Chasing a dream: Maryville grad gets job as engineer on scenic railroad in Colorado

As a child, Nick Breeden was intrigued by trains and the locomotives that pull them — so when he got a call two days after high school graduation to come out to Colorado and work on one, he didn’t hesitate.

The 2013 Maryville High School graduate packed up his car and drove the 1,600 miles by himself, 19 of those hours straight. He said he found “a bed and a roof” on his second day there, and by the end of the week, he was settled in to a more permanent housing situation.

After applying and being selected for the job, he had landed an entry level position as a brakeman with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Company. This was his very first job.

“It was supposed to be a summer job,” Breeden said. “I loaded up what I thought I would need for a few months and drove across the country.”

As a brakeman, Breeden said one of his duties was to assist the conductor by taking care of passengers. After a month doing that, he started learning how to fire the steam locomotive, shoveling coal.

“I did that for four years before becoming an engineer,” he explained.

Today, this Maryville grad who played football and is a former student at Fort Craig Elementary School, is in his 10th season with this railroad that takes passengers daily from Durango to Silverton by following the Animas River, providing views of the San Juan Mountains. It never gets old, he said.

The plan had been to work out there and come home to Maryville when the stint was up, he said. And while he misses his hometown, he is grateful to be in a job that he absolutely loves.

Scotty Hicks, wellness teacher at Maryville Junior High School, went out to Durango this summer, a road trip for him, his wife and their two kids. He had been friends with Breeden on social media and saw the photos of his former student, operating a decades-old steam locomotive in this pristine part of the country.

So this family of four landed in Denver, rented a car and headed to Durango. They ate dinner with Breeden on the eve of their ride on the historic railroad.

“I had him in eighth grade social studies,” Hicks said. “He is almost 28 now. He would have been 14 back then.”

As Hicks listened to Breeden’s story, he told the former student, “This is a crazy and inspirational story. I mean nobody really follows their dream like that.”

Breeden even pulled a few strings so Hicks could ride with him in the engine for a little of the journey. “He has the best view of any one I know, every day,” Hicks said. At one point, the train is hundreds of feet above the river.

Those last two years of high school were tough for Breeden; he lost his dad back in December 2010, when he was a sophomore. He was ready for change when the opportunity arrived. He said no one tried to talk him out of taking this leap.

“I was 17 when I came out here,” Breeden said. I turned 18 that June. No one tried to talk me out of it. I think they knew the answer was going to be ‘I don’t care what you think.’”

The town of Durango was founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1879, with the railroad arriving in 1881. By 1882, the tracks to Silverton were complete as the train began hauling freight and also passengers.

Today, the trail takes tourists the 45 miles to Silverton, with a top speed of 18 mph. It takes six tons of coal and 10,000 gallons of water to make a roundtrip.

The designation of narrow gauge comes from the fact the rails are 36 inches apart while standard gauge rails are 56.5 inches apart.

There have been other opportunities come Breeden’s way out West. He had a small part to play in the Netflix miniseries starring Jeff Daniels, called “Godless.” Breeden plays the role of a train engineer. He got to spend two weeks on the set in Sante Fe, New Mexico, all expenses paid.

It was a great experience, Breeden said. In the end, he said his time on screen amounted to less than 10 seconds.

Those who get the Duluth Trading Company’s fall/winter catalog this year might want to take a closer look. Breeden and his wife will be featured among its pages. She also works for the railroad.

While he had intentions of returning to Maryville and looking for another railroad job after that first summer was up, the chance to work as an engineer for this scenic railroad proved a greater pull. He has been back to Maryville recently and still has friends here.

“I work on 90-plus-year-old steam locomotives,” he explained. “It’s the uniqueness of it.” Last year, the company sent him to work on the train that runs through Bryson City, North Carolina, for two months.

Hicks said he is going to share Breeden’s story with his future students, to encourage them to hold onto their dreams and work to achieve them.

“His story inspired me,” this teacher said. “It made me think, what excuse have I made for things I want to pursue and I listed all of the reasons why I shouldn’t instead of just going for it?”