Durango & Silverton 493 sits on the Durango Turntable on a cool May night.

Durango & Silverton 476 crosses the Animas River Bridge as it departs Durango wearing a diamond stack and box headlight on an extra train to Silverton.

The engineer leans out the window and receives a blast of chilly September air to the face as he rounds the final bend before the US Rt 50 bridge.

Durango & Silverton 480 crosses the Animas River one last time as it rolls back into Durango on a warm May evening.

In a boisterous thundering of smoke and power, K-36 480 shows off for the photographers of Dak Dillon's photo train at the famed cement wall just south of Cascade Canyon.

DSNG K-36 480 and K-37 493 peek at their reflections outside the Durango roundhouse as the night ticks away.

The last coal-fired train departed Durango in March and soon after, K-36 class 481 was separated from its tender and placed on display in the DSNG museum pending an oil conversion. What was not fo... (more)

Final Curtain

After 143 years of near continuous use of coal-burning power on the Silverton Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western, on the 23rd of March 2024. The final r... (more)

Twilight of The Coal Burner

After 143 years of near continuous use of coal-burning power on the Silverton Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western, fireman John Hillier thro... (more)

Twilight of The Coal Burner

After 143 years of near continuous use of coal-burning power on the Silverton Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Western, the last coal burner pose... (more)

The last coal burner, #481, pushes north of Cascade Canyon across Tefft Bridge on a D&S winter photography excursion.

After a full day of photo opps in the beautiful Animas Canyon, 481 offers up a gorgeous rainbow blowdown as a grand finale for the Durango & Silverton's winter photo special (481's last as a coal ... (more)

The morning after a heavy snow storm coated the San Juans in a fresh coat of white, Durango & Silverton coal burner #481 pushes for Cascade Canyon with a sold-out train full of dazzled passengers.

Every once in a while, one only needs to squint to see the past in Durango. And in October of 2023 looking into the canyon took us to the 1950's where we found 476 leading a mixed train led by 47... (more)