Siverton and Durango Rail Road

@Lionel/MTH Railroader posted:

Question has Lionel, MTH or any other manufacturer produced an O gauge train set or separate engines and cars?

The correct railroad name is "Durango and Silverton". Also, remember that it is entirely narrow gauge, i.e. three foot, thus scale On3.

In HO scale

https://www.trainsetsonly.com/...in-set-ho-00710.html

and N scale

https://bradystrains.com/products/bachmann-24020

John

Bachmann in their On2½ line has produced some equipment.

Found a Lionel 6-52264 Durango and Silverton operating hopper made for TTOS 2002 New Mexico Division "0" gauge car.

Rode this train in the early 90's along with the Cumbres and Totec Railroad.

Found a  Lionel 6-58226 Cumbres and Toltec double sheath boxcar for the TCA 2016 Desert division.

Shame Lionel or MTH has not made this in a set with engine and or freight cars. Are you listening??

Anybody else rode these trains and would like to see them made?

Any other "0" gauge cars made?

Yeh, had the chance to ride on the Durango to Silverton railroad a couple of years ago when we did one of our road trips across the middle of the fabulous US of A.

We don't have anything that even comes close to this in Australia.

Peter  (Buco Australia)

@Buco posted:

...snip... We don't have anything that even comes close to this in Australia.

Peter  (Buco Australia)

Maybe, but you DO have Beyer-Garretts! Something that never occurred here.

@Buco posted:

We don't have anything that even comes close to this in Australia.

OTOH...  You have Puffing Billy in Healesville...of which we having nothing comparable (IMHO) to in the USofA!

Ah, the memories...

KD

To make the D&S or C&T locos and trains look right on standard gauge track they would have to be made significantly oversized for O scale.    According to my quick calculation, they should be about 57% bigger than O scale to use the track we used for standard gauge.

Bachmann did some equipment in ON30 lettered for these roads, but the locos especially are not correct models.    The western narrow gauge that we are familiar with had much larger locos.    the eastern lines like the Washington and Waynesburg, and the Ohio River and Western had smaller locos similar to the Bachman Mogul.    These eastern lines folded at the start of the 1929 depression, hence never got bigger power.

On3 equipment has traditionally been in the realm of brass modelers or very resourceful scratch builders.  There are wonderful brass pieces out there in this gauge.  As others have said though, the closest you will find in the mass production market of O scale is Bachmann On30.  Not completely accurate but dollar for dollar, probably close enough for an enjoyable narrow gauge modeling experience. 

It is surprising in retrospect how narrow gauge never really caught on as much in O.  With the ability to build interesting layouts in smaller spaces, one could have a really fun layout. 

I rode the Durango & Silverton twice on the "Backpackers" train in 1991 and again in 1999 before kids when I had the kind of physical conditioning to climb nearly 14,000-foot peaks and spend a week above tree line.

The Cumbres & Toltec was a much different experience for me that I thoroughly enjoyed even if I never got to ride the train.  Got these photos among others in 2005.

As mentioned above, the Washington and Waynesburg had small engines like the Bachman Mogul.    There entire roster once they got started was 6 Moguls (2-6-0).    Bachman did theirs in that paint scheme along with some passenger cars.    The RR ran from some time in the 1870s until about 1928 or 1929 I think.    The PRR bought it and kept the right of way by running a truck with rail wheels to handle mail and few packages.  

the Ohio River & Western ran about the same time frame.    they had a bigger more mixed roster as I recall reading.   They went out in the late 1920s as the roads in the area south of current I70 and East of Columbus in Ohio were paved.     They were the main transportation through those hills before paved roads because in winter the roads became very muddy and mostly impassable from the rainey weather.

MY wife and I rode  the Durango & Siverton, Cumbres and Toltec and the Royal Gorge train on visits to Colorado. Great pictures at High Gorge on the D&S and the double head up Windy Point on the D&S and seeing the location of some of the scenes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The above pictures were from the year 2000.

I did find one other car:

Lionel Durango & Silverton Operating Hopper Car #6-52264

I am buying for the memory of a trip, not accuracy to scale.