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Tulsa Line 2023

Silverton and Lake City Railroad

Owner / Location / Website Crew Operating System Car Forwarding Layout Location
Dave Steensland
Tulsa, OK
4 NCE Car Cards 2nd floor of home.

The S&LC RR is a fictional narrow gauge railroad connecting Silverton, Colorado and Lake City, Colorado with a route over the rugged San Juan mountains. This route was considered and even surveyed but when the country went into depression in 1893 causing many of the silver mines to close, plans were dropped. The Denver & Rio Grande RR had a branch line from Gunnison to Lake City and from Durango to Silverton and Otto Mears built the Silverton railroad from Silverton to Animas Forks, part way to Lake City, but that was as far as they progressed.

The modeled portion of the railroad is from Silverton to Lake City with Durango and Gunnison represented by hidden staging yards.

Like the Rio Grande Southern, the S&LC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Denver & Rio Grande RR, and you will find motive power from all three railroads used. Most of the road engines are K-27 class 2-8-2's but because of the steep grades, the S&LC did purchase one 2-6-6-2 articulated engine from the Sumpter Valley railroad. Smaller engines for local work include C-16 and C-19 2-8-0's.

There are two small independent railroads feeding into the S&LC. One is a logging railroad owned by the Montezuma Lumber Company. The other is the Green Mountain RR connecting Eureka, Colorado with the town of Green Mountain, up Cunningham Gulch.

There are at least two express freight trains daily connecting Durango with Gunnison, Colorado. One is northbound, the other, southbound. They both stop in Lake City and Silverton to do work. There is also northbound and southbound passenger service between Durango and Gunnison including stops at Silverton, Avalanche, Eureka, and Lake City.

The local freight out of Silverton serves mines and industries from Silverton to Avalanche. There are two local freights out of Lake City serves mines and industries from Lake City to Eureka.

The railroad fills a 16' x 21' room. Scenery is 75% complete.

An operating session on the Silverton & Lake City lasts about 3 hours and there are jobs for up to 5 operators. The railroad is located up a flight of stairs on the second floor of the house. No radios are required. Control system is NCE DCC, and most engines are sound equipped. It is not handicap accessible.