The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (DSNGR) has now released its schedule for this year. In a repeat of last year’s awful experience, they will run three trains a day out of Rockwood, and only one a day from downtown Durango.
Running shorter trips, they can run more trains per day, save cost on fuel and maintenance, while charging the same ticket price, thus increasing their profits.
This decision is bad for the county on several fronts: The “depot” at Rockwood is a dirt lot full of railroad equipment incapable of safely accommodating the 400 to 600 tourists per day in their 200-plus cars. Parking is inadequate; tourists park in residents’ yards and crowd the narrow county road.
The food service tents/trucks leave behind piles of trash, drawing bears and other scavenging animals. Access to the Rockwood train yard is via the dead-end, narrow, winding and steep CR 200, which is woefully inadequate to handle the constant stream of traffic.
Speeding as well as traffic jams of 20 cars trying to turn onto U.S. 550 were constant last summer. These tourists should be in downtown Durango, where there is infrastructure to handle them, and where they can spend their money in your shops and restaurants that employ so many members of our community.
The decision by DSNGRR to overwhelm Rockwood yet again is self-serving and not in the best interests of the community. I and the other residents of Rockwood urge the county commissioners to act!
Jeff Beckel
Durango
