka truly is a beautiful piece of machinery. Much different than the regular large K-class engines I’m used to shooting on the line. Plus it just looks so at home in these rugged canyons.
Speaking of large K-class, here’s K-36 482 with the second daily train.
With all of the traffic now safely to the north of us, we proceeded down to the new Animas bridge south of Elk Park for our first set of run-bys.
I call it a run-by, but the best shots I got out of the experience were actually static setups.
Giving some clouds a few minutes to move on, here’s our crew posing on the front of the engine.
A shot river-side on the way down to Needleton.
Of course, with Eureka having a small tank and a big thirst, first priority was getting water in the tender.
Once that was out of the way, then we had time to stage it under the restored (but non-functional) water tank.
By the time we got to Tefft, there was time for a quick run-by on the bridge before we needed to clear up for the first regular southbound.
And speaking of the first southbound, here’s 482…
Since Eureka had to clear up in the wye, it gave us plenty of time to relocate to the river bottoms below the Tefft bridge. Between regular trains, there was just enough time to squeeze in a couple more bridge run-bys.
Having gotten our shots at the bridge, we hiked down to reboard our train at the Cascade wye, where it had once again gone to clear up the main. Along the way, the second scheduled train crept up on us.
And on the back of the second regular train was DSNG 350, the Alamosa, with a wedding party on it. Not one of those things you see every day.
Eureka, tucked away in the wye but ready once again to go north to Silverton.
The closer we get to Silverton, the higher on the canyon walls the usable light gets. I caught a quick spot of light to photograph one of the Eureka’s crew digging wood out of the back of the tender.
Almost back in Silverton and the light is nearly gone for the day, but we decide to do some static Animas trestle shots anyway.
Just another view on the Animas bridge south of Silverton.
Back in Silverton, E&P 4 sits in the last light of day, facing off with Goose 5. Tomorrow morning, both trains will head south back to Durango.
Sunday, August 16: Silverton back to Durango
After skipping the tender loading fun on Saturday, I joined right in on Sunday morning. My back hated me most of the day for doing so. Having gotten it loaded, Dan’s doing his walk-around before backing Eureka up to the fire hydrant to fill the tank.
Holy cow – you couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky anywhere.
Filling the tank at the hydrant north of the depot.
Restaged at the depot and ready for us to board. If you thought the previous day’s passenger list was dismal, today there are only a dozen of us.
And, after topping off one of the passenger car tanks with a garden hose, we’re ready to go.
I still maintain this is the absolute best way to see the railroad.
The first shot of the morning is out on the Animas bridge in absolutely perfect morning light.
Standing there, getting ready for the next run-by, I see Darel about fifty feet up the river and decide to go see what he’s found. Hey, those backwaters look pretty still, and we’re getting a reflection…
Turns out, trains reflect remarkably well, too!
Just a couple miles down the canyon, somebody spots a bear and two cubs on the opposite river bank.
Eureka passes a small pond just north of Elk Park.
A wider shot, showing the rockface on the opposite side of the canyon.
Found the speeder guys…
So that’s how you blow down Eureka’s boiler – you take out a plug with a wrench and then go lift a valve from the fireman’s side deck…
Here’s the first of the trains we’ll be meeting at Elk Park – 473 with the Presidental Special.
473 and the Presidential Special take the other leg of the Elk Park wye to let both regular trains by us.
Here’s the first daily train, powered by 480.
Durango & Silverton owner Al Harper stepped off the Presidential for a quick visit to the cab of Eureka.
It’s a less-than-ideal angle for 482 and the second train, but thanks to some rather uncooperative railfans who seemingly didn’t get the concept of photo line, it was the best I could do.
Don’t know why, just like this low angle shot of Eureka with the cliff face behind it.
With both regulars and the Presidental past us, we are outta here!
Another shot on the Elk Park bridge under beautiful skies, but with some pretty high light.
The best part about having the camp car (made from the old box) on the front is that you can make the train look like a freight through selective cropping.
Sure, the real Needleton tank (made from a tank car, similar to Hermosa and Tank Creek) isn’t the most picturesque, but how many times have you seen a picture of a train watering here as opposed to being posed at the old tank?
Okay, here it is staged at the old tank as well.
To Conductor Millard – this is why you should never, ever take my advice on which run-by to do. Well, unless you give me half an hour with a mower first. I didn’t realize that Bitterroot would be this overgrown when I chose.
Fortunately, Rich saved me from my poor choice in #86 by squeezing in my other option – the sheer walls south of Cascade.
Behold the power of the Canon 100-400L…
Just a grab shot as I was climbing back through the willows to get trackside.
If there’s a more perfect way to spend a day than hanging off the back of a caboose on the narrow gauge, I certainly don’t know what it is.
With such a small group, we had the luxury of getting a few shots that larger groups can’t do – like the south end of the High Bridge. The shootable ledge from this side is extremely small, and it’s a long way down to the river.
It’s actually hard to shoot a train this small on the High Line. It just gets dwarfed by the scenery.
See what I mean? The train’s just so tiny.
So here’s Eureka and train posed against the big rock wall, without the massive precipice below.
Actually one of my favorite run-bys for the trip, since you can actually see it working a bit.
And finally, back in Durango at the close of Railfest Weekend 2009. Thanks to Dan and his crew for everything they went through to keep Eureka operational, and to everyone at the Durango & Silverton for putting on a couple of great trips. See you all at Railfest 2010.
All photographs in this trip report were taken with a Canon EOS 40D using either a Canon 24-105mm F4 L IS/USM, Sigma 18-50mm, or a Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS/USM.
This work is copyright 2022 by Nathan D. Holmes, but all text and images are licensed and reusable under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Basically you’re welcome to use any of this as long as it’s not for commercial purposes, you credit me as the source, and you share any derivative works under the same license. I’d encourage others to consider similar licenses for their works.