An excellent experience, whether one is a steam-tr...

An excellent experience, whether one is a steam-train buff or a complete novice. The winter season Cascade Canyon run up theAnimasRiver Valley toward Silverton -- about 5 hours round trip with a 45-minute leg-stretching stop at the Canyon -- is marvelous. The scenic photographic opportunities -- snowy peaks, frozen waterfalls, ice-laced Animas River, and rail-hopping wildlife including mule deer, elk, and cottontail -- are perfectly captured while trundling along at a sedate 15 to 18 mph.

We highly recommend the tail-end Presidential Car; the viewing, especially from the open-air rear platform, can't be beat. Other pluses include the on-car restroom, the galley, and the lively engagement of a knowledgable concierge/docent/waiter adding immensely to passenger experience of the history, geology, and railroad lore. Ensure that you are assigned the comfortable Pullman seating in the car; the "bistro" seating provides more open views but the cramped and hard wooden chairs can make for an uncomfortable experience in short order. The freedom to move about the car is an essential relief.

Our concierge, Ellie the Geographer, was superbly helpful and so much to the trip with her personal local knowledge, antidotes, and descriptions of the landforms and construction challenges. The provision of coffee, tea, and cookies was a real plus, and the box lunches provided by Durango's Yellow Carrot Cafe & Catering were the best we've ever had.

The full-run Silverton round trip of the warmer seasons is doubtless special, especially through the autumn colors of September to November, but the shorter winter Christmas-season Cascade Canyon run is a delight in its own right.