Narrow Gauge Alcos on the Durango and Silverton

[@Rob789-2]

Just be glad these locos are being preserved. The WP&Y GE Class 90s are currently being used for rip rap.

[@evanstauffer4470]

That's especially sad, since they had them rebuilt with new Cummins engines just a few years ago. What happened?

[@rdsieben]

They look brand spanking new!

[@Bradley38]

@@evanstauffer4470 I thought the same thing! WP&Y was bought by Carnival Cruise Lines in 2018... And it is ALL about maximizing profit, with no value placed on the history of the line.

[@princessofthecape2078]

While I love ALCOs, I cannot imagine spending out the nose to ride the Durango and Silverton and not getting a steam train.

[@freymaster4449]

I guess good thing they let you choose what you want to ride on?

[@robertmoreau9382]

They are converting the steam engine from coal to oil.

[@freymaster4449]

@@robertmoreau9382 they currently have 4 running steam engines that are oil burners

[@BurtonSKnowles]

Fantastic!! Never thought I would see this!! Thank you for posting.

[@saltleywsc]

superb video ! Love those Locos!

[@tylertownzen1663]

We rode the steam train back in June but the diesel left before it did so we got to watch it leave. The horns on this loco are LOUD.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

Interesting how the bass horn overblows by an octave, some of the time. And those ALCOs are acting as honorary steam locomotives with their heavy smoke some of the time. While this is common on diesels, I've heard ALCOs were espcially infamous for that.

[@RAILTravelers]

Awesome

[@stevensolway1054]

Originally, the DRGW Narrow made a lot of Hollywood movies in the 1940s tp 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s with Legendary stats mike Jimmy Stewart or Dan Daley who included Marilyn Monroe in a very early appearance in the comedy "TICKET TO TOMAHAWK"; and yhe famous head long crash and Explosions of the 2 smaller 2-8-0 Consolidation s in the 1950s, WOW !! BOOOOM!!!!!

[@erikhilsinger9421]

Those should be green and yellow......

[@WasatchGarandMan]

One of the very rare times the Diesels are a bit more interesting then the Steam

[@hoosiernick]

Those horns! Wow! Who tuned them?

[@ЛЬВИНИ]

Very nice, like

[@Hornhausen]

Nice video.

[@mtbpirates]

Will be there next week!

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

That is a peculiar horn on that lead locomotive I’ve never heard a horn chime like that I’m curious to ask what is it

[@cowcatcherstudios5759]

Nathan 3rd gen K5LA

[@SOU6900]

Sounds like it needs some tuning.

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

@@SOU6900 sounds like it does it sounds like some of the horn notes are fowled

[@fibopol9805]

G'day Mate!! Kind regards from Bs As. Argentina, amazing footage... Could you please tell if the narrow gauge is 1000mm, 1067mm or any otgher?? All the best, Rodolfo

[@jml8975]

3ft Imperial. Not sure what that is in metric.

[@rottenroads1982]

3ft Gauge is the Standard Narrow Gauge of North America.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

These Alcos do not lack any black smoke compared with steam. They are old Yukon & White Pass locomotives?

[@capnclawhammer3024]

Many old diesels burned heavy fuel and thus produced lots of smoke. Also, what became the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge was originally largely a branch of the much larger Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, which transitioned to diesel from steam beginning in the mid-1950s (though I 'm vastly oversimplifying the actual history and process involved). I don't know the provenance of these diesels, but it wouldn't surprise me to find them to be reconditioned D&RGW stock.

[@TrainsInFocus]

@@capnclawhammer3024 ​@Tom-Lahaye is correct. These are former WP&Y locomotives. The D&RGW owned only one narrow gauge diesel, #50 which is currently at the Colorado Railroad Museum. It's a 30 ton Davenport switcher that was bought in 1963 to serve as the Durango switch engine. They did test some larger variable/convertible gauge engines for the US Army but never actually owned any or kept any. One anachronism of the D&RGW, is that it never dieselized it's narrow gauge system. By the 1950s and '60s management wanted the narrow gauge gone, and one way to get the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to allow a railroad to abandon a line was to demonstrate that it was too costly to operate and maintain it. Steam engines helped the D&RGW's case in that respect, as they're more expensive to maintain and operate than diesels, and so there was no desire to replace them. On the other hand, the WP&Y wasn't interested in abandoning their route, being a major route for mining in the Yukon. In fact, they were very forward thinking in that respect. They started buying road diesels in 1954 with GE "shovel noses." And in 1956 introduced an intermodal container system including owning a ship to transport them, to further improve efficiencies. These are former WP&W Montreal Locomotive Works built "Alco" powered road engines (DL-535E/MLW-Worthington Model Series C-14). They were built in the 1969 and 1970 (with 4 more built in 1982 by Bombardier). They have 1200 HP Alco 6-251D prime movers with GE 764pc2 traction motors. Due to increased ridership (at least partially from Skagway accepting 4000+ passenger cruise ships) and concerns with the reliability and efficiency an aging relatively low horse power locomotive fleet, the WP&Y is replacing most of their old MLW and GE locomotives with more modern higher horse power units in day to day service. As part of the process, they sold off several of the MLW engines. The D&SNG bought 4 (101, 103, 106, & 107), the C&TS bought 1 (114). US Gypsum in Plaster City, Ca. also owns 2 (111 & 112) though they originally had 3 but one was destroyed in 1992 (these were all bought back in 1991 though). The WP&Y has also, sadly, relegated a handful of even older, arguably more historic GEs to serve as land slide protection along the Railroad Pier (southern most cruise ship dock). Most of these have also been offered for sale, but as far as I know none have sold yet.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

@@TrainsInFocus Thanks for the extended amount of information on these locomotives. Now the D&SNG has motive power in case there are fire hazard steam bans in operation, although they are less likely to be imposed if the steam engines are oil fired. I don't know if the D&SNG uses oil firing and on how many locomotives.

[@TrainsInFocus]

@@Tom-Lahaye My understanding from what I've read, is that all the steam engines on the D&S are now oil fired. That's said, while that's a lower fire risk than coal, it still poses more of a fire risk than the internal combustion diesels. Plus from an operational perspective, if there's a mechanical problem with a train, the MLWs can be kept cold, started in 10s of minutes, and run at track speed with a full train. The previous D&S diesels were all industrial engines that weren't really well suited to the task of pulling trains over the line regularly. They worked in a pinch, and for work trains, but the weren't really ideal either.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

@@TrainsInFocus That's a bonus too that you have proper rescue locomotives without needing to have a reserve steam engine under steam or the rescue taking up to a couple of hours to get an engine from another train and bring it to the stranded train.

[@ejnordberg]

I assume this is the option during high wildfire danger.

[@professormetal4411]

Well all of the Durango & Silverton steam engines are oil fired now, there's not any sparks to start fires that come along with that. These ALCO locomotives are old enough to be desirable in the eyes of railfans as far as preservation and excursions are concerned. That's why it's cool to see video of these.

[@aleu650]

👏👏👏

[@jamieharmer5654]

Gday from 🇦🇺.....i had no idea USA had some narrow Gauge.....does USA have any Broad Gauge ?

[@MK.5198]

Not in any used in preservation operation afaik. none certainly in freight revenue service. maybe a tram or trolley museum or two? We re-gauged 98% of our broad gauge nearly over night during the civil war and haven't looked back since. bit of a shame really.

[@stryk46]

The only “broad” gauge I know of is the SanFrancisco BART system which is a five foot gauge.

[@rdsieben]

There is another railway in Southern California with a 3' gauge. It uses Bombardier engines that was intended for WP and YR before they closed in 1982

[@DavidUrban-y3c]

Does this mean we will never see steam on this line ever again. Or has nostalgia gone out of the window?

[@Cilla0415]

They still run steam. And they fully plan keep steam. But demand is so high, that they use the diesels to run more trains.

[@DavidUrban-y3c]

​@Cilla0415 ok, thanks for clearing that up.

[@blackbirdgaming8147]

@@DavidUrban-y3cNarrow gauge diesels in North America are a rarity. I for one would feel privileged to see one in action

[@ryancampbell4119]

@@blackbirdgaming8147I think their is a narrow gauge line in California that still does modern freight operations and uses modern diesels

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

@@ryancampbell4119 yep, US Gypsum in Plaster City.