Like me, most Durangoans assume that the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s economic benefits to our local community come through ticket sales. This seems especially true at Christmas when tourists flock to Durango to ride the Polar Express. I didn’t realize that the train station also has an active industrial zone where skilled craftsmen make replacement parts for the Durango train’s many engines.
This Spring, I met with Dan Webb, a 42-year veteran of the Durango train, and he gave me a fascinating tour of the entire facility. Dan looked fit for the role, from his blue suspenders to his engineer’s hat.
“The parts arrive cast and then are machined at the roundhouse,” Webb explained. “We’ve been fabricating parts for the train as long as they’ve run the train.”
I must confess that when Dan politely explained this aspect of the DSNGRR to me, I was embarrassed. Of course, it’s obvious: the Durango train had to fabricate its parts. It’s not as though, back in the 19th century, they could order replacement parts from Amazon.
Our walk through the “roundhouse” was amazing.
“We used to get parts from Salida and Alamosa, but now we do everything in the roundhouse,” Webb explained.
In the roundhouse, a team of seven welders, nine machinists, and eight general laborers are assigned to repair the fleet of engines owned by the train station. A separate machinist team works exclusively on the four new diesel engines recently purchased by DSNGRR. In addition to keeping the engines running smoothly, craftsmen are assigned to perform the “outside work.” I soon realized that “outside work” was how Dan referred to the many train repair projects from around the country for the Durango craftsmen to repair at the roundhouse. It’s an additional economic benefit the train provides for Durango.
I was sad that my tour had come to an end and was heartened to learn from
Dan that in the first week of May, the DSNGRR will host a Train Day in front of the Depot featuring the Bar D Wranglers. I’ve marked my calendar.
By Phil Brown
