The San Juan Region of
Colorado is one of the most scenic areas of the state. In the 1880's the
Denver and Rio Grande railroad began building its tracks around the
southern portions of the mountains between Alamosa
and Durango. Mining was booming in the Silverton
Area and the railroad wanted to be a part of it. Another branch line
was constructed from Alamosa to the mines at Creede.
Tracks from Alamosa to Durango were called the San Juan Extension and
there were a number of smaller branch lines into the mining and logging
areas. The main line travels through famous Toltec
Gorge and then across Cumbres Pass,
the highest on the line at 10,015 feet. From Cumbres
there is steep four percent grade down to the helper town of Chama,
NM. This section of track from Chama to Antonito
is today the home of the the Cumbres
and Toltec tourist line.
Out of Chama the original tracks headed northwest to Durango, another
of the towns founded by the railroad. This famous cowboy outpost has a
colorful background and eventually there were tracks leaving town in all
four compass directions. The Silverton
Branch was one of the reasons the railroad built to Durango.
Spectacular mining strikes were made throughout the Silverton area. From
Durango to Silverton the tracks followed the
Animas River along high cliffs and most beautiful valleys. Today this is
the home of the Durango
and Silverton tourist railroad and it is still going strong on its
spectacular beauty alone.
A branch line south to Farmington
prospered in the 1950's and 1960's during the oil and gas boom of the
region. However the discoveries eventually ended and the need for the
railroad to carry supplies went with it.
The Rio Grande Southern (RGS),
one of the all time favorite narrow gauge railroads in the world,
terminated in Durango. The D&RG and RGS shared the Durango facilities.
Although it was never a big money maker, the RGS manged to survive into
the 1950's and had some of the most acclaimed railroad engineering in
the world. On the route from Durango to Telluride,
Otto Mears and his
engineers laid down some of the wildest stretches of loops and
trestles found in Colorado. It reaches a climax along the Ophir
loop where the line hangs on the side of the mountain using an
abundance of timber trestles and bridges.
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