Misplaced Pages

#662337

83-503: The B Line's southern terminus is at Union Station in Denver . It runs on a railroad right-of-way north sharing track with the G Line until Pecos Junction station , after which the two routes diverge. Initially, the B Line continues north to its terminus at Westminster station ; this is completed in approximately 15 minutes. In 2004, Colorado voters approved FasTracks , a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan. As part of

166-528: A complete list of all the railroad's named trains. The Union Pacific acquired all D&RG owned assets at the time of the merger. The UP operates the former D&RGW main line as part of its Central Corridor . However, several branch lines and other assets have been sold, abandoned or re-purposed. These include several presently operating heritage railways that trace their origins to the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Active rail assets tracing their heritage to

249-597: A defensive move, this may have been enough to discourage the A&;C from proceeding to construction. Originally hauling mainly agricultural products, the Farmington line was converted to narrow gauge in 1923, and later delivered pipe and other construction materials to the local oil and natural gas industry into the 1960s. Portions of the Alamosa–Durango line survive to this day. The Walsenburg–Alamosa–Antonito line survives as

332-552: A direct transcontinental link to the west. The D&RGW slipped into bankruptcy again in 1935. Emerging in 1947, it merged with the D&;SL on March   3, 1947, gaining control of the "Moffat Road" through the Moffat Tunnel and a branch line from Bond to Craig, Colorado . Finally free from financial problems, the D&RGW now possessed a direct route from Denver to Salt Lake City (the detour south through Pueblo and Tennessee Pass

415-534: A light rail connection. The station also served special trains such as the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad 's Ski Train , which operated until the end of the winter of 2008–2009; in September 2009, plans were announced to revive the service as a special limited route beginning in December, but this fell through due to insurance problems. The ski train returned for the 2022 ski season with weekend service during

498-762: A line was laid north through Delta , reaching Grand Junction in March, 1883. The line continued building west until reaching the D&RGW close to present day Green River which completed a narrow-gauge transcontinental link with the Rio Grande Western Railway to Salt Lake City, Utah . The line from Pueblo to Leadville was upgraded in 1887 to three rails to accommodate both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge operation. Narrow-gauge branch lines were constructed to Chama, New Mexico , Durango , Silverton , Crested Butte , Lake City , Ouray and Somerset , Colorado. The route over Tennessee Pass had steep grades, and it

581-780: A minimum service to Longmont could look like, as an interim step until the line is fully built out as called for in FasTracks. While not expected to conclude until the end of 2023, the study has so far suggested adding six additional stops past the current Westminster terminus, serviced by three southbound morning trips, and three northbound evening trips. In contrast to the rest of the RTD commuter system, this minimum service would operate on shared track with BNSF freight trains, and rely on new and existing sidings for holding freight while commuter trains are passing. This shared extension would notably use diesel locomotives instead of overhead electrification as

664-525: A narrow-gauge line from Ogden, Utah via Soldier Summit, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado . The railroad was reorganized as the Rio Grande Western Railway in 1889, as part of a finance plan to upgrade the line from narrow gauge to standard gauge, and built several branch lines in Utah to reach lucrative coal fields. It was the railway which Gustaf Nordenskiöld employed to haul boxcars of relics from

747-456: A patch applied over the locomotive's number and the number boards replaced. This method allows the locomotives to be numbered into the Union Pacific's roster but is cheaper than fully repainting the engine into UP Armour Yellow. In 2006, Union Pacific unveiled UP 1989 , an EMD SD70ACe painted in a stylized version of the D&RGW color scheme. This unit is one of several SD70ACe locomotives

830-551: A standard-gauge line, perhaps in anticipation of possible standard gauging of the entire line, south from Durango to Farmington, New Mexico . Part of the reason for this isolated change of gauge was that the Southern Pacific contemplated extending to access coal fields in the northern San Juan basin , had surveyors working there, and had incorporated a subsidiary, the Arizona & Colorado Railroad Company , for this purpose. As

913-688: A strong example of mountain railroading, with a motto of Through the Rockies, not around them and later Main line through the Rockies , both referring to the Rocky Mountains . The D&RGW operated the highest mainline rail line in the United States , over the 10,240 feet (3,120 m) Tennessee Pass in Colorado, and the famed routes through the Moffat Tunnel and the Royal Gorge . At its height, in 1889,

SECTION 10

#1733085974663

996-510: A surge in rail traffic , the latter half of the 20th century saw a sharp decline in service for Union Station and countless other train stations in the United States as competition began to grow from automobiles and airlines. For the first time in 1958, passenger traffic at Stapleton International Airport exceeded that of Union Station. It was during this period that the orange "Union Station: Travel by Train" signs were placed on both sides of

1079-689: A terminal on 19th Street to the Union Station Bus Concourse. Other intercity bus lines at the Bus Concourse are Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow. Commuter rail service at the new train hall began in April 2016 with the opening of the A Line , offering a connection to Denver International Airport , running every 15 minutes during peak hours with a travel time of approximately 37 minutes. Service between Denver and Westminster began in July 2016 on

1162-537: The 16th Street MallRide shuttle, was also moved west adjacent to the new light rail stop. Amtrak trains started serving the new open air train hall on February 28, 2014, while the new underground 22-gate Bus Concourse opened on May 11, 2014. The new bus concourse replaced Market Street Station at 16th St. & Market St., which closed permanently after thirty years of use as a hub for RTD buses. Bustang served Union Station Bus Concourse since its launch in 2015. In 2020, Greyhound Lines moved their Denver station from

1245-594: The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy , the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific , the Colorado & Southern , the Union Pacific and the Denver & Rio Grande Western railways). The new partnership decided to demolish and rebuild the central portion of the station to handle the increasing passenger traffic. The new central portion, designed by Denver architects Gove & Walsh, was built in the Beaux-Arts style and opened in 1914. By

1328-402: The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad , was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow-gauge line running south from Denver , Colorado , in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver and Salt Lake City , Utah . The Rio Grande was also a major origin of coal and mineral traffic. The Rio Grande was

1411-545: The Eagle P3 project, the first segment of the B Line opened on July 25, 2016. The remaining segment, extending to downtown Longmont, will require additional funding in order to be completed prior to 2042. The announcement angered many voters in the cities and suburbs north of Denver, who had approved a sales tax increase in 2004 to fund the FasTracks project. The downturn in the economy, poor cost projections that significantly underestimated construction costs and other reasons led to

1494-663: The Mesa Verde , Colorado, cliff dwellings, in 1891, en route to the National Museum of Finland . In 1901, the Denver & Rio Grande merged with the Rio Grande Western, consolidating in 1908. However, the railroad was weakened by speculators, who had used the Rio Grande's equity to finance Western Pacific Railroad construction. The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) took over the D&RG during World War I . In 1918,

1577-541: The Rio Grande . Closely assisted by his friend and new business partner Dr. William Bell , Palmer's new "Baby Road" laid the first rails out of Denver on July   28, 1871, and reached the location of the new town of Colorado Springs (then the Fountain Colony) by October   21. Narrow gauge was chosen in part because construction and equipment costs would be relatively more affordable when weighed against that of

1660-485: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP). The D&RGW used Southern Pacific's name with SP due to its name recognition among shippers. In time, the D&RGW's fast freight philosophy gave way to SP's long-established practice of running long, slow trains. A contributing factor was the rising cost of diesel fuel , a trend that set in after the 1973 oil crisis , which gradually undermined

1743-714: The standard-gauge Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad , with passenger excursion trains service provided by the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad . Two narrow-gauge segments survive as steam railroads , the Antonito–Chama line as the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and Durango–Silverton as the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad . Rio Grande Southern Railroad connected to San Juan Extension in Durango and went through

SECTION 20

#1733085974663

1826-540: The 12,000 square feet (1,100 m ) Great Hall on the ground level serving as the hotel lobby, public space, and train waiting room and an additional 22,000 square feet (2,000 m ) of the ground level serving as 10 independent retail and restaurant spaces. A stop at Union Station has been included in most proposals for Front Range Passenger Rail , an under-development inter-city rail service that would connect Pueblo , Colorado Springs , Denver, Boulder , Fort Collins , and Cheyenne . Alternate proposals would have

1909-525: The 1920s and 1930s, over 80 trains served the station daily with notable dignitaries such as Queen Marie of Romania , Presidents Theodore Roosevelt , William Howard Taft and Franklin Delano Roosevelt arriving to Denver through the station. As a result of growing passenger service, the Mizpah Arch in front of the station was deemed a traffic hazard and was torn down in 1931. Although World War II saw

1992-403: The 1950s and 1960s. At the end of 1970, it operated 1,903 miles (3,063 km) of road on 3,227 miles (5,193 km) of track; that year it carried 7,733 ton-miles of revenue freight and 21 million passenger-miles. Two of the most scenic routes survived in operation by the D&RGW until they were sold to tourist railroad operators. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad assumed operation of

2075-468: The Colorado Midland to build a line from Glenwood Springs connecting with D&RG at Grand Junction. Originally considered a secondary branch route to Grand Junction, the entire route from Leadville to Grand Junction was upgraded to standard gauge in 1890, and the original narrow-gauge route via Marshall Pass became a secondary route. The first (1881-1889) Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway built

2158-454: The D&RG fell into receivership after the bankruptcy of Western Pacific. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW or DRGW) was incorporated in 1920, and formally emerged as the new re-organization of the old Denver & Rio Grande Railroad on July 31, 1921. In 1931, the D&RGW acquired the Denver and Salt Lake Western Railroad, a paper railroad subsidiary of the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad (D&SL) which had acquired

2241-502: The D&RG in August, 1883, while retaining that position with the Western. Frederick Lovejoy would soon fill Palmer's vacated seat on the D&RG, the first in a succession of post Palmer presidents that would attempt to direct the railroad through future struggles and successes. Following bitter conflict with the Rio Grande Western during lease disagreements and continued financial struggles,

2324-418: The D&RG went into receivership in July, 1884, with court-appointed receiver William S. Jackson in control. Eventual foreclosure and sale of the original Denver & Rio Grande Railway resulted within two years, and the new Denver & Rio Grande Railroad took formal control of the property and holdings on July   14, 1886, with Jackson appointed as president. General Palmer would continue as president of

2407-602: The D&RGW had the largest narrow-gauge railroad network in North America with 1,861 miles (2,995 km) of track interconnecting the states of Colorado, New Mexico , and Utah. Known for its independence, the D&RGW operated the Rio Grande Zephyr until its discontinuation in 1983. This was the last private intercity passenger train in the United States until Brightline began service in Florida in 2018. In 1988,

2490-641: The D&RGW refused to join the national Amtrak system, and continued to operate its share of the Zephyr equipment as the Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City. By 1983, however, citing continued losses in revenue, the D&RGW decided to get out of the passenger business altogether and join Amtrak. With this move, Amtrak rerouted the San Francisco Zephyr to the Moffat Road line and rebranded it as

2573-406: The D&RGW's fuel-consuming "fast freight" philosophy. By the early 1990s, the combined Rio Grande/Southern Pacific system had lost much of the competitive advantage that made it attractive to transcontinental shippers, and became largely dependent on hauling the high-quality coal produced in the mine fields of Colorado and Utah. D&RGW locomotives retained their reporting marks and colors after

B Line (RTD) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2656-798: The Denver Union Terminal Railway Corporation under a jointly-funded agreement between RTD, the City and County of Denver , the Colorado Department of Transportation , and the Denver Regional Council of Governments , known as the Partner Agencies. A master plan was developed in 2002 that envisioned both the building and surrounding 19.5 acre (79,000 m ) site be redeveloped as the hub of a multi-modal transportation network with transit-oriented private development. The plan

2739-653: The Rio Grande's parent corporation, Rio Grande Industries , purchased Southern Pacific Transportation Company , and as the result of a merger, the larger Southern Pacific Railroad name was chosen for identity. The Rio Grande operated as a separate division of the Southern Pacific until 1992. Today, most former D&RGW main lines are owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad while several branch lines are now operated as heritage railways by various companies. The Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG)

2822-432: The U.S. 36 Mayors and Commissioners Coalition was gathering support from other members to ask RTD to provide an estimate for at least weekday rush hour commuter rail service along the original corridor to Longmont. In spring 2019, Longmont City Council asked RTD to look into the barebones "Peak Service Plan". RTD estimated a start-up cost of $ 117 million, serving an initial weekday ridership of 1,400. By mid-2019, completion of

2905-447: The UP has painted in stylized colors to help preserve the image of the railroads it has merged; the others are Missouri Pacific Railroad , Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad , Chicago and North Western Railway , Southern Pacific Railroad , and Western Pacific Railroad . The following people served as presidents (or the equivalent) of the D&RGW and its predecessors. By the beginning of 1948

2988-550: The Union Pacific's faster, less mountainous route and 39 3/4-hour schedules, the California Zephyr offered a more leisurely journey – a "rail cruise" – with ample vistas of the Rockies. Although the California Zephyr ran at full capacity and turned a modest profit from its 1949 inception through the late 1950s, by the mid-1960s the train was profitable only during the late spring, summer, and fall. In 1970, Western Pacific, claiming multimillion-dollar losses, dropped out. However,

3071-635: The Union Pacific, was retired by UP in December, 2008. As previously promised by UP, the D&RGW 5371 was donated to the Utah State Railroad Museum at Ogden's Union Station on August   17, 2009, and will reside in the Eccles Rail Center at the south end of the building. The museum is located at 25th Street and Wall Ave in Ogden, Utah. Many other Rio Grande locomotives still run in service with Union Pacific but have been "patch-renumbered," with

3154-474: The Utah line until retirement (due to company re-organization) in 1901. Throughout the railroad's history its primary heavy repair shops were located south of Denver , Colorado in Burnham. They were built in 1871 and equipped to service both narrow gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. In 1922 the site received $ 3 million in upgrades, expanding the capacity to repair locomotives and cars. The last steam locomotive

3237-571: The arch originally featured the word "Welcome" on both sides. The elevation facing 17th Street was changed to " Mizpah ", a Hebrew word expressing an emotional bond between separated people, and used as a farewell to people leaving Denver. In 1912, the original Union Depot partnership was dissolved and replaced by the Denver Terminal Railway Company, representing the then-major operators of the station (the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe ,

3320-622: The building to advertise intercity rail travel. Amtrak eventually became the sole provider of rail service through the station, operating only two trains daily between Chicago and the Bay Area with the California Zephyr . From the 1980s to the early 2000s, RTD , the City and County of Denver , the original site owner Denver Union Terminal Railway Corporation, and several other entities made periodic improvements such as accommodating an RTD bus lane to access Market Street Station from I-25 and

3403-415: The bus terminal. Each of these transportation elements are tied together above ground by major public spaces and landscape elements such as the 17 St. Promenade/Gardens, Wynkoop Plaza and several other public plazas. Historically, a subterranean passage accessed through the northern wing building connected the station to the old rail platforms above. However, the passage and its entrance was demolished with

B Line (RTD) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-409: The commuter rail lines. An entrance between the train hall and the historic building lead directly to the underground bus terminal, which stretches west for two city blocks along 17th Street until it terminates at an above-ground light rail station. Street-level pavilions at the light rail stop/Chestnut Place, Wewatta Street and at each platform in the train hall provide additional vertical circulation to

3569-455: The company owned 318 steam locomotives, 62 diesel locomotives , 179 passenger cars and 14,662 freight cars . In 1962, there were 22 steam locomotives, 257 diesel locomotives, 96 passenger cars and 12,386 freight cars. This is a partial list of D&RGW passenger trains. Westbound trains had odd numbers, while eastbound trains had even numbers. Many of the trains were named and renamed as well as being re-numbered. There are over 180 names on

3652-425: The consolidation with the Southern Pacific and would do so until the Union Pacific merger. The one noticeable change was to Southern Pacific's "Bloody Nose" paint scheme. The serif font on the sides of the locomotives was replaced by the Rio Grande's "speed lettering", which was utilized on all SP locomotives built or repainted after the merger. On September 11, 1996, Anschutz sold the combined D&RGW/SP system with

3735-417: The construction of the bus terminal. The present-day Union Station building consists mainly of two lower wing buildings flanking a larger central mass built during different parts of the station's history. The wing buildings were built with the first 1881 structure in a Romanesque Revival style, featuring tall, narrow windows, rusticated stonework and motifs of Colorado's state flower, the columbine . When

3818-596: The creation of retail spaces, and integrating the interior spaces with the public plazas facing the station. However, the Denver Union Station Neighborhood plan also envisioned a public market and commercial office space while the Union Station Alliance called for the integration of an independent hotel with an emphasis on creating the Great Hall as "Denver's Living Room". By 2012, RTD selected

3901-403: The current incarnation of the California Zephyr . Even as the D&RGW exploited the best new standard-gauge technology to compete with other transcontinental carriers, the railroad continued to operate the surviving steam-powered narrow-gauge lines, including the famed narrow-gauge line between Durango and Silverton, Colorado . Most of the remaining narrow-gauge trackage was abandoned in

3984-511: The defenders to leave. In March, 1880, a Boston Court granted the AT&;SF the rights to Raton Pass, while the D&RG paid an exorbitant $ 1.4   million for the trackage extending through the Arkansas River 's Royal Gorge . The D&RG's possession of this route allowed quick access to the booming mining district of Leadville, Colorado . While this "Treaty of Boston" did not exactly favor

4067-424: The first segment of the B Line , which runs every 30 minutes during peak hours. The travel time between the two stations is approximately 11 minutes. Service to Wheat Ridge on the G Line began in April 2019, with an end-to-end travel time of 27 minutes. Service to Thornton on the N Line started in September 2020, with an end-to-end runtime of 29 minutes. Simultaneous with the construction of its surrounding site,

4150-405: The full original line was estimated at $ 1.1-1.5 billion (in 2013 dollars), targeted for 2042, 25 years after the original planned opening. In early 2020, RTD estimated it could construct the rest of the line for peak-direction service at a cost of $ 700-800 million; full-day service would not be expected until 2050 at a final cost of $ 1.5 billion. The Peak Service Study is an ongoing analysis of what

4233-523: The historic station house also underwent a complete renovation. In 2011, a competition between the Denver Union Station Neighborhood Company and the Union Station Alliance (consisting of local firms Urban Neighborhoods Inc., Sage Hospitality, Larimer Associates, REGen, llc. and McWhinney) created different proposals for the future use of the structure. Both plans called for maintaining a waiting area for transit and spaces for Amtrak,

SECTION 50

#1733085974663

4316-464: The initiation of the year-long "Northwest Area Mobility Study" for what was then known as the Northwest Rail line. Out of this study came an agreement between northwest area governments and transportation partners to build a line very different from what the lines voters originally approved. The study concluded in 2014. It made a number of recommendations that were adopted by the RTD. In summer 2018,

4399-400: The line between Antonito, Colorado , and Chama, New Mexico , in 1970. The last D&RGW narrow-gauge line, from Durango to Silverton, was sold in 1981 to the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad , exactly one hundred years after the line went into operation. In 1988, Rio Grande Industries , the company that controlled the D&RGW under the direction of Philip Anschutz , purchased

4482-424: The longest narrow-gauge tangent tracks in U.S. railroading (52.82 miles or 85 kilometers) also linked Alamosa with Salida to the north. From Antonito a line was built over 10,015 feet (3,053 m) Cumbres Pass , along the Colorado - New Mexico border, reaching Durango, Colorado , in August, 1881 and continuing north to the rich mining areas around Silverton in July, 1882. A line was also constructed in 1902 as

4565-413: The nation's most productive coal mining regions, retired coal-fueled steam locomotives as quickly as new, replacement diesels could be purchased. By 1956, the D&RGW's standard-gauge steam locomotives had been retired and scrapped. The reason for this was that unlike steam locomotives, diesel locomotives could easily be combined, using the diesels' multiple unit capabilities, to equip each train with

4648-602: The optimum horsepower which was needed to meet the D&RGW's aggressive schedule. The D&RGW's sense of its unique geographical challenge found expression in the form of the California Zephyr , a passenger train which was jointly operated with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) from Chicago to Denver, the D&RGW from Denver to Salt Lake City, and the Western Pacific Railroad from Salt Lake City to Oakland , California (with ferry and bus connections to San Francisco ). Unable to compete with

4731-573: The owners of the four lines (the Union Pacific, the Denver & Rio Grande , the Denver, South Park & Pacific and the Colorado Central ) agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets. Architect A. Taylor of Kansas City was hired to develop the plans and the station opened in May 1881. A fire that started in the women's restroom in 1894 destroyed the central portion of the 1881 depot. The Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe

4814-578: The parent company Southern Pacific Rail Corporation to the Union Pacific Corporation , partly in response to the earlier merger of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe which formed the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway . As the Union Pacific absorbed the D&RGW into its system, signs of the fabled mountain railroad's existence are slowly fading away. D&RGW 5371, the only original D&RGW locomotive in full Rio Grande paint on

4897-565: The peak ski season. Until the grand renovation, the station served the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Train , which runs between Denver and Cheyenne, Wyoming , for the Frontier Days Rodeo event. The popular excursion train was later relocated to a site near the Denver Coliseum , where it continued to operate until being discontinued in 2019. In 2001, RTD purchased Union Station and the surrounding site of its old rail yards from

4980-462: The periphery of and opening on to the Great Hall. In general, the 2012 renovation sought to create "Denver's Living Room" in the Great Hall by diversifying its functions. It functions today as part hotel lobby, part Amtrak, part waiting area, part retail, and part public space. Denver and Rio Grande Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad ( reporting mark DRGW ), often shortened to Rio Grande , D&RG or D&RGW, formerly

5063-586: The prevailing standard gauge . Palmer's first hand impressions of the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales buoyed his interest in the narrow-gauge concept which would prove to be advantageous while conquering the mountainous regions of the Southwest. Eventually the route of the D&RG would be amended (including a plan to continue south from Pueblo over Raton Pass) and added to as new opportunities and competition challenged

SECTION 60

#1733085974663

5146-425: The proposal from the Union Station Alliance to renovate the structure as a hotel at a cost of $ 54 million with retail, public, and transit facilities and approved a 99-year lease for its redevelopment. The main historic building closed to the public on December 1, 2012, for construction and re-opened July 26, 2014. The majority of the terminal building's upper levels have now become the 112-room Crawford Hotel, with

5229-479: The public spaces including the landscape, train hall, bus terminal, and light rail station. The project received a $ 300 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation on July 30, 2010, to help fund construction of three light-rail tracks and eight heavy-rail tracks for both Amtrak and commuter rail services, as well as additional storage and servicing capabilities. As construction at

5312-453: The purist of original D&RG intentions, the conquering of new mining settlements to the west and the future opportunity to expand into Utah was realized from this settlement. By late 1880, William Bell had begun to organize railway construction in Utah that would become the Palmer controlled Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway in mid-1881. The intention of the D&RGW (aka the "Western")

5395-600: The railroad's expanding goals. Feverish, competitive construction plans provoked the 1877–1880 war over right of way with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . Both rivals hired gunslingers and bought politicians while courts intervened to bring settlement to the disagreements. One anecdote of the conflict recounts June, 1879, when the Santa Fe defended its roundhouse in Pueblo with Dodge City toughs led by Bat Masterson ; on that occasion, D&RG treasurer R. F. Weitbrec paid

5478-588: The railroad's overhead signal pole lines. The D&RG also pushed west from Walsenburg, Colorado , over La Veta Pass (now "Old La Veta Pass") by 1877. At the time the 'Uptop' depot on Veta Pass, rising over 9,500 feet (2,900 m) in elevation, boasted the highest elevation for a narrow-gauge railroad. The railroad reached Alamosa by 1878. From Alamosa, a line was pushed south through Antonito eventually reaching Santa Fe, New Mexico (the Chili Line ), and west as far as Creede, Colorado . A line containing one of

5561-454: The renovation saw the return of similar chandeliers as the originals, it also saw the removal of the benches due to asbestos . Other modifications made during 2012 included changing the brown and tan color scheme of the interior to a more neutral white. The old ticket counters and offices were also converted into the Terminal Bar along with several retail and restaurant spaces being created on

5644-416: The rest of the system uses. Denver Union Station Denver Union Station is the main railway station and central transportation hub in Denver , Colorado . It is located at 17th and Wynkoop Streets in the present-day LoDo district and includes the historic station house, a modern open-air train shed , a 22-gate underground bus station , and light rail station. A station was first opened on

5727-543: The rights to build a 40-mile (64 km) connection between the two railroads. After years of negotiation, the D&RGW gained trackage rights on the D&SL from Denver to the new cutoff. In 1932, the D&RGW began construction of the Dotsero Cutoff east of Glenwood Springs to near Bond on the Colorado River , at a location called Orestod (Dotsero spelled backward). Construction was completed in 1934, giving Denver

5810-426: The service bypass Union Station and downtown Denver, instead stopping at Denver Airport station . As an inter-modal transportation hub, Denver Union Station consists of the historic terminal building and, on the site's former rail yards, an open-air train hall, a 22-gate underground bus terminal, and a light rail station. The train hall stands immediately behind the historic building and houses tracks for Amtrak and

5893-510: The site commenced in 2010, Amtrak's passenger station and boarding platform were moved on February 1, 2011, to a temporary site at 21st and Wewatta streets, behind Coors Field . The new light rail station was the first component of the project to open on August 15, 2011, two blocks west of the former light rail stations and adjacent to the consolidated main line railroad tracks near the Denver Millennium Bridge . The westernmost stop of

5976-483: The site on June 1, 1881, but burned down in 1894. The current structure was erected in two stages, with an enlarged central portion completed in 1914. In 2012, the station underwent a major renovation transforming it into the centerpiece of a new transit-oriented mixed-use development built on the site's former railyards. The historic station house reopened in the summer of 2014, hosting the 112-room Crawford Hotel, restaurants and retailers. Denver's first train station

6059-564: The station was gutted by the 1894 fire, the facades of the wing buildings were incorporated into the 1894 depot and the 1914 renovation. They originally functioned as offices and other facilities for the station through its history, although today the structures house guestrooms for the Crawford Hotel and several restaurants. When originally constructed, the Great Hall also included three large chandeliers and ten long wooden benches that incorporated heating and lighting into their framework. While

6142-590: The western edge of San Juan Mountains to Ridgway, Colorado on Montrose–Ouray branch. The D&RG built west from Leadville over 10,240 feet (3,120 m) Tennessee Pass in an attempt to reach the mining areas around Aspen, Colorado , before its rival railroad in the area, the Colorado Midland , could build a line reaching there. The D&RG built a line through Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs , reaching Aspen in October, 1887. The D&RG then joined with

6225-643: Was approved in 2004 by the Partner Agencies and was backed by voters in November of that year as part of the FasTracks program. After a competition in 2006, the Partner Agencies selected the private Union Station Neighborhood Company as the master developer of the entire site. Its plan called for the transit elements connected to Union Station in the master plan to be constructed in one single phase at an estimated cost of $ 500 million. In 2008, Hargreaves Associates and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill were selected to design

6308-427: Was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway , which connected Denver to the main transcontinental line at Cheyenne, Wyoming . By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880,

6391-473: Was hired to design a larger replacement depot in the Romanesque Revival style . Both the 1881 and 1894 depots included a tall central clock tower with four clock faces. On July 4, 1906, a large arch was dedicated in front of the station in order to provide a symbolic threshold for travelers entering and leaving the city. Constructed at a cost of $ 22,500 with 70 tons of steel and over 2,000 light bulbs,

6474-537: Was incorporated on October   27, 1870, by General William Jackson Palmer (1836–1909), and a board of four directors. It was originally announced that the new 3 ft ( 914 mm ) railroad would proceed south from Denver and travel an estimated 875 miles (1,408 km) south to El Paso via Pueblo, westward along the Arkansas River, and continue southward through the San Luis Valley of Colorado toward

6557-486: Was no longer required for direct service), but a problem still remained: for transcontinental service, the Union Pacific 's more northerly line was far less mountainous (and, as a result, several hours faster). The D&RGW's solution was its "fast freight" philosophy, which employed multiple diesel locomotives pulling short, frequent trains. This philosophy helps to explain why the D&RGW, despite its proximity to one of

6640-423: Was not uncommon to see trains running with midtrain and rear-end helpers. In 1997, a year after the D&RGW/SP merger with Union Pacific, the UP closed the line. Although it has been out of service for more than two decades, the rails are still in usable condition, though many of the signals have been ravaged by time and vandals. In 2011, under a federal Beautification Grant, a private contractor removed and scrapped

6723-751: Was pushed to Leadville later that same year. From Salida, the D&RG pushed west over the Continental Divide at the 10,845 feet (3,306 m) Marshall Pass and reached Gunnison on August 6, 1881. From Gunnison the line entered the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River passing the famous Curecanti Needle seen in their famous Scenic Line of the World Herald. The tracks left the increasingly-difficult canyon at Cimmaron and passed over Cerro Summit , reaching Montrose on September 8, 1882. From Montrose,

6806-506: Was serviced in 1956, at which time the locomotive department was converted to service diesel engines. The other major back shop site was in Salt Lake City , Utah, built in 1883. The shops in Alamosa , Colorado primarily serviced narrow gauge rolling stock. The D&RG built west from Pueblo reaching Cañon City in 1874. The line through the Royal Gorge reached Salida on May 20, 1880, and

6889-508: Was to work eastward from Provo to an eventual link with westward bound D&RG in Colorado. This physical connection was realized near the Green River on March   30, 1883, and by May of that year the D&RG formally leased its Utah subsidiary as previously planned. By mid-1883, financial difficulties due to aggressive growth and expenditures led to a shake up among the D&RG board of directors, and General Palmer resigned as president of

#662337