In the late 1800s, Denver
and Rio Grande Railroad founder William Jackson Palmer had a dream of
building a railroad from Denver south to Mexico City. While his dream
ended at Santa Fe, New Mexico, greater profits were realized by
extending his narrow-gauge railroad west across Colorado and New Mexico
to Durango and the mines at Silverton. Rocky Mountain railfans and
history buffs have long been familiar with the two remaining segments of
the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad's narrow-gauge route: the Durango
and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic
Railroad. These two railroads carry thousands of tourists every year.
But what about the 111 miles between the two? What happened to the
segment between Chama and Durango? Long since abandoned, travelers today
can track this route along the highways and back roads of Northern New
Mexico and Southern Colorado. With maps and historic and contemporary
photographs, this book points the way to rediscovering this lost
trackage. Branch lines, including logging railroads and the Farmington
Branch, are also included, so the traveler has a complete guide to
finding this long-gone section of the narrow-gauge railroad.
