Durango to Silverton train photos

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Photos of one of the steam locomotives and some of the cars taken close to Silverton on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. A scenic trip starting at the Durango Depot takes you up into the Rocky Mountains with views of the San Juan National Forest as you travel alongside the Animas River on your way to the historic mining town of Silverton.

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 66mm
1/800 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 70mm
1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

The railway is a federally-designated National Historic Landmark.

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 15mm
1/640 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

The 3 ft. narrow-gauge heritage railroad operates on 45.2 miles of track on the route originally opened in 1882 to transport silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains.

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 17mm
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

The line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881. Now it is a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and is one of the few places in the U.S. which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives.

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 17mm
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

 The information presented below the photos was obtained from Wikipedia.

Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens at 57mm
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640

For those desiring privacy

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.