Recently, I have heard a great deal of vitriol directed at the Harper family and the management of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad regarding its possible contribution to the start of the 416 fire. While high emotions are certainly to be expected in the heat of the moment, I ask my neighbors to be mindful of the contributions that the railroad has made to Durango over the years. The Harpers have been great corporate citizens and generous with their support.
It is easy with 20/20 hindsight to say that of course they should have sidelined the steam locomotives in favor of the small diesels. It would have been a difficult step given the fact that the little diesels can only handle a fraction of the business. Although they continued with the steamers, they were quite mindful of the conditions – they had doubled up on their already award-winning fire prevention efforts.
Wherever the final ruling on the cause of the fire ends up, I’m confident that the railroad will be making further changes to help prevent another such instance. There are a lot of folks both here in Durango, and certainly up in Silverton, who depend on the steady flow of visitors the train brings to town. Indeed, without the train, the town of Durango would have evolved to be a much different place, and I’m not sure for the better.
Let’s give the railroad management some space to get its operation back up to speed and to ensure that this vital resources remains a productive contributor to our economy and way of life in the years to come.
Jill Schuman
Durango
