Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

1. Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension Marker

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Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

2. Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension Marker

The marker is mounted on the right side of the Antonito Railroad Depot east/front entrance.

the 2007 National Register Nomination prepared by Keith E. Hayes, 10/10/2005:
When the railroad segment was listed in the National Register in 1973, the name “Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad” was recorded as the official resource name. As this name was not used until after the railroad’s period of significance, this amendment uses the historic name of the property during the period of significance; “Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension.” The right-of-way consists of 64 miles of three-foot gauge railroad track between the communities of Antonito, Colorado, and Chama, New Mexico, along the Colorado-New Mexico border. Trackage crosses the state border eleven times, sometimes multiple crossings within hundreds of feet. The route travels over Cumbres Pass at an elevation of 10,015 feet.

At Antonito, Colorado, the eastern terminus, there is a small frame depot, built in 1971. This was designed to conform with the architecture of the other structures along the line, which is typical of western railroad design of the 1880's. Condition of the Antonito depot is excellent. A wye, a passing siding, and a new handcar shed complete the inventory at Antonito. The condition of the rails and roadbed is generally good, as is the condition of the two operating and three repairable locomotives. Most of the rolling stock is in fair-to-poor condition. The physical appearance

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

3. Antonito Railroad Depot (southeast elevation)

of the railroad is much the same today as it was in 1880, when the line was built, except for the size of the locomotives and the weight of the rail.

As part of the boom and bust west, the Denver & Rio Grande as a corporate entity was born, died and reborn under a variety of names. These include:
• Denver & Rio Grande Railway, 1870-1886
• Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company, 1886-1921
• Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad 1921-1970.

In July 1970, the D&RG sold the line along with its buildings, fixed structures and significant amounts of operating equipment to the states of Colorado and New Mexico.

Excerpt:  On February 20, 1880, track crews of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) began to lay the first rails of the San Juan Extension going south from Alamosa, Colorado, toward Antonito, Colorado, arriving in March of that year. The company chose the narrow gauge of three feet instead of the standard gauge of four feet eight and a half inches. This was because the narrow gauge was cheaper to build, and a narrow-gauge railway can accommodate tighter-radius

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

4. Antonito Railroad Depot (northeast elevation)

curves. This allowed laying track where standard gauge would not fit. From Antonito, the line continued west to Chama, New Mexico, arriving there on December 31, 1880. The track had come 64 miles through two tunnels, over a 10,015-foot mountain pass, and skirted a 600-foot gorge.
The major issue with the line was Cumbres Pass itself. The high elevation and various other factors lead to many terrible snowstorms. This prompted the railroad to purchase "rotary snowplows". The two that were used on the Cumbres Pass line were Rotary OM and Rotary OY. Both rotaries are still in existence in Chama, New Mexico, but historically they are dispatched from Alamosa. Every five or six years, the winter season has as much as 500 inches of snow fall on Cumbres. These snowstorms were a huge financial burden for the railroad. The "Granddaddy of All Snowstorms" hit in the winter of 1951–1952. This was the worst recorded winter on the line and one of the deciding factors when abandonment was considered in the 1960s.

Excerpt:  This nationally significant narrow-gauge railroad segment exists as one of only two operating

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

5. Antonito Railroad Depot (southwest elevation)

The Denver & Rio Grande narrow-gauge tracks run parallel to the west side of the depot.

sections of what was once a state wide network of three foot gauge tracks built and operated by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The 64-mile route straddles the Colorado-New Mexico border on the western edge of the San Luis Valley and is an outstanding representation of the larger 1,000-mile network that opened the central Rocky Mountain region for development. The right-of-way includes narrow gauge track in its original alignment, depots, water tanks, trestles, telegraphone booths, section houses, tunnels, livestock loading pens, ten steam locomotives, and over a hundred other pieces of rolling stock.

The so-called Narrow Gauge Movement of the late nineteenth century was one of the most distinctive epochs in American railroading. The network defined by the Denver & Rio Grande, its affiliated companies, and especially the San Juan Extension represented an ambitious, extensive, and successful expression of narrow gauge (36") railroading as a viable alternative to the prevailing system of standard gauge (52 ½") track. The segment served as a de facto narrow gauge "proof of concept" project demonstrating the ability of 36" railroads to penetrate mountainous regions, operate over long distances, and scale equipment and infrastructure to meet heavy traffic demand.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

6. Antonito Railroad Depot (front/east elevation)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

7. Cumbres & Toltec (D&RGW) Locomotive 494

It is located near the north side of the Antonito Railroad Depot, and has apparently been scrapped for parts, (e.g., the wheels).

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025

8. Antonito Water Tank & D&RGW Boxcar

Located at the west end of the Antonito Rail Yard.