Durango & Silverton Railroad Machine Shop Tour

[@damiensampson7323]

I just love seeing the big machinery Made In the USA. Whatever happened to those days when things were actually made in North America. Awesome to see it even If it's been a couple of hundred years. It's good to know they're still around, and being used.

[@keithlane4343]

In 1975 , I was 14 , and my family of five piled into my Dad's brand new Plymouth Fury, and we drove cross country from Cape Cod, to California, and back. One of our stops was Durango, CO where we took the coal fired train along the river up to Silverton, CO. I can still remember the sulfur smell of the coal burning, and the smell of the discharged steam that moved our train up the mountains. I was into hot rods, but was still very interested in how the engine worked using coal and steam. The engineer was kind enough to explain the process when I asked him when we got to Silverton. Who knew back then I was going to be a machinist for next 40 plus years. Excellent video, and tour of the machine shop. Thank you for sharing.

[@awalker8112]

Thank you John & Adam. Much appreciated.

[@johnburnitin1027]

Great to see the shop, at Durango again. I worked for the D&RGW and did some work there. I was Water Service, out of Pueblo and ran up there to do boiler work at the depot and installed a new water tank, at Hermosa. I always enjoyed working there. The guys in the machine shop were a fun bunch. Friday, after work the foreman would always bring in a case of beer, to end the week. I see they painted the old brick wall so you can't see where the end of the air receiver blew off and went through the wall and down the street. Lot's of history, there. Thanks for the video!

[@TheObersalzburg]

This takes me back to days when people took the time to appreciate and take pride in what they were doing. Most weren't rushing through a day just to get it over. You can tell that Adam and John have that mindset.

[@dezfan]

Amazing to see the machinery that helped to build this country. 👍🏼

[@MrJob91]

sad there is not more people working with them

[@PS-rr2jt]

Dezfan That’s exactly what I was thinking.

[@olronholleran1310]

On my 70th birthady, bacl in 03. I had a tour of the shop as well. I can see they have picked up a few more nachines. I especially liked the old bullard, as I worked for them back in the 60's installing "Tape controls" on them. Always loved the railroads,My grand father worked on them for 42 years. Guess it's in my blood. Thanks for the memories. Gramps

[@nebtheweb8885]

You're 90 years old? Impressive!

[@randallfawc7501]

Isn't that just the coolest stuff! I love Durango. Lived there from 78 to 85. Because I have friends there I take a motorcycle trip out there from OKC most every summer. Just a beautiful area of the country! Hope you had a great time out there.

[@jeffanderson1653]

I love these railroad machine shops. We have a narrow gauge museum in Nevada City Ca., I asked one of the guys in the machine shop how do I volunteer when I retire? He said, if you can run a mill or a lathe just stop on by, we’ll put you to work. Dream come true, railroad equipment and machine tools. Keep these videos coming Abom!!

[@garywills5682]

Many of those babies i did my apprentice ship on. Working 72 hour work weeks. Repairing steel mill roller shafts n bearing blocks- 2,000 lbs each casting. Bored on the vbm and outside on open sided planer. Set up tools 12lb sledge hammer and 6' pry bar. Worked our butts off but id do it all over again. Learned a lot from those old machinst n friends.

[@VacFink]

Abby has a good eye for composition and light, the photos at the end are great.

[@TgWags69]

Why are the machinists on the railroad the best??? They get the most TRAINing 😉👍

[@kennethkustren9381]

The Construct has been Engineered to Rail against Mishaps. Superior Training. No impasse can stall the weighty loads bearing down on that Track. 2 Green Lights.

[@encorepermian]

Bam Dad Joke. This is a great content comment.

[@johnwarren5939]

A true Railroad Machinist serves 1004 days as an apprentice (slightly over 4 years) before becoming a Journeyman. Mine was recorded with the Department of Labor, apprenticeship standards in Washington DC when I become a rookie journeyman machinist over 60 years ago. However in today's world a Railroad Machinist Apprentice may only receive about 3 months in a machinist shop if the facility actually has a machine shop, most journeymen now are heavy diesel mechanics, working on locomotives, is now only a Craft name from the days of steam.

[@billlee5307]

Fantastic video! Iron, steel, brass and bronze. Lots of oil! And little if any plastic! Thanks Abby, Adam and John!

[@ericschwab409]

I really enjoyed this video. My grandfather was a brakeman on the same narrow gauge line in the 1930’s when it was owned and operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Western. My great grandfather worked as a machinist in the roundhouse in Alamosa, Colorado on the division of the line where engine 478 was once based. I know my grandfather worked and rode on trains 478 pulled from Alamosa to Chama, New Mexico and then on to Durango. I saw the roundhouse in Durango many years ago and remember how busy the Durango shed was at one time. That was long before the big fire. There are still four or five other roundhouses or engine sheds in existence/operation in Colorado (Silver Plume, Golden,, Durango, and defunct ones in Alamosa and Como). The last standard gauge engine maintenance facility (diesel) closed a couple of years ago in Denver. At one time there were three or four huge maintenance operations. Oh how things change! Thanks for posting this video, Adam! 👍🏻🥃

[@fergiebiker]

Hey this is an awesome vid. I got stuck in Durango about 9 years ago when my Harley had the exhaust crack. Luckily the master welder on the railroad was able to fix it, but it gave my dad and I a day to explore the city. I wish I could have gone in and saw the machine shop.

[@JJJohnson-e7h]

Lived in Durango for about a year and rode the narrow gauge once. Great tour. Amazing to see those massive machines and the fact that they're still cranking out parts.

[@deanfranks8242]

I was born there in 1951. My mom and dad in 23 and 21. Still have a lot of family there. I have to ride the old D and RGW. every time I visit. one of those engines was made the year mom was born. My dad helped build the million dollar hiway,550 your route down the mountain after WW2. Enjoy your vids. very much. this one was special. Kinda like going home. I noticed the sign on the old Strater Hotel that was kinda cool too. No American lathes at my house. Have an old Hendey and a 17 inch Leblond Regal couple of mills and such to play with. Not too serious anymore. I have some fun . Really enjoy your videos. Dean Franks

[@187train]

Thanks Adam, I’m a railroader, I’m a carman, we inspect and fix all forms of train cars. I don’t get to do the kind of precision stuff you mechanists get to do, you guys have some beautiful tools, I could do my job with a torch, hammer or rock, 15/16’s, 3/4, 9/16’s wrenches and sockets. They don’t care how it looks as long as it’s fixed. Love your videos, your knowledge and love for the craft is something that keeps me watching, thanks again my man. You have me wanting to switch trades.

[@jonsey3645]

Wow! Thanks Adam and Mrs., that was a real treat.

[@davewilson9924]

Wow! I lived in and around Durango and LaPlata County for 30 years, but never got to see the machine shop at the DNS RR. I have to watch it on You Tube from Abom! Great!! Great pictures. You have to remember that they have to make all their own parts; you can't just go to the local locomotive retail store and pick them up!

[@62forged]

My grandfather, a retired machinist, and myself road the Durango and Silverton in '79.

[@tomholtz6369]

Thank you Abby and Adam for this great shop tour. A few years ago I made a tour with the Durango Silverton Railroad. It was a great tour. During the shop tour I saw a lot of big machines but the are mostly really unorganized. If seems to me that the machinist do not clean the machines up after a job is finished. I guess the machinist spend a lot of time with searching tools.. I personally do not like cleaning a machine first before starting a new job. Adam, you shop Organisation is really perfect. I recommend that the Durango machinist watch your dos and don’t video.

[@oldgrumpy]

Boy.....this bring back memories. Got something in my eye.....

[@TheTacktishion]

That was a real "SHOP TOUR"... Great to see the heavy metal in use....! Great Job...!

[@maggs131]

Yes much different than that disaster shop he and kieth toured that looked more like a dungeon

[@shaneroper5470]

Pretty neat seeing the mechanisms behind the mechanisms.

[@keithlane7471]

Awesome shop tour. I love those big old machines. When you start them up you can feel it in the floor. My family and I took a ride on those trains for a day in 1975 . We drove cross country from New England to CA that Summer. The Silverton train ride had to be one of the highlights. I was only 14 but was already working in a machine shop at home. Wish I could have seen the train maintenance machine shop. Thank you for sharing your tour. Take care

[@philipgibson9566]

Had the pleasure of a trip on this line back in late 80s, I think was told they used a howitzer to clear avalanche threats. Was intrigued by the way the railroad was lashed with cable back to the pins at the cliffs. I did notice on the links to slide control a pan head coach bolt? I was a marine engineer and can't help noticing little inpefections. A great asset to have running, and for learning skills.

[@THEBOSS-vn2ky]

I love what the kid says. I'm not a fan of these big machines. Good job kid. Oh 🤔. Love it.

[@stevehale7309]

Enjoyed the video, spent 4 years in the NAVY part of it was on a repair ship out of Norfolk Va. USS VULCAN (AR5), worked in the machine shop and identified numerous machines we also had. Our "BEAST" was a 72" KING VTL that was built into the shop, part of the ship was also the top rail, man that was a monster. Also had a ROCKFORD 144" Open Side Planer, several NILES and a couple of BULLARD VTL's and 2 big Horizontal Boring Mills. Great that you could get into the shop and your tour guide was very informative. Again, GREAT VIDEO!

[@zfeller53]

I worked here for almost 4 years about 4 years ago as a machinist. It was a great place to learn to work with manual machines, (my favorite was the polish and quartering machine) the war baby Bullard is driven by a leather belt and the staples that keep it together was so rhythmic it had almost put me to sleep when turning the tires. The homemade machine he didn't show was an old lathe bed with an 8ft arm that pivots where the headstock would have been and a grinder on the other end to grind the radius in the radius arms (8ft-ish radius). The number of comments about the cleanliness of the shop is hilarious to me (and not surprising) and that was clean, machines were maintained decently but chip bins were usually half full and the floors were always dirty. There is a joke about how most machinists could not make it here (and after working in a "clean shop" most of the guys here would not like it there), also like John said in the summer your a mechanic first, machinist second, also no prints. I used an original print once to machine a cylinder head, most parts on the engines have been fixed so many times that an Original print would not work, you had to make your own. I now work at a machine shop a few miles away that has 4 CNC mills, 5 CNC lathes, and a handful of manuals. The DSNG has been coined the "training ground" for my current company because we have had over a dozen guys over 40 years start at the DSNG machine shop and move here. It was a huge shock to go from "dirt tolerance" (enough room for dirt to escape), to now I'm running a part with +0.0003, -0.0 diameter tolerance. I do miss the excitement in the summer running up and down the engines, working swing shift trying to keep those engines running.

[@mauricelevy9027]

What a wonderful machine shop ,Not a CNC machine in sight .Love to see those big wheel lathes in use some time.Please go back again Adam .

[@harryhopkins7798]

Thanks for taking us along on the tour and thanks to John for showing you around!

[@markandrews7701]

Makes me homesick for Colorado. Never rode that train but spent a lot of time in the montains all over the state.

[@joycemiller4716]

Rode the train with my daughter a few years ago love from England

[@peterhodgkins6985]

What a great tour!! I used to spend a lot of time in Durango during the late 80s through late 80s in the oil/gas/power gen field. Saddens me that I never got to ride the train. But with the advent of technology, I can now get to see what I missed! Oh to be a young man again...

[@Dave_9547]

Nice to see a shop full of good old American iron, still being productive.

[@artemis6522]

Saludos carnal te sigo desde hace 3 años es mi canal favorito tengo 33 años pero me enseñe en el taller de mi papá que empaz descanse pero seguimos y soy tornero de la vieja guardia como tú es una profesión muy bonita hacemos puro jale de Chrysler desde hace casi 30 años saludos hermano

[@ronjohnson2073]

From North Alabama, we rode one of these trains about 4 years ago and we really enjoyed it..! Thanks for the “background “ tour..!

[@rpmautodoc]

Cumbres and Toltec is worth the price of admission too. Had a great ride, lunch, and the hospitality on the train was second to none, but I would recommend opting for the better car....There was only four of us in it and a waiter that couldn't keep our stuff full fast enough...It was awesome. Also got to tour the southern pacific centennial steam loco machine shop car. Had connections w/ the railroad police, so while everyone else got the "tourist" version, I got to see it all....

[@johnw.peterson4311]

The heart and soul of American industrial might. God this is impressive.

[@charlescartwright6367]

Aloha Abom, Thanks for your sharing, that is my old stomping grounds, I worked across the street at the highway department shop, its no longer there, for 21 years back it the 70's and 80's, as the machinist I could look out the window and see that operation. between Alamosa and Chama there was a lot of historical iron available and I am so happy to seeing it used and restored, I am also happy to see the progress made in the shops of the railroad. You can't believe in the progress they have made since I was there.

[@rigeltheostrich4791]

I’ve been on that train. The scenery is just beautiful. Durango isn’t that far from were I live.

[@FriendsPride]

She knows how to capture so much more in a picture.

[@jonathangriffin1120]

I can SMELL that shop even from t'other side of The Pond!

[@ksingleton101]

I'll never understand why we have such short lives. There are so many things that I find interesting and wish I had to time to learn how to use. With the technology we have now it almost becomes possible to know nothing but still being able to do things we never imagined we could. Keep up the videos and teaching us all the things there are and possibilities there are for us in life.

[@DonCormack]

“We have this 300t homemade wheel press” Abom: Meh. Also Abom: Look at this bench vice!

[@REV_O1]

I love trains. It's one of the reasons I became a machinist!

[@NikolasEdrich]

Are you a railroad machinist?

[@REV_O1]

I build and drive steam locomotives as a hobby. I own 2 live steam locomotives. One for 7½" gauge & another I'm building for 4¾" gauge. Professionally, I do CNC machining for a small company.

[@NikolasEdrich]

@@REV_O1 that's awesome. I'm currently getting my associates degree in manual and cnc machining

[@durangotang1681]

Oddly enough I was telling a co worker about your channel a year or two ago. Told him you got some big boy lathes. He asked if I’d ever been to the trains machine shop when I told him I used to work there, (cleaning the cars.). Said,”they got some of the biggest lathes you’ve ever seen.” Now I get to see them lol.

[@napalm6346]

That's awesome, I ran a big cnc gray vertical lathe some twenty years ago refurbishing 24" railroad wheels for support equipment

[@me391985]

Dude!!!! I love that train. Rode it as a kid. I grew up in those mountains and its just the prettiest place

[@BryceKimball7.3]

mitch edgar I also rode it a couple times as a kid. I’m from Kansas and rode I twice growing up. I loved going to Silverton with my Dad. He would’ve thought this video was awesome.

[@bennyrooman8257]

Merci monsieur Adams pour cette formidable visite dans un atelier de réparation des vielles locomotives qui ont permises le développement de nos pays. B. Rooman à Bruxelles.

[@davidpetersonharvey]

I like the way they had fun and kidded him during the interview.

[@StevenHess]

Great video and still photos. Two things I love machine tools and steam trains.

[@deanrobert8674]

The power of steam, hope this workshop stays operational will into the future. Where I live it was shut down sold of all the tools and leveled 1988. It serviced all the rail stock from the east to the west coast of Australia, made a lot of men cry that day.

[@jwardcomo]

Best train ride in the world.

[@AMRosa10]

This is one of those times when I wish that Adam was better at talking with and interviewing people on camera. I appreciate that the audience is interested in the machines, but the human aspect of the people who run those machines is also interesting. John appears to be a rather young guy. Would have been great to hear his story on how he ended up becoming a machinist for a steam-powered railroad. I'd even love if Adam would do more interview type videos with people like Andrew Alexander. He must have a fascinating story about how he got to where he got to, but in the end, all we know is he's got thousands of anvils.

[@thomasmccourt215]

Definitely worth the bus ride for the shop tour

[@evbunke2]

So happy to see that Lucas boring mill. We had one of those in school, made during WWII, it was overkill for us but I loved it because once you learned how to make it dance for you, it felt so good.

[@KSMike1]

Fascinating. I took the trip in 2003, and won’t ever forget it. I believe Ed Dickens paid some dues on the D&SNGRR, and now we have a fully operational Big Boy to show for it.

[@tedsaylor6016]

Adam, you simply MUST take the pilgrimage to Cheyenne and meet Ed Dickens and his Team.

[@johnemery3933]

Hi Adam I really enjoyed this video, I did my apprentiship on the NSW railways in Australia in 60's when steam was still in use and the tour of the roundhouse and all the machinery brought back so many memories as the machines were what I was trained on and had a great time learning my trade. Steam was great.

[@clydedecker765]

Magnificent country. I drove through and stayed in Ouray just beyond Silverton. Well worth the trip and Ouray is quaint and friendly.

[@johnwarren5939]

Wow that brought back a ton of memory's when I was a working at SP as a machinist foreman.

[@peterhaan9068]

Damn, why isn't there a double thumbs up button?

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

I miss working at the plant where I was in maintenance. We made a lot of the parts that we needed due to long lead times on factory replacements. Most of the time we made them better that the original to prevent the failures that had occurred. Great video!!!

[@louisnemick1939]

Thank you John.

[@davidh266]

Some nice machines, in ireland there was a large company, bord na mona, which used to harvest turf from bogs, they used narrow gauge trains to bring turf in to a powerstation. they made special machines using tractors to help, Harvest the peat. Its all going away now due to carbon change, sad day as it was a major employer in a rural area. They had a great workshop, it must have been interesting going from machining parts to fixing tractor to looking after trains

[@JDevine687]

Man this is cool. My parents brought me here in the 90's and me and my dad got to tour the shop. Really awesome to see again ~25 years later. One of these days I'll make it back out there. Thanks for posting this Adam!

[@MrJTJINX]

Amazing, thank you very much for making this vid. UK/England is miles away but rail heritage is just awe inspiring no matter which of our great nations you are in. My partner and i used to spent time up in the Catskills the little railroad up there was nice to see, never got to ride the train as the track had been washed out in the floods. The life that comes out of old steam engines is just so inspiring and addictive - probably made all engineers want to be engineers. To see inside the workshops as well, bonus.

[@barrysimmons4724]

This was fabulous. Thanks so much.

[@nolandraper3504]

Nice to see how they maintenance and rebuild everything. Massive machining!

[@oldpup2182]

Thanks for this vid. Brings back memories of when I worked in oil filed machine shops back in the 70's to mid 80's.

[@TheJimbob1603]

Wonderful tour ..... enjoyed it very much. If you are ever in the Boston area, check out the North Woburn Machine Co; in Woburn Ma. It is a machine/maintenance shop originating from the late 1800s .... a wonderful place to see old machines & tooling of the era used in support of the fledgling leather industry; you’d enjoy it. The place should be a museum! Stay safe and sane!

[@dr.feelgood2358]

nice. i've been there once about 11 years ago. I would have loved a machine shop tour.

[@artemis6522]

En esta profesión nunca acabas de aprender saludos desde Monterrey mexico la ciudad de las montañas y de los mejores torneros de México🤟

[@arizonabuckeye]

You need to try and check out the railroad machine shop in Jamestown California - all gold rush era machines that all still fully operate on a single live axle that runs down the middle of the shop.

[@davidpetersonharvey]

Oh, suhweet!

[@scottfindlay2625]

I'm gald you were able to make this trip, i've ridden that train many decades ago, its an experience you'll never forget.. and that is the same locomotive that took me, my dad, and my brother...

[@Trident_Euclid]

Man. That's one beautiful train station

[@thallmeister]

14:12 That's a nice sized Carlton, I think you'd like the one we use at work Adam. It's a Carlton 10'x26" that we use for drilling 9'x15' dies also with the 90 degree base. I should try to get a picture of it for you.

[@lateatday9826]

Can you email me a pic if you find one at [e-mail] Thank you.

[@opichocal]

Super cool! I’ve always wanted to see a train museum and learn more about them. 👍👍

[@T-rock_chr0n1c]

Nice clean shop . Beauty.

[@spnynorman5519]

I want to use that big-ass grinder to touch-up one of my 1/16-inch drill bits. I went to Colorado in 1972 when in 5th grade on vacation with my parents. Beautiful state. I was living in AZ at the time and thought we had mountains. No. Colorado has mountains !

[@mealex303]

Why do ylu keep askibg do people want to support the channel? I feel you're set for life at this point and have 10x more than most of your viewers.

[@compt3ck]

Durango is one of my favorite mountain towns. Great historical station.

[@billdaniels5957]

Very nice of them to give you that shop tour. Thanks for the video Keep up the good work !!!!

[@jefftaylor7511]

What a great video! Saw things I wished to see my entire life. Thank you Adam.

[@MrFHLH]

Do like that new saw your bought, went through it like butter, already paying its way. Good tools are always a good investment. That wonderful hold growth timber what lovely stuff to work with and I bet it smells wonderful when your cutting it.

[@tcoiler]

Welcome to Colorado!

[@jonweisbecker7713]

ahhh glad you got to go before the change that happened. they now use oil burners instead of coal. they changed due to the risk of fire. Love riding that train.

[@forrestaddy9644]

That American 48 (about 6:00) lathe with faceplate drive is the twin brother of the lathe I ran off and on for 15 years. Unstoppable. You could peel perfect tinfoil chips from cuts 3" wide on work 40" diameter. I bet I scored three dozen 30 and 70 ton winch drums on that lathe. Bored multi-start threads on breech rings timed to the cradle lug. I know I drove a million steam turbine buckets refurbing SSTG and main engine rotors. We had the motor arranged with a reversing contactor and a portable Start/Stop/Rev control station we could take right to the saddle. With a little practice, you could stop/jog/stop to 1/32" of the anchor hole in the winch drum. And yes, it did railroad wheels too but I'd rather machine them on a VBM unless they're already on the axle. Great machine but you'd better start the day with a good breakfast. The carriage traverse frequently broke down so you could sweat a shirt through on a cool day cranking the carriage back 12 feet. A manly lathe if ever there was one. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@paulehlers2225]

I'm having flash backs. I went to work for the Denver & Rio-Grande Western in 1979 when the D&RGW still had & operated the Durango narrow gauge. I worked in the main back shop in Denver called the Burnham shop. I spent time working in both the wheel shop & the main machine shop. Every winter the narrow gauge shop in Durango would send us parts to machine & rehab. including entire passenger cars, locomotive tenders & wheel sets including the locomotive drivers to have new tires installed on the wheels. I've ran many machines similar to those shown in this video. The cool part of those machines was they all had brass tag's on them that said " This machine conforms to the orders of the war production board" These tags were put on during world war-II. I sure wish I would have thought ahead and got pictures of the cool stuff in the shop when I first hired-in. I retired in 2017 after 39 years as a railroad machinist. All those cool machines are long gone, they closed the Burnham shop in 2016 & I was the last Rio-Grande machinist to retire. Even though it was the Union Pacific at the time I retired, I'll always consider myself a Rio-Grande guy. Thanks for bringing me back in time!!

[@Roboticdoughbull3k]

Great share, thanks so much! A place I worked at years ago in Greencastle Pennsylvania called Beck manufacturing, they had several of the double headed pipe threaders and such. Strictly a pipe and nipple manufacturing operation, at least 20 years ago anyhow. Just figured I'd mention but it was actually a grueling repetitive job lol. Can't say I miss that but I do miss my machining experiences setting up the Mazak M1 I believe it was. Only held one program at a time but otherwise it was a good girl. Just the way it was designed. Later ran the M5 but only as a reliable operator. Now days it's just me and my Chinese Cummins 7x14 mini lathe down in the shop, have a drill press too that counts 🤣🤔.

[@JollyRoger150]

I share your love for tools, great video!

[@imranpathan2837]

Superb video I like this heavy machines work shop

[@raylansall6764]

Very interesting tour, thanks for sharing..

[@lincreed-nickerson7949]

probably not that much interest, but an air brake shop tour would have been a nice addition to a really good video. I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago to make some measurements on their flue swaging machine, which we duplicated for out shop.

[@kcraig51]

Really cool place. Lots of big iron. A shop I worked at a few years ago have a couple of American Pacemakers (war era). Best lathes in the house. Real workhorses!

[@carlwhite8225]

So very cool how you can sniff out a Machine Shop and Abbie seems to enjoy it too.

[@johnblack6447]

So glad you got to look through these shops Adam. So much awesome history....so lucky to check the machine shop out.

[@buckhanan363]

Thanks to Abby for those great still shots. Beautiful.

[@willjosephson]

I rode this train as a kid! Wish I'd got to see the machine shop as a kid.