Durango & Silverton Railroad update

[nunns]

Forgive my ignorance. Was the train closed most of the summer? Is that why there were no publicized FKT attempts for the 14ers this past summer?

Sean Nunn

[TravelingMatt]

Durango lost two if its largest white-collar employers in the past year (yes, I'm bitter), Fort Lewis College is struggling with enrollment, and the river economy has suffered two devastatingly bad seasons thanks to the 2015 Gold King Mine spill and the 2018 drought/fire. The city frankly needs the train to be running. It doesn't have much else going for it.

Then why isn't it dirt cheap to live there?

[justiner]

Forgive me ignorance. Was the train closed most of the summer? Is that why there were no publicized FKT attempts for the 14ers this past summer?

Sean Nunn

Yes. Air quality also suffered for much of the state because of the 416 fire, and many other fires both in CO and in CA (and beyond)

[SWilson]

Then why isn't it dirt cheap to live there?

When I lived in Durango during the 1990's we used to say the quickest way to become a millionaire in Durango was to show up with $2 million and don't stay very long....

[easyridertme]

The city frankly needs the train to be running. It doesn't have much else going for it. That said, DSNGRR can and should take steps to mitigate the risks, even if it means switching away from real coal-fired engines altogether.

Cursory google-fu seems to indicate that it's relatively simple to convert the coal boilers to run on oil, though I couldn't really get a sense of what it would cost. I get that many people are concerned about ruining the aesthetic and americana of running the train traditionally, but it seems like not all that much of it would be lost converting the engines (as opposed to swapping them out for diesel engines). Reduced fire-risk aside, it'd probably be marginally better for the environment, as well.

Is there any movement to try that out?

[DArcyS]

https://www.9news.com/article/news/loca ... -593249287

[SurfNTurf]

Durango lost two if its largest white-collar employers in the past year (yes, I'm bitter), Fort Lewis College is struggling with enrollment, and the river economy has suffered two devastatingly bad seasons thanks to the 2015 Gold King Mine spill and the 2018 drought/fire. The city frankly needs the train to be running. It doesn't have much else going for it.

Then why isn't it dirt cheap to live there?

The cost of living in an idyllic mountain town full of second-homers and old Texas money isn't directly correlated to the health of the local economy. Many businesses in Silverton and Durango both have been forced to shut their doors in the past year. There weren't a ton of jobs in the region to begin with, and it's getting worse. I personally know 35 people who were laid off in March. Almost all were forced to relocate or are currently working 2-3 service industry jobs (which are bolstered by tourism from the train) to continue making ends meet at a fraction of their prior salary.

[nunns]

Durango lost two if its largest white-collar employers in the past year (yes, I'm bitter), Fort Lewis College is struggling with enrollment, and the river economy has suffered two devastatingly bad seasons thanks to the 2015 Gold King Mine spill and the 2018 drought/fire. The city frankly needs the train to be running. It doesn't have much else going for it.

Then why isn't it dirt cheap to live there?

The cost of living in an idyllic mountain town full of second-homers and old Texas money isn't directly correlated to the health of the local economy. Many businesses in Silverton and Durango both have been forced to shut their doors in the past year. There weren't a ton of jobs in the region to begin with, and it's getting worse. I personally know 35 people who were laid off in March. Almost all were forced to relocate or are currently working 2-3 service industry jobs (which are bolstered by tourism from the train) to continue making ends meet at a fraction of their prior salary.

I would bet that you are spot on. A quick look at Remax.com shows 15 houses for sale under $200K, but there are a LOT more for sale over $1M than there are under $200K. My guess is that most of those people buying houses worth $1M or more probably don't work there or even live there year-round, which means they don't contribute much to the local economy. So the town probably has a decent real estate tax base, but not a lot of jobs available, especially jobs that pay well. Mining would be option, but most folks don't like the idea of a large-scale mine anywhere near them. Outside of that, I am not sure what could be done profitably in SW Colorado. I doubt there is even a lot of tourism there, since there are a lot more things to do in places like Aspen, Breck, Dillon, Buena, etc., that have the same basic scenery.

Sean Nunn

[LURE]

Without knowing the numbers, I would argue that Durango has a decent tourism economy. Hot springs, rafting, fishing, even some skiing kinda nearby, also plenty of hunting down there; hunting can bring quite a bit of money to local economies for some cities between September and November. That stuff isn't exactly making most locals rich, though. But at least for the most part it can get people by.

But it's effing far away from Denver.

[IntrepidXJ]

But it's effing far away from Denver.

Sounds like a good thing to me!

[tmud]

We hiked chicago basin over labor day weekend, usually the most crowded weekend of the year. It was more crowded than the rest of the weminuche but still not bad at all, thanks to the train not dropping off hikers. That being said, the train is an absolutely essential part of this community and definitely has the support of a large majority of the town. We don't want it to go anywhere.

My suggestion is for the train to drop off hikers at needleton on alternating years, so not offering the wilderness drop off on odd years for example. It'd be better for the basin, and better for those of us who enjoyed the relative solitude we enjoyed this off-year.

[Ptglhs]

To respond to a couple of people who took what I said out of context and to piggyback off a great suggestion by Tmud, and another member,

I'm not advocating for the train to stop running; it does provide tourist dollars to Durango. It'd be nice if the whole of the Weminuche was one contiguous wilderness area, but that would hurt the local economy. I am saying I wish the train wouldn't take backpackers. Let people hike in from US 550, or from the south into Chicago Basin, just to let the area recover and see a reduced, more sustainable, level of human traffic.

However, if Lure and other hunters here want to help get rid of some of the Mountain Goats overrunning the lower basin, I say we all chip in and get them a helicopter ride and some ammo!