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Denver & Rio Grande
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Alamosa, Co / Jul 1959 / JCH
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) was founded in 1870 by General William Jackson Palmer and his life long friend and partner Dr. William Bell as a narrow gauge railway system with the intention of connecting Denver with Mexico City. Narrow gauge was chosen because construction costs - and equally important, construction time - were lower than standard gauge. The route was to pass over Raton Pass in what is now northern New Mexico. Feverish, competitive construction provoked the 1877-1880 war over right of way with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Both rivals hired gunslingers and bought politicians. In the end, the Santa Fe won the right to Raton Pass, while the D&RG paid $1.4 million for tracks through the Arkansas River's Royal Gorge to the mining district of Leadville, Colorado. Subsequently, the D&RG focused on exploiting the lucrative mining service opportunities to the west.
he Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, often shortened simply to "Rio Grande," is a former common carrier passenger and freight system based in Colorado. The company started as the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad in 1870, a narrow gauge line running south from Denver through Colorado Springs to Pueblo and later many other points. At its corporate peak in 1992, however, the D&RGW served as a standard gauge transcontinental bridge line between Denver, and Salt Lake City, Utah, including its famous Moffat Tunnel operation through the heart of the Rockies. The Rio Grande was a major originator of coal and mineral traffic in the region. It operated the highest mainline rail line in the United States, over the 10,240 feet Tennessee Pass in Colorado, and the famed route through the Royal Gorge. In addition to its own passenger operations, the Rio Grande was one of three developers and operators of the famous California Zephyr passenger service between Chicago and San Francisco via Denver. In 1988, the Rio Grande's parent corporation, Rio Grande Industries, purchased Southern Pacific Transportation Company. As the result of that corporate merger, the larger Southern Pacific Railroad name was chosen for identity. The former Rio Grande operated as a separate division of the Southern Pacific until 1992. Today, most former D&RGW main lines are owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. while several branch lines are now operated as heritage railroads.
Today the Rio Grande is perhaps best remembered for its sizable system of 36" narrow gauge lines in Colorado and New Mexico — more than 1800 miles worth in total — along with an accompanying fleet of narrow gauge steam locomotives and related rolling stock. The D&RGW narrow gauge routes in the central and southern portion of the Colorado Rockies included corporate control of the Rio Grande Southern in the San Juan mountains. Today the tourist hauler Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates a historic section of former D&RGW trackage between its namesake towns in southwest Colorado.
1904 DRGW system map / collection
Chama, NM / May 1946 / collection
1910 Official Guide timetable / collection
1943 timetable / collection
collection
1955 Official Guide timetable / collection
1959 timetable / collection
May 2023 / RWH
from Handbook of American Railroads by Robert Lewis - 1951 / collection
1966 timetable / collection
May 2023 / RWH
1977 timetable / collection
May 2023 / RWH
at a glance
| 1929 | 1987 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles operated | 1720 | 2247 | |
| Locomotives | 375 | 314 | |
| Passenger cars | 188 | 20 | |
| Freight cars | 13098 | 11361 | |
| Service cars | 720 | ___ | |
| Reporting marks | DRGW | ||
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado | ||
| Named trains | California Zephyr, Prospector, Royal Gorge, San Juan | ||
| Affiliated roads | Denver & Salt Lake | ||
| Successors | Southern Pacific, Union Pacific | ||
Golden, Co / May 2023 / image and artwork RWH
collection
Scrapbooks
See also these related scrapbooks:
- Rocky Mountain Ties collection in Preservation
- Colorado Railroad Museum in Preservation
- Rio Grande Southern Railroad in Shortlines
- Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Preservation
- Amtrak's California Zephyr route in Mainlines
Moscow, Tx / Aug 1992 / RWH
William Jackson Palmer
postcard / collection
William Jackson Palmer (1836–1909) was a military general, railroad tycoon, and founder of Colorado Springs. Though a Quaker from Delaware, Palmer fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he moved west and became a civil engineer and philanthropist who played an integral part in Colorado’s development. As the founder and owner of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Palmer helped stimulate economic growth as well as the expansion of transportation in the American West during the late nineteenth century. Palmer is also well known for his philanthropy, which included the founding of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and other institutions for the public benefit.
After the Civil War, Palmer joined the Kansas-Pacific Railroad, which he helped bring to Denver in 1870. In Denver, Palmer married Mary Lincoln Mellon, and on their honeymoon he saw a narrow-gauge railroad for the first time. He was impressed by its cheap cost, sharp turning radius and capacity to climb steep hills. Realizing that this kind transportation met the challenges of Colorado’s mountainous landscape, Palmer, upon his return home, together with Dr. William Bell founded the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. The first narrow-gauge railroad line was completed on October 21, 1871. It ran from Denver to what later became Colorado Springs, opening up trade between both municipalities as well as the rest of the country. In the early days, the rail line was essential for transporting gold and fuel from the Pikes Peak mines to Denver, which was rapidly becoming a hub of commerce. By ensuring that gold and coal from mines made it to market, Palmer’s railroad became an important part of Colorado’s developing economy.
May 2023 / RWH
web
Publications
1910 Official Guide map / collection
1910 Official Guide ad / collection
1910 Official Guide timetable / collection
1955 Official Guide map / collection
1955 Official Guide timetable / collection
1943 timetable / collection
1959 timetable / collection
1959 timetable / collection
1966 timetable / collection
1977 timetable / collection
Lagniappe
Alamosa on the Rear
Silverton, Co / Jun 1959 / JCH
Animas River Rolling
Cascade, Co / Jun 1959 / JCH
Snapshots
Links / Sources
- Wikipedia article for Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
- DRGW.net history and preservation website
- Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society website
- Historical Guide to North American Railroads - Second Edition (Kalmbach, 2000) 143-46