Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

WESTERN TRIP

“In Durango, tucked in the back of the rail yard, you’ll discover the 12,000-square-foot D&SNG Railroad Museum. The Museum was created in 1998 utilizing 8 stalls of the ‘new’ 15-stall roundhouse built in 1989. READ MORE

The museum staff is knowledgeable in the history and current affairs of the local railroad.

Durango & Silverton Railroad Music Video.At least listen to the music while you view the rest of the post.

After Watching/Listening to the video are you ready for a train ride????

476 saw  extensive service on the San Juan passenger train, which ran between Durango, Colorado and Alamosa, Colorado until 1951.

Two drunks were walking upgrade between the railroad tracks. One of them said, "this is is longest stairway I have ever been on. ." The other one said, "It's not the stairs that bother me, it's the low banister.

A man and a woman, who had never met before, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Although initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly -- he in the upper bunk and she in the lower. At 2:00 a.m., he leans over and gently wakes the woman, saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold." "I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married." "Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket."

Linda and I were in Durango to hop aboard a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive that travels along the same railroad tracks that miners, cowboys and the early settlers of the Old West used over a hundred years ago. With about an hour to spare before boarding the train I had the opportunity to visit the museum..

800-square-foot model railroad :: SEE VIDEO of HOn3 Train - Silverton to Durango

The wall is lined with military miniatures..I didn’t know what the connection was so I did a little research.“I’m delighted to have a place where thousands of people will see them,” said Capt. William “Bud” Davis, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), center. Davis was referring to his collection of 5,000 lead and plastic military figurines that now will be housed at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum. Davis painted all of the toy soldiers and casted most of them himself. He has been at it since 1950. Read More

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum Ranked #5 of 37 attractions in Durango Read reviews at TripAdvisor 

Nearing the end of the post:  Caboose - The end of train, a non revenue car.

Linda and Sara say, “Where have you been.”

The train is ready to leave the station.

Safely onboard,Melissa will highlight the trip to Silverton.Which may be another post….

Joe Todd posting from the Durango & Silverton…Thanks for stopping by. P.S. The jokes don’t have anything to do with the museum. I found them on the net while doing some research. Made me LOL so thought you might enjoy..Also,one photo is from Wikimedia.

Technorati Tags: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad,Museum,QUALITY TIME,WESTERN TRIP

If you want your own train::

Bachmann Durango and Silverton HO Scale Ready To Run Electric Train Set

Durango's Strater Hotel, Western History since 1887,Author Louis L'Amour,The Sacketts

WESTERN TRIP

“L'Amour began bringing his family to Durango in the summers beginning in the mid-1960s, and there he wrote the popular Sackett series of Western novels. The room, available to guests, still includes the desk on which he wrote.”Read More:

Mr. L’Amour is probably my favorite author and I have read all of his books, sometimes more than once.

I was told, “L'Amour would bring his family to Durango for a month or more and stay at the Strater Hotel room 222. His family would be in the adjacent room.”

 He wrote the Sackett series of Western novels from this table.

“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast,and you miss all you are traveling for.” Louis L'Amour

“Durango, Colorado – The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) has designated the historic Strater Hotel Guest Room 222 a Literary Landmark ™ in honor of Twentieth Century American author Louis L’Amour.Saturday, August 25, 2012.” Mr. L’Amour credited his inspiration to the sounds of Honky Tonk piano emanating up from the Strater Hotel’s Diamond Belle Saloon.” Read More

Waiting for a table at the Diamond Belle Saloon.

“A little rest and meditation often saves a lot of riding over rough country.” ― Louis L'Amour

“Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him.”  Louis L'Amour

“Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen” Louis L'Amour

“If you want the law to leave you alone, keep your hair trimmed and your boots shined.”
― Louis L'Amour, The Man Called Noon: A Novel

Diamond Belle Saloon Gunfights, May 21 - October 12, 2012
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - approximately 7:00 p.m. out front of The Belle

Some of the photos are more “scenic” than others LOL

“Knowledge was not meant to be locked behind doors. It breathes best in the open air where all men can inhale its essence.” ― Louis L'Amour, The Haunted Mesa…(check out my blog post:: about Cedar Mesa and The Valley Of The Gods..Is this the Haunted Mesa..I think so..

 Thanks for stopping by. If you are ever at the Diamond Belle Saloon make sure to say Hi…. Joe Todd says, “Thanks for the great service.”

NOTE: All photos are mine except two.. One is from Wikimedia and the other is from The Strater Hotel Web Site. One other photo is from a dining establishment in Silverton…  Go back and look at the photos and see if you can figure out which is which… For more Louis L'Amour quotes CLICK

Technorati Tags: Durango's Strater Hotel,Western history,Louis L'Amour,The Sacketts,Diamond Belle Saloon,Haunted Mesa,Cedar Mesa,My Quality Time

“Fully excavated, the kiva reveals itself as anomalous in having no sipapu” HAUNTED MESA”…

Do you see the sipapu in the above Kiva? (Mesa Verde)

Western Trip: Monument Valley, Valley Of The Gods,Moki Dugway.. A Photo Journey

 

The Push Pin shows the Moki Dugway. The Moki Dugway is a graded dirt switchback road that is carved into the face of the cliff edge of Cedar Mesa.The road was originally built to accommodate the uranium ore trucks in the 1950s.

A view of the Garmin inside the car…

The highway is part of the Utah section of the Trail of the Ancients

A 1000 feet elevation change in 3 miles

Cedar Mesa occupies 475,000 acres of high plateau country in Utah's San Juan County. Exploring Cedar Mesa Is Almost Like Standing On The Edge Of The World.

The above photo is looking down from the top of Cedar Mesa into the Valley Of The Gods. The building is

where we stayed the night.More info in a later post

 

This photo shows some of the underpinning of the road.

Most of this post has been about the Moki Dugway. I will finish with some photos of The Valley Of The Gods and Monument Valley.

Goulding’s is a must stop

After passing the eroded mesas of Monument Valley, highway US 163 crosses 20 miles of rather flat landscape past scattered Navajo houses to Mexican Hat, a small settlement named after a curious formation nearby consisting of a large flat rock 60 feet in diameter perched precariously on a much smaller base at the top of a small hill. (We had a good lunch in Mexican Hat)

Thanks for stopping by.. I’m thinking I may try to revisit this area.. I would like to do a little more exploring.

Technorati Tags: Western Trip,Monument Valley,Valley Of The Gods,Moki Dugway,Photo Journey,quality time