by Kathryn Retzler

The Conductor calls "All Aboard!" and the train pulls out beneath a blossoming plume of steam. You clatter through town, then cross the Animas River, picking up speed. Beyond Hermosa, the engine works hard, sending streams of steam above the gold cars. Soon you overlook picturesque Shalona Lake on your way to the next stop—Rockwood, where guests from neighboring resorts can board the train. Excitement builds as you steam through a steep rock cut, then emerge on the world-famous "Highline," a shelf above the Animas River and one of the most breathtaking parts of the trip. Another mile and you pass the Tacoma Power Plant, built in 1905 and still in use today.

The Cascade Wye is an especially picturesque spot. Crossing the Animas again, you begin to see the razor-sharp peaks of the Needle Mountains poking more than 14,000 feet into the sky. At this point, you are nineteen miles from Silverton. A suspension bridge on the right leads backpackers into the Weminuche Wilderness.

Less than a mile further is another five-minute water stop. This one, at the newly restored wooden Needleton Tank, is another great photo opportunity.

After drinking deeply, the locomotive builds up a heavy head of steam for the grade ahead, the steepest of the entire run. Through the final six miles to Silverton, the canyon becomes progressively sharper and narrower.