Reminiscing on five prolific narrow gauge railroads in Colorado

The silver and gold bonanza of the late 19th Century led to a boom in narrow gauge railroad startups across Colorado. But out of the plethora that’ve come and gone, which left an impact in the Centennial State and sparked our enthusiasm to visit what’s left today? Let’s find out by reminiscing about five prolific narrow gauge railroads in Colorado.

Colorado & Southern Railway

Multiple foreclosed railroads that the Union Pacific Railroad shaved off in the 1890s all came together to form the Colorado & Southern Railway in 1898. Multiple narrow-gauged systems were part of the conglomeration.

The Colorado Central Railroad was constructed in the 1870s as one of the state’s first 3 foot gauge rail lines. At its peak, the 56-mile trek headed west out of Denver and traversed the heart of the Rocky Mountains to reach the mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, Georgetown and Silver Plume, by way of Golden, Colo. Financial hardship in 1879 made the railroad a subsidiary to the UP prior to changing hands of the Colorado & Southern. Under the C&S, the Colorado Central became the Clear Creek Division.

The Denver, South Park & Pacific Railway began to lay track in 1873 to head southwest of Denver and reach Buena Vista, Colo. In a complex agreement at the hands of Jay Gould, service would continue over the Denver & Rio Grande to Leadville for a piece of the silver boom in 1880. With new ownership from the Union Pacific, the nicknamed “South Park Line” eventually built its own passage with a Como-Leadville division in 1884 as it crossed over the Continental Divide twice. The railroad would reorganize as the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railroad in 1889, and would be independent from the UP by 1893, only to join the C&S five years later.

In 1886, gold-bearing quartz remained in the mines high above Central City, Colo. with an economic dilemma in transporting them to the mills at Black Hawk. Inspired by the narrow-gauged system in Maine, the solution was Colorado’s only two-foot gauge railroad. The Gilpin Gold Tram was home to a 20-mile line with Shay locomotives hauling the ore. The railroad’s success in the early 1900s caught Colorado & Southern’s attention and was acquired in 1906 as the Gilpin Railroad.

Narrow-gauge railroading in Colorado was running out of steam in the early 20th century, and the C&S was no exception as abandonment gradually began in 1910. What remained is sparse yet valuable in today’s preservation movement, with the crown jewel being the Georgetown-Silver Plume section operating as the Georgetown Loop Railroad.

Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad

Incorporated in 1870 by Civil War Brigadier General William Jackson Palmer, the previously-named Denver & Rio Grande Railway headed south of Denver to reach El Paso, Texas. The track gauge was initially chosen at 3 feet as an economic decision. However, a legal scrimmage with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1878 made the Rio Grande pivot at Pueblo.. The railroad would instead head west, creating a network in most of Colorado and as far as Salt Lake City with a heavy emphasis on standard gauge trackage. Though a narrow gauge empire would still hang on into the 20th century.

By the 1920s, the Rio Grande (reorganized into the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1925) had roughly 800 miles of 3 foot gauge track to transport minerals, livestock, and passengers through the San Juan Mountains. Multiple routes connected Salida to Ridgeway and Durango to Alamosa, with the Rio Grande Southern connecting Ridgeway to Durango and Alamosa to Salida. This became the “Narrow Gauge Circle” for enthusiasts to visit and ride. The Rio Grande also had the extended “Chili Line” from Antonito, Colo., to Santa Fe, N.M.; along with multiple branch lines — the Silverton branch was even home to three additional mining branches.

Despite a motive power upgrade to 2-8-2s and a boom in natural gas traffic out of Farmington, the Rio Grande’s narrow gauge infrastructure became a money-losing oddity by the 1940s. Abandonment began with the Chili Line in 1942, and could’ve consumed the entire system had it not been for the interest of both Hollywood and supporters. The sections between Durango and Silverton and Chama, N.M. and Antonito survive as modern-day tourist operations under the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, respectively.

Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad

With the gold and silver strike in Colorado waning by the 1890s, Cripple Creek of its namesake gold-mining district became the last of the booming towns. The area caught the attention of three separate rail lines to reach the mines. In 1894, the Florence & Cripple Creek Railroad became the first to make its mark in the district.

The 3 foot gauge railroad interchanged with the Rio Grande at Florence, and headed north through the scenic Phantom Canyon along the Rocky Mountain’s most eastern range. The precious ore was hauled from the mines to the reduction mills and smelters in the Arkansas Valley while coal and supplies would be shipped to Cripple Creek and the mining communities. Immediate success led to a second narrow gauge railroad under the F&CC banner between Cañon City and Oro Junta as the Cañon City & Cripple Creek Railroad, while also developing the area as “the Greatest Gold Camp on Earth.”

The success and the railroad itself was short lived due to financial issues and two efficient standard-gauged lines making their presence known at the turn of the 20th century. The death blow came in 1912 when a major flood washed out much of the tracks. Instead of rebuilding, the Florence & Cripple Creek closed up shop by 1916. A handful of equipment scattered across the western landscape with notable 2-8-0s Nos. 3 (now D&RGW No. 315) and 20 returning to operation. A section of the original right-of-way was repurposed for the 2-foot-gauge Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Rio Grande Southern Railroad

The Denver & Rio Grande constructed two branch lines from Durango to Silverton and from Montrose to Ouray in 1882 and 1887, respectively. Otto Mears hoped to close the gap between Silverton and Ouray with his Silverton Railroad but only made it to Albany and couldn’t go further due to the difficult terrain. This prompted the incorporating of the Rio Grande Southern by 1889 to connect Durango with Ridgeway, ultimately reaching Ouray’s silver mining center.

Completed in 1891, prosperity for the RGS was brief as the railroad fell into receivership and multiple ownerships during its lifespan, including the Rio Grande from 1893 to 1929. By the 1920s, 174 miles contributed to the Narrow Gauge Circle with the railroad’s Ridgeway-Durango connection in addition to the Alamosa-Salida route. The introduction of motor rail cars nicknamed “Galloping Geese” symbolized the Rio Grande Southern since 1931 while another key chapter in the railroad’s lifespan was the transport of uranium ore from the Vanadium mines during World War II.

These quirks couldn’t save the railroad from continual hardship, along with a series of unfortunate events over the years that ranged from washouts to fires. The last train ran on Dec. 27, 1951, leaving only certain pieces of preserved equipment as today’s reminder of the Colorado & Southern.

Uintah Railway

As one the last narrow gauge lines of the Rocky Mountains, this late bloomer began operations in 1904 out of Mack, Colo. It would cross into Utah to reach Watson, roughly 75 miles northwest. The primary traffic was gilsonite, a glossy-black asphaltum that isn’t found anywhere else in the world.

Transporting the rare mineral by the 3 foot gauge line involved traversing the Uintah Basin of western Colorado and eastern Utah. The rugged landscape gave the railroad its name and recognition as the memorable 2-6-6-2T Mallets combated ultra-sharp curves and intense steep grades. The grades themselves topped at 7.5% in Baxter Pass.

What makes the Uintah Railway a standout amongst its peers was its consistent profitability during the 34-year lifespan. It could be said that the success became the railroad’s undoing as the traffic became too much and transportation by road was an economical alternative. Operations ceased in 1939, and the infrastructure was abandoned with most reclaimed by mother nature. The small amount of equipment that survived were scattered across the western winds.

To learn more about Colorado railroads, check out the latest special issue from Trains Magazine.