As the afternoon clouds burned off above Cascade Canyon on Saturday, a commanding whistle resonated through the aspen. Around the bend, across the trestle and to a chug-chug-chugging stop, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad & Train halted in front of a wayward group of people standing haphazardly in the lonesome mountains. Not long ago, the train picked up railroad ties from the Tefft Spur Sawmill, but today, the locomotive retrieved 36 painters, photographers and historians who spent the afternoon in this remote region of the San Juan Mountains for Durango’s inaugural “Diesels and Easels” train.

In January, an interdisciplinary effort began when Elizabeth Salkind joined the Durango Arts center as assistant executive director and teamed up with Jeff Ellingson, the curator of the D&SNGR Museum. “Diesels and Easels” quickly emerged as a historic artistic workshop. The idea: Take a trainload of artists into the mountains, drop them off and see what happens.

While Agatha Christie might delight in the same premise for far different reasons, Salkind saw a unique opportunity for two prominent organizations to collaborate. She and Ellingson coordinated with local artists and historians to offer an event that would appeal to both artists and history buffs.

“I think that art and history naturally go together,” Salkind said.

Not long after leaving the station, the ever-enthusiastic Duane Smith stood at the front of the train car – his classroom for the day. Smith, who has been a history professor at Fort Lewis College for the last 47 years and published more than 50 books, segued from vivid stories of Durango brothels to Wild West politics in one breathless stream that seemed to match the train’s steady rhythm.

“We live on history. It’s part of our livelihood. It’s part of our heritage. It’s part of the atmosphere. You breathe it in,” Smith later said.

“When you get on the train, it slows you down a tick,” said resident artist Brenda Macon.

Her words are both literal and metaphoric. The D&SNGR moves at a leisurely 18 mph over mountain passes, through narrow cuts in the rock and along steep cliffs.

“When you get up to Cascade Canyon, you realize you have enough time to lose track of time. You can really get into that place where you can make some art,” Macon said.

Organizers had envisioned easels lined up along the river, artists diligently at work with Macon and fellow resident artist Elizabeth Kinahan adjusting a brush angle here or helping mix paint there. Instead, passengers seemed more keen on taking Ellingson at his word when he encouraged them to “let your soul out” – to explore Cascade Canyon, enjoy the freedom of unscheduled, uncoordinated time in nature.

“I think we did all hit this moment together. We really enjoyed the present place and present time together,” Macon said.

Ellingson and Smith led a rare guided tour through Cascade Canyon to the Tefft Flag Stop and Sawmill. This area of the San Juans is accessible only by railroad or by a trail near Durango Mountain Resort.

“Diesels and Easels” is unique in that artists are given the opportunity to step away from to-do lists, buzzing cellphones and become immersed in the history and natural beauty of the region. Several artists wandered away to paint by the river, some sketched in solitude by a collapsed cabin, and others relished in history lessons from Smith and Ellingson.

The day concluded with a reception at the D&SNGR Museum, where works by Ellingson, Macon and Kinahan were on display.

Margaret Hedderman is a freelance writer based in Durango. Reach her at margaretyh@gmail.com.