Two-hundred sixty-three Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad passengers found themselves stuck in a two-hour delay on the ride to Silverton Saturday after a mechanical issue caused the train to come to a stop.
The train stopped near Rockwood, about 17 1/2 miles from Durango. No injuries were reported.
D&SNG General Manager Jeff Johnson said Saturday afternoon the mechanical issue was related to one of the locomotive’s wheels, but the exact problem has yet to be determined.
“There was an issue with track or mechanical and we haven't entirely determined what it is just yet,” he said. “But everything's fine and everything's safe and everyone's on the move again, but it did cause about a two-hour delay.”
A D&SNG dispatcher was notified of the stop at 10:03 a.m. The train got rolling again at 12:08 p.m.
When an issue like this arises, D&SNG’s standard operating procedure is to try and get the train moving in one direction as soon as possible, Johnson said. If a delay prevents the train from continuing north to Silverton, another locomotive is dispatched to fetch the stuck one.
If the situation would have caused a delay with an indeterminable timeframe, then dispatch would have sent another train, he said.
“Fortunately, we were able to get the train moving forward and we had good conversations with everyone on board and they were in good spirits and everyone seemed really positive about moving on,” he said.
Passengers had about an hour and a half to spend getting lunch and seeing the sites in Silverton before the train departed, he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
