Before The Southern

The D&RG had built a narrow-gauge route from Denver in 1870, making its way to the Animas Valley from the town of Alamosa (Known as the San Juan Extension) and establishing the city of Durango in 1881, and then built to the town of Silverton in 1882. The D&RG would later build a route from Salida to Montrose, and then south to where they established the town of Ridgway (named after D&RG superintendent Robert M. Ridgway) and reached the mining town of Ouray in 1887. The D&RG had surveyed possible routes to access the town of Rico and connect the Ouray branch, one that branched off of the Silverton Branch at Hermosa and another route that Otto Mears' Silverton Railroad would eventually be constructed on, but as far as the D&RG was concerned, both routes were deemed as too formidable for a railroad line to be constructed. It was Otto Mears who decided to take on the task of connecting the D&RG's rail lines that were separated North and South of the central San Juans, and he had been on good terms with the D&RG from building the roadbed for their route to Gunnison, over Poncha and Marshall Pass.^[1]

The Silverton Railroad

Mears' first attempt at doing just that was The Silverton Railroad (reporting mark SRR), which went northwest of Silverton utilizing the survey done by the D&RG, mostly following the route of today's US 550 (also known as the Million Dollar Highway) over Red Mountain Pass. With the help of Locating Engineer Charles Wingate Gibbs, Mears managed to build the SRR to Ironton, which made it within 8 miles (12.9 km) of Ouray. However, the remaining stretch through the Uncompahgre Gorge to Ouray was considered too difficult, despite the efforts and engineering feats that had been already accomplished by Mears and Gibbs to get the SRR to Ironton in the first place. A Cog Railway was briefly considered as well as a Spiraling Tunnel, but the two ideas never made it out of the hypothetical realm. The SRR was able to profit from the also immense mineral traffic generating from the Red Mountain Mining District, but the Silver Panic of 1893 did not do any good to the Railroad, and eventually, the SRR was shut down and removed in 1926. See the Silverton Railroad page for more info.^[1]

Inception of The Southern

RGS C-16 #9, Probably somewhere on Lizard Head pass.

Once it was apparent to Mears that the Silverton Railroad would not be able to access Ouray, He considered a Railroad route heading west of Durango. It would head north following Lost Creek and the Dolores River, accessing the mining community of Rico, then over Lizard Head Pass, following the San Miguel River up to the Dallas Divide, and then into the town of Ridgway. This route would essentially bypass the issues that kept the SRR from completing the line from Ouray and the need for various switchbacks and Wyes the SRR Required to traverse Red Mountain Pass, So in 1889, he incorporated the Rio Grande Southern. Construction began that year from both Ridgway and Durango. By the end of 1890, before the line was complete, the RGS was already servicing mining companies in Telluride and west of Durango. One of these was the Porter Coal Mine, built by John Porter, who had started other coal mines throughout the Durango Area to fuel the Durango Smelter/San Juan Smelter that he had built as well.^[2] The line was completed on 12 December 1891, where the two construction teams met south of Rico. Then the RGS was booming, profitable for the company and investors, and producing higher than the average pay for RGS Employees. This only lasted for a year and a half however, as the Silver Panic of 1893 had resulted in most of the mines the railroad serviced closing overnight, and the railroad lost most of its traffic. This would badly affect the Finances of the RGS, and the railroad was never able to fully recover from this and created many characteristics the RGS is known for today. In August 1893, the RGS requested a voluntary Receivership, which was received by Edward Turner Jeffery of the D&RG. Otto Mears had lost control of his railroad, and the D&RG was now in charge. By 1895 the Receivership had ended, but Ed Jeffery was appointed president, still ensuring the D&RG's control of the line. Later on, the RGS was able to pursue other kinds of traffic, such as Lumber/Logging, Livestock shipments, as well as recovering and different types of mineral traffic.^[1]

Struggle of The Southern

As the railroad attempted to recover from the panic of 1893 slowly, other issues had to be dealt with regarding mother nature. The railroad's route followed the Dolores River, which tended to flood many times during the railroad's lifetime. Most of the terrain it went through experienced tons of snow in winter and occasional rock and mudslides in summer. The RGS was able to order two new rotary snowplows specifically for the railroad luckily before the panic of 1893 and later on built three(?) plow flangers. Still, depending on how bad the snow got, it often caused closures, and the cost to operate trains with their plow equipment was too much for the railroad during specific times as they required two to four locomotives to push them. Many Bridges and Trestles would be washed out when rivers flooded over, adding more unnecessary costs to railroad maintenance and closures.^[3]

Tin-Feathered Saviors of The Southern

Goose #3 in front of what looks to be the Ridgway Depot, 1949

The RGS had the displeasure of experiencing yet another economic downfall, the Great Depression. This was a massive hit on the RGS and affected it to the point where they could not afford to operate one single steam locomotive (Paying for Fuel, Paying the Engineer and Fireman to operate the locomotive, etc.). However, they still had the responsibility to ship US Mail. That could have been the end of the line for the RGS, but Chief Mechanic Jack Odenbaugh thought otherwise. In 1931 he devised a way to construct seven homemade "railcars" that would be cheap to build and operate, capable of transporting US mail and a few passengers. The official names given from the RGS were "Motors", but these railcars would later be unofficially named "Galloping Geese" by Railfans because of how they looked, operated, and sounded.- Waddling down the poorly maintained, unlevel RGS tracks with a silver-painted body and hood covers that looked like goose wings when opened up to prevent the motor from over-heating, and the horn sounding somewhat like a honking goose. These railcars are arguably one of the most iconic aspects of the RGS and are known by most narrow-gauge railfans. The first Goose (RGS Motor #1) was built from a recycled Buick body, frame, and engine, and #2 would be as well, but with a larger and enclosed freight compartment, a requirement to haul US mail. Motors #3 through #5 and #7 were built from Pierce Arrow bodies, but with freight compartments the size of a boxcar. Motor #6 was made from a Buick as well, but it was designated for Maintenance of Way service, and only had a flatbed attached behind the cab. Later on, Motors #3 through #5 would receive replacement Wayne Buss bodies. These motor cars indeed were successful and handled daily services until 1940 when the RGS could afford to run regular freight trains. Even after that, the Geese completely replaced revenue-generating passenger trains until abandonment; almost all passenger coaches the RGS owned at the time had been put into MOW service since.^[4][5]

The RGS Motor #1 Replica seen in Ridgway

ex-D&RGW K-27 #461 assisting with scrapping operations, circa 1952

Demise of The Southern

The RGS finally threw in the towel and filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission for abandonment on 24 April 1952, after 60 years of operation. The RGS had lost the contract to ship US mail after failing to clear snow to deliver during the winter of 1951–52. This contract was the very last profitable aspect of the RGS hence why it was the final straw after the railroad's history of financial trouble. Scrapping operations started after the request for abandonment was approved in April and was completed by March 21st, 1953. Remaining operational equipment such as RGS C-17 #42 on the south end of the line and D&RGW K-27 #461 on the north end as well as various Motors/Geese were used to salvage the rails and other parts of the railroad that were removed.^[6]

Most of the RGS equipment had been abandoned, sold, or scrapped. The RGS had many locomotives regardless of whether they were leased or owned, but many were eventually cannibalized for parts that went to similar locomotives of the same class and then scrapped. The RGS was always having financial issues and was usually more than willing to sell worn out or excess locomotives and rolling stock hardware to the scrappers to stay afloat. The D&RGW had to perform similar practices during the great depression, causing many typical classes of RGS and D&RG locomotives to almost go extinct.

The Main Line

The "Ophir Loop", circa. 1910. The tracks above led to Rico, the tracks below lead to Vance Junction.

From the Railroad's headquarters and where the main facilities were in Ridgway, the railroad traversed northwest to the Dallas Divide and then headed southwest following near the present-day Route 62, heading down to the townsite of Placerville. It then continued south toward Telluride following the San Miguel River, to what was called Vance Junction (west of Telluride), where one of two coal topples were located. It then continued southeast, curving around up the side of Yellow Mountain to the Townsite of Ophir with the help of numerous, large trestle bridges. It then looped around to the southwest and continued up the side of Yellow Mountain to Trout Lake, curving around it to the Summit of Lizard Head Pass. It then continued southeast, where it met the Dolores River and looped around it heading southwest into the town of Rico. Rico was considered the center of the Railroad and had some notable engine facilities. From Rico, it followed the Dolores River west into the town of Dolores, where it then curved southeast into Lost Canyon. It followed Lost Creek, and eventually exited the canyon to make its way directly south into the town of Mancos. From Mancos, it traversed east following the East Mancos Creek up Mancos Hill, and then down Cima Hill to the townsite of Hesperus. Then it curved south, passing by Ute Junction, the second coal topple on the line. It then looped back around the east, near the original Fort Lewis campus, heading northeast into Wild Cat Canyon. In the canyon, it passed by the townsite of Porter and the site of the Porter Coal mine, making its way north to Franklin Junction. It then curved east and finally ended close to the San Juan Smelter, where it met up with the D&RGW's San Juan Extension.

Branch Lines

The RGS had numerous small industry spurs servicing mines and other types of freight traffic, but there were at least four notable branch lines that branched off of the RGS Mainline.

Preserved locomotives

While the Rio Grande Southern route may be long gone, reclaimed by nature and newer development of civilization, there are still many artifacts from the railroad that still exist today. Such as structures on or along the original right of way, as well as equipment and rolling stock. The RGS had many different locomotives that ran on the line throughout its life, but with the exception of locomotives that were leased and the motors/geese, very few remain today.

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  RGS C-19 #41 operating at Knotts Berry Farm
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  RGS C-17 #42 on display inside the D&SNG Museum
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  RGS T-19 #20 operating at the Colorado Railroad Museum
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  D&RG "Standard Consolidation Engine," 1881. A "consolidation" is a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement.
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  RGS Motor #7 Operating at the Colorado Railroad Museum

Today, much of the former D&RGW and RGS rolling stock has new life in tourism, at places such as the Huckleberry Railroad, Knott's Berry Farm, the Durango & Silverton Railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, and the Colorado Railroad Museum.

The Ridgway Railroad Museum offers in-depth guided tours of the Rio Grande Southern right of way and remains, during their annual Railroad Days events in September, as well as guided hiking tours of the Silverton Railroad right of way.