It's Been a Long Time...
I was trying to recall how long it has been since I've ridden on the train. Maybe twenty years and change?
Thanks to 's volunteering efforts, I got to enjoyed it today. Heck, we even ended up in "deluxe" seating, which is probably better than what I was in back then. Though the line is known for its round trips up to Silverton, winter trains only go up to Cascade Canyon and turn around there to head back. About 52 miles round-trip, leaves at 10 am, gets back just after 3 pm, with a little under an hour up there to stretch legs and take photos.
While it used to be about supplies and mined ore, it's pretty much all about the scenery now and the classic novelty of getting to ride on an early 1900's steam train. Pretty mountains and canyons along the river that were today dusted lightly in snow. We saw moderate bits of all sorts of weather from sun to very light snow and while I woke to see whiteness outside this morning, I'm glad it wasn't deeper winter when other colors would have been buried entirely. Today provided just the right contrast, though perhaps not quite so sweet as with everything in full springtime bloom.
A full round-trip to Silverton (or even Cascade) might be a little lengthy in normal seating, but it was fine in this case. I did more listening than talking (naturally), but it was a very pleasant trip overall with cinnamon rolls and sandwiches served (again, perks that usually cost extra). T'was a very lovely volunteer-appreciation day, I'd say.
There's some talk about organizing a steampunk convention in 2013, with the train tying in with costumes and faux-techy addons to the train itself. That sounds really neat, and makes me wonder if I have enough interest to get together a steampunk-worthy costume myself by then. I do worry a little just because Durango is really not well-suited to hosting a "real" convention. There isn't really any convention center large enough, it's pretty remote for driving, and the airport is both small and the better part of an hour out of town. I think plans for a real convention center died a few years ago when the economy went to heck. Even if there's sufficient interest here, I'm just not sure it's practical. It is fun to think about, though.
Thanks to 's volunteering efforts, I got to enjoyed it today. Heck, we even ended up in "deluxe" seating, which is probably better than what I was in back then. Though the line is known for its round trips up to Silverton, winter trains only go up to Cascade Canyon and turn around there to head back. About 52 miles round-trip, leaves at 10 am, gets back just after 3 pm, with a little under an hour up there to stretch legs and take photos.
While it used to be about supplies and mined ore, it's pretty much all about the scenery now and the classic novelty of getting to ride on an early 1900's steam train. Pretty mountains and canyons along the river that were today dusted lightly in snow. We saw moderate bits of all sorts of weather from sun to very light snow and while I woke to see whiteness outside this morning, I'm glad it wasn't deeper winter when other colors would have been buried entirely. Today provided just the right contrast, though perhaps not quite so sweet as with everything in full springtime bloom.
A full round-trip to Silverton (or even Cascade) might be a little lengthy in normal seating, but it was fine in this case. I did more listening than talking (naturally), but it was a very pleasant trip overall with cinnamon rolls and sandwiches served (again, perks that usually cost extra). T'was a very lovely volunteer-appreciation day, I'd say.
There's some talk about organizing a steampunk convention in 2013, with the train tying in with costumes and faux-techy addons to the train itself. That sounds really neat, and makes me wonder if I have enough interest to get together a steampunk-worthy costume myself by then. I do worry a little just because Durango is really not well-suited to hosting a "real" convention. There isn't really any convention center large enough, it's pretty remote for driving, and the airport is both small and the better part of an hour out of town. I think plans for a real convention center died a few years ago when the economy went to heck. Even if there's sufficient interest here, I'm just not sure it's practical. It is fun to think about, though.
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