Pagosa Springs, CO train related thing to do.

Well, depending on the weather, and snow, I don't know whether it will be too sporty to drive around much, but the area is part of the Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge history, with Pagosa Junction south on the Navajo Reservation.  You can follow the old roadbed past railroad stations and bridges from Pagosa Springs, through old Pagosa Junction, down to Dulce, (I think) in New Mexico.  The famous Pagosa Junction store, on reservation property at Pagosa Junction (Gato) was moved from there to Pagosa Springs, when I last, some years ago, checked at the museum.  Pagosa Junction/Springs was the route of that often modeled, in HO and On3, combine coach caboose.   It is a fairly high pass to cross between Pagosa Springs and Durango, and I do not know if the Durango and Silverton steam narrow gauge between those two towns (which I thought ran some in the winter) is running.  Alamosa, some distance east has displayed Rio Grande narrow gauge rolling stock, and south out of there, at Antonito is the Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge, with their very interesting Chama, New Mexico yard south and west, further still (but over two high mountain passes).  I would sure check the weather forecasts.

My road atlas shows Durango directly west of Pagosa Springs (as the crow flies...160 winds quite a bit) but while I may be thinking of Wolf Creek Pass, I was thinking there was another hump to get over between Durango and Bayfield to its east, but....maybe not.  Map does not show one.

Looks like the weather should be pretty good for your trip, considering the time of year.  The Durango & Silverton does often run a winter train.  It is a beautiful ride:  http://www.durangotrain.com/  Pagosa Springs is just an hour east and there is only one minor pass of sorts, Yellow Jacket Pass, but it isn't usually a problem if it isn't snowing heavily.  A new railroad-themed scenic byway was approved in the spring of last year, called the Tracks Across Borders Byway which travels existing backcountry roads along the old route in SW Colorado and Northern New Mexico.  See maps attached.  The road from Juanita, CO to Dulce, NM is not advisable to pass in the winter, but it is worth the trip to Chama to see the Cumbres and Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad.  There are numerous YouTube videos of both railroads in Durango and Chama worth checking out.

Pagosa Springs was a location central to the logging industry back in the 1800's and early 1900's and there is a lot of railroad remnants and history in the surrounding area.  There are a couple of good books on the history at the Ruby Sisson Library in Pagosa Springs: "Logging Along the Denver & Rio Grande" by Gordon S. Chappell and "Pagosa Lumber Company Railroads and Sawmills: an historical record from 1880 to 1922" by Rober Sullenberger.  Have fun on your trip!

All,

Thank you very much for your inputs. 

Muriel, those maps are great.  Those RRs look like they would be fun to model if I wasn't into big steam  I will check out the areas.

Again, thanks.

Thanks for those book recommendations!!  I will have to track them down.   Had heard before of P.S. being a logging center, and forgot about it.  Just spent one night in Pagosa Springs some years ago, and have not been there in SW Colorado in the winter.  Was in Denver for a few days on business one year and it was COLD.  There was a museum/historical society? on the north side of the road on the east side of P.S., but only stopped once where I was told the store at Pagosa Junction had been moved to the Springs.   Is that store now on display?  The Grande narrow gauge HAD "big steam" (Mikados).  They run on both the Cumbres and the Silverton.  (well, big for narrow gauge)

Gee.  Maybe I should go see John Mills lake.

Yes, the museum is on the east end of town, just by the bridge across the San Juan on Hwy 160. on the N side  The library is in the middle of town on S 8th St. and Hwy 160.  The Gomez store is on display in Harman Business Park, just off Hwy 160 at the top of Put Hill on the S side.  It is between the downtown and the uptown areas.  The steeple from the old church in Juanita is on the roof of an old chapel along Hot Springs Blvd., near the Post Office.  Have fun exploring!

Grampstrains posted:

colorado hirailer posted:

My road atlas shows Durango directly west of Pagosa Springs (as the crow flies...160 winds quite a bit) but while I may be thinking of Wolf Creek Pass, I was thinking there was another hump to get over between Durango and Bayfield to its east, but....maybe not.  Map does not show one.

I don't have a map, I used to live there.

Gramps is correct.  Wolf Creek is between Pagosa and South Fork. It's an easy hour from Pagosa to Durango.  I too use to live there in-between Durango and Bayfield. No hump between Bayfield and Durango - its just typical southwest scenery.