Alamosa–Durango line
| Alamosa–Durango line | |
|---|---|
 A Denver and Rio Grande Western freight train at Cumbres Pass, CO, 1968. | |
| Overview | |
| Other name(s) | San Juan extension / San Juan line |
| Status | Partially closed; partially extant |
| Owner |
|
| Locale | Colorado and New Mexico, United States |
| Termini | |
| Former connections | Rio Grande Southern Railroad Rio Grande and Southwestern Railroad |
| Service | |
| Type | Mainline |
| History | |
| Opened | 1881 |
| Closed | 1968 (Chama-Durango) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 200.2 mi (322.2 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (Alamosa–Antonito) 3 ft (914 mm) (Antonito–Chama) |
| Old gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) (Alamosa–Durango) |
| Highest elevation | 10,015 ft (3,053 m) |
| Maximum incline | 4% (1 in 25) |
The Alamosa–Durango line or San Juan extension was a railroad line built by the
History
Following the
20th century
When the D&RGW began the process of
Abandonment and preservation
By the mid-1960s, traffic had once again dwindled and in 1968, the D&RGW sought to abandon the entire route. The D&RGW never introduced mainline
Meanwhile, the rest of the route from Chama to Durango, including the Farmington branch, was abandoned and the dual-gauge Alamosa–Antonito section was converted to a traditional 2-rail standard-gauge line, becoming the last 3-rail portion of the D&RGW system to be eliminated.[4]
The San Juan extension today
Portions of the Alamosa–Durango line survive to this day. The now standard-gauged section from Alamosa to Antonito remained under ownership by the D&RGW and its successor railroads until the line was sold to
The narrow-gauge portion between Antontio and Chama continues to operate as the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad with two trains (one in each direction) traversing the route each day during summer months.[6]
At the ghost town of Pagosa Junction, also known as Gato, a small portion of narrow-gauge track along with a steel truss bridge are still in place.[7]
Tracks Across Borders
Since the mid-2010s, the area along the now abandoned narrow-gauge portion between Chama and Durango has been in the process of being promoted as a
Operations
During the early years, freight trains over the Alamosa–Durango line were handled by the D&RGW's fleet of 2-8-0 steam locomotives while passenger services were worked by the railroad's 4-4-0 and 4-6-0 locomotives. In later years, these were gradually superseded when more powerful 2-8-2 type engines were introduced.[10]
Cumbres turn
Because of the 4% grade on the west side of Cumbres Pass, most eastbound freight trains performed what was known as the "Cumbres turn". After arriving at Chama, a train would be broken up and hauled in sections up to Cumbres where it was then reassembled before continuing its journey. On other portions of the route, freights were operated either by double heading or with a helper engine. [11]
Branch lines
The Alamosa–Durango line was host to several branch lines which diverted from various points along the route to connect nearby towns and industries. Among these were:
Silverton branch
Opened in 1882, the 45-mile route from Durango to Silverton was built by the D&RGW to serve the
Santa Fe branch
The Santa Fe branch, also known as the Chili line or Española branch, ran southwards for 125 miles from Antonito to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was built by the D&RGW during the 1880s as part of a planned rail link with El Paso, Texas. However, construction didn't go beyond Española due to a dispute with the nearby Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. In 1887, the last 35 miles from Española to Santa Fe was opened by the Texas, Santa Fe & Northern Railroad, a subsidiary of the D&RGW. The entire route was closed in 1941 and subsequently abandoned.[13]
Farmington branch
When completed in 1905, the 47 mile Farmington branch was unusual in that it was built as a standard gauge line, which resulted in Durango having
The branch was converted to 3 ft gauge in 1923 after plans to standard gauge the Alamosa–Durango line fell through. After World War II, a “boom” in the oil industry around Farmington brought substantial freight traffic, which contributed to the lines viability until the early 1960’s. This branch lasted until 1968 when the D&RGW ended its narrow gauge freight operations from Alamosa to Durango.[15]
Pagosa branch
This branch was constructed in 1900 by the Pagosa Lumber Company, as the Rio Grande, Pagosa and Northern from Pagosa Junction (Gato) to Pagosa Springs, and was conveyed to the D&RGW in 1908. At 30.7 miles, this was the shortest of the D&RGW's own major branch lines on the San Juan extension. It was also the shortest-lived; closure took place in 1936.[14][16]
Independent Logging Railroads
Several short-lived railroads were built by
Logging lines included:
- A D&RG line which was run 3 miles south from the E.M. Biggs sawmill at Chama in 1888, and was extended by Biggs in 1896 as the Tierra Amarilla & Southern Railway through Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico and then 10 miles further south and east. By 1902 the timber harvest was finished, and the track materials were removed for re-use at Lumberton, New Mexico:
- In 1902 The Burns-Biggs Lumber Company started to build the Rio Grande Southwestern, eventually a 40-mile line from Lumberton south to El Vado and Gallina, New Mexico with multiple branches, including 20 miles south as far as Llaves. By 1928 the timber had been exhausted, and the line removed.
- Biggs was also logging north from Lumberton. In 1895 his Rio Grande & Pagosa Springs was extended 38 miles toward that community, though did not reach it; branches instead reached Chromo and Blanca, Colorado. This line began to wither by 1911, and closed in 1914.
- Another Biggs line from Lumberton went north to Edith, Colorado, eventually extending to Flaugh, Colorado by the following year.
- The Pagosa Lumber Company built a sawmill at Dulce, New Mexico, with trackage from about 1914 running southwest as far as Mills Lake; and which closed around 1930. [14]
References
- ^ Don Strack. "Denver & Rio Grande Railway (Colorado) (1870-1880)".
- ^ Engineering News-record. McGraw-Hill. 1920.
- ^ "The Rio Grande Narrow Gauge". www.internationalsteam.co.uk. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ "DRGW.Net | The San Juan Extension". www.drgw.net. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad - Iowa Pacific Holdings". Iowa Pacific Holdings. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Railroad, The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic. "Full Steam Ahead! Make 2018 Your Year to Ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad!". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "PAGOSA JUNCTION, CO". www.westernghosttowns.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "TABB-Byway-Fact-Sheet-052115.pdf" (PDF).
- ^ "Tracks Across Borders Scenic & Historic Byway | Colorado Scenic Drives on myscenicdrives.com". www.myscenicdrives.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Denver & Rio Grande Western steam locomotives". drgw.free.fr. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "Alamosa to Chama". narrowgaugememories.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "Train History | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train". www.durangotrain.com. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ "Chili_Line_Brief_History.pdf" (PDF).
- ^ ISBN 0-8263-1185-7
- ^ "Farmington Branch". www.actionroad.net. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ^ "DRGW.Net | San Juan Extension – Pagosa Springs Branch". www.drgw.net. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Recorddocumentation, all filed under Chama, Rio Arriba County, NM:
- HAER No. NM-16, "Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, San Juan Extension, Wolf Creek Trestle, Crossing Wolf Creek at Milepost 339.78", 16 photos, 14 measured drawings, 37 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NM-19, "Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, San Juan Extension, Water Supply Systems", 3 data pages