THE ROBBERS

DURANGO, COLORADO - 2025

WORDS BY DAVID

We know this dramatic stretch of train

track in the San Juan Mountains of

Colorado as intimately as any stretch

of railway in the world. I think I know it

better than my train journey in the UK

between London and our home in Devon.

Over the years this familiarity has allowed

us to fully commit to our craft.

Nothing is possible without the support

of the owners of the steam train and the

narrow-gauge railroad; the management

and then the train drivers themselves.

It is a team effort and each year the level

of mutual trust has circled upwards and

allowed us to push boundaries creatively.

We choose to film here in the winter, as

low temperatures help with the breadth

of visuals.

When the pressured steam is trapped

between the engine and the towering

escarpment, it can only escape upwards

and climb the cliff face. At 7000 ft in the

winter, the steam will then fall back to

earth as sleet or snow. There is then the

possibility that at this most dramatic

of settings, the train is just a bit part in

a chaotic and otherworldly scene of ice,

snow, steam and smoke. We have learnt

how to momentarily create a little bit of

hell high up in this formidable canyon and

who better to bring into this narrative

than a couple of uncompromising train

robbers.

without the help of many locals. We feel

that support every time we are in the

neighbourhood and we are most flattered

that my work resonates with the locals.

Our particular thanks to Al Harper,

Jeff Johnson and Russell Heerdt of the

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge

Railroad.