The Weekly photo challenge is Nostalgia.
What better item for Nostalgia than an old steam engine train from 1923. We just got back from a vacation. We went to Durango, Colorado. We bought tickets to go on the coal steam train to Silverton, CO. It is an all day trip. The tracks are not as wide as regular train tracks.
The seats are smaller too so it is kind of uncomfortable to squeeze into that seat with someone for 7 hours. The train really rocks and lunges and it is hard to walk to the next car, the concession car. They sold a cup with a lid for all the refills you want for $8.50. The trick was walking from one car to the next with the drink in your hand. I needed to hang on so I pushed the drink into my sweatshirt pocket.
When you go to step on the ramp, the ramp shifts quickly from side to side and it scares me. It seemed like the concession car really rocked so it was really hard to stand while waiting to be waited on. I got hot chocolate, which tasted really good, but so hot. The second serving I got, the lady put a little ice in it for me. It was much better to drink.
The train had to stop a couple of times to fill up with water. This is the train stopped, filling up with water. The water was spilling over the sides of the train car.
We stopped at Silverton, CO for 2 and a half hours. We got there a little after noon. We walked around this old town. The streets are dirt and mud. They only had 1 paved street. We found this old saloon, restaurant and went in and ate lunch. We had the best lunch ever in that place.
I even walked up to engine and had my picture taken beside it. The thing spews out ash, when I got home I had chunks of ash in my hair. It was cold and raining so I bought a sweatshirt that said Silverton, CO and put it on over my t-shirt and then also had on a zip up sweatshirt. It is 9,000 feet high in Silverton.
It was a fun, but long day. When we got off the train for lunch, the conductor said that people that were taking the bus back could catch it at 3:oo pm. We didn’t know that you could take the bus back. I would have done that. The train goes 20 miles per hour. It is so slow.
I want to take that train ride some day.
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I would do the train ride there and the bus ride back unless you like a long, long ride back to go 45 miles.
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Such a beautiful place! Old memories of Silverton and Durango – though I never got to take the train. Thanks for a tour down memory lane. 🙂
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The train goes along a river that turns into a deep canyon. It is a beautiful place.
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I have been enchanted to read your post and see the wonderful pictures . of course this steam train is not the top of the comfort but It let us the time to live at our pace and not in constant hurry .
I have the nostalgy of steam trains that was fonctionning in France until the years 50’s . The locomotives were like living monsters , amaeing.
Thanks Connie
Love ❤
Michel
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It was like stepping back in time to ride it.
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this time of the year when the trees are changing is the time of the year to go on that trip…an ur right bout the round trip is a long ordeal whew………..but well werth it to me especially in the fall when the trees are a changinN! 🙂
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beautiful photos…..you captured the essence of it all
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Thank you. It was a wonderful trip.
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