This film “An Iron Horse in Silver Pastures” is an episode of the TV program titled “Discovery” (followed by the year in which the program was released – in this case, “Discovery ‘66″). Discovery aired on ABC from 1962 until 1971. The award-winning children’s program was about the history and culture of the USA. This episode covers the history of the narrow-gauge K-28 steam locomotives, known as ‘Iron Horses’ of the Denver & Rio Grande (Western) Railroad and later the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Today, these steam-locomotive powered tourist trains ride right-of-way through what used to be Colorado’s richest silver-mining towns. The film is a Jules Power production, hosted by Bill Owen and Virginia Gibson, directed by Lou Volpicelli, written by Joseph Hurley, edited by Joan Kuehl, and produced by Daniel Wilson.

Footage of Silverton, Colorado (00:08). A rock with a silver ore (00:16). Host Bill Owen introduces Silverton, Colorado, named after silver mines (00:18). A railroad (00:27). “An Iron Horse in Silver Pastures” title banner (00:35). ‘Rio Grande No. 473’ K-28 narrow gauge steam locomotive (00:43). Hosts Bill Owen and Virginia Gibson converse about the locomotive, nicknamed an ‘Iron Horse’ (01:29). A reenactment of the Old West in Silverton (01:59). Host Virginia Gibson speaks about the notorious Blair Street in Silverton (02:13). The ‘Rio Grande No. 473’ K-28 narrow gauge steam locomotive (02:35). Birds-eye-view of Silverton (02:53). Virginia Gibson mimics a mine owner’s wife before the arrival of the railroad to Silverton (03:03). Bill Owen speaks about the silver mines (03:53). Virginia Gibson continues her impersonation of a miner’s wife hearing the news of the railway’s construction (04:21). The locomotive passes through Silverton (04:55). Gibson speaks about the celebrations of the locomotive’s arrival (05:04). Bill Owen speaks about the train’s ride into Silverton on the 4th of July 1882 and the celebrations (05:38). He continues to speak about the narrow-gauge tracks (06:01). A silver ore (06:27). Gibson speaks about silver’s role for Silverton and the Silverton & Durango railway (06:35). Owen speaks about Durango, another town with silver, and the railways arrival in 1881 (07:15). Scenes of the train going through the canyons of the San Juan Mountains (07:41). Views of the Rio Grande No. 476 locomotive and it’s whistles and chimneys (07:58). The train beings riding (08:30). Virginia Gibson mimics a miner’s wife riding the train in a private car (08:42). She holds a menu of food served on the locomotive (09:11). She shows the private train car (09:31). The train passes Rio de las Animas Perdidas (The River of Lost Souls) in Colorado, commonly known as the Animas River (10:04). The train continues passing through the San Juan Mountains (10:24), then a mountain stream called ‘Crazy Women Creek’ (10:58). A wooden water storage tank holding supply for the railway’s locomotives (11:52). A beaver swimming (12:15). Fallen trees, cut down by beavers in a beaver pond (12:33). A beaver walking (13:28) and going into water (13:38). Gibson mimics a miner’s wife, speaking about the workers’ struggles working at high altitude mines (13:43). Footage of the train riding on the tracks through the mountainous landscapes around Silverton (14:08). Gibson speaks about the trading and prices of silver (15:18). Bird’s-eye-views of Silverton (15:45). Footage of the locomotive passing through Silverton (15:50). Owen speaks about the drastic dropping of the price of silver and the consequences hereof (15:59). Gibson speaks about how Silverton survived the financial challenges, which turned nearby villages into ghost towns (16:41). Owen continues to speak about the struggles of the miners (17:08). Views of Silverton’s historical shops (17:22). Scenes of Durango, making a profit from railroad tourism after silver’s price drops (17:39). A musical theater performance (18:06). Hosts Gibson and Owen concludes the episode about railways and silver in Colorado (19:18). Credits (20:21).

Motion picture films don’t last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we’ve worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies — including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you’d like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com