The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad operated in the states of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico between 1871 and 1988. Begun as a three-foot gauge line with the intention of linking the cities of Denver and El Paso, it found itself forced by circumstances to change orientation in a westerly direction. The railroad became synonymous with mountain railroading, first with cliffhanging narrow-gauge lines and later with dramatic mainline assaults on the Rockies.
The Grande had a chequered corporate history, but finally achieved respectability and profitability during World War 2. It became an important bridge route in the transcontinental system, as well as a feeder system for coal.
Facing a changed competitive landscape in the 1980s, Rio Grande’s owners acquired the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1988 and merged the lines– a process that required several years to implement. And right when the system had begun to gel and to turn a profit, the new Southern Pacific Lines was sold to Union Pacific (1996). Now, all Rio Grande lines are part of UP (except for parts that have been spun off to shortline operators). The D&RGW is gone, but certainly not forgotten.
The photos on these pages are dedicated to the men and women that made this railroad one of the premier transportation enterprises of the past century.
Use the menu links above to access the various Rio Grande pages or to visit my extensive array of related topics. For passenger equipment, see the Specials menu.
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Action Road 
my dad was an engineer for the Denver Rio Grande. He started as a switchman and took the Engineer’s test and past and did this for many years. We lived near the tracks where he would pass and we had a special toot of the horn so we knew he was going by. He would hoot at me when I was in school and all of my girlfriends would come running to me after class to tell me they hear my dad. I was so proud of him. I have always been so proud of him. He taught me how to listen for a flat on a car and i in return have taught a couple of friends. some trains have way to many flats that I don’t understand how it stays on the tracks. Happy memories of the Rio Grande Rail Road. She was special and always will be.
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