D&RGW West Of Grand Junction

Compiled by Don Strack

This page was last updated on September 1, 2003.

(Sources at bottom of page.)

Mile post numbers: As an overall statement, all mile posts on Rio Grande are numbered from Denver. But the route from Denver to Ogden has changed. When first constructed, Denver to Ogden was 774.6 miles by way of the narrow gauge route over Marshall Pass in Colorado. In 1890 the standard gauge route over Tennessee Pass was completed, and the distance from Denver to Ogden changed from 774.6 miles to 782.0 miles.

In 1927 D&RGW began operating over the Denver & Salt Lake Railway's route from Denver straight west through the newly completed Moffat Tunnel. The Moffat line connected with D&RGW's Tennessee Pass line at Bond. The junction switch at Bond carried Mile Post 167.7 for the Moffat line, and Mile Post 342.0 for the Tennessee Pass line. All mile post numbers remained the same after SP took over the operation of D&RGW in 1988, and after UP took control of D&RGW in 1996.

Although minor variations exist in the mile post numbers over time, they have generally remained the same, i.e., distance from Denver via the Tennessee Pass line. Since mile post numbers are taken from the center of the depot, or from the center of a station's siding, variations in station mile post numbers are mainly due to sidings being lengthened, and the center of the siding moving to reflect the new length. Other variations exist due to the line being re-surveyed. As a general basis, the mile post numbers given below are from the 1961 Utah Division employee timetable.

Grand Junction (MP 449.6)

425.2 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Durham (MP 450.0)

Racey (MP 454.5)

Rhone (MP 456.9)

shown as Roan in April 1884 narrow gauge timetable, 432.6 miles from Denver

Fruita (MP 460.5)

439.6 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Loma (MP 465.6)

Mack (MP 468.9)

Established east of Crevasse siding in 1903 as a connection with Uintah Railway.

Crevasse (MP 470.5)

Point of connection for 1890 Crevasse to White House standard gauge line
Point of legal separation between Denver & Rio Grande and Rio Grande Western
446.6 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Original narrow gauge line between Crevasse and White House:

replaced in 1890 by new standard gauge line

Clarkton (?? miles from Denver)

Shale (451.7 miles from Denver)

Excelsior (456.3 miles from Denver)

State Line (460.8 miles from Denver)

Colorado/Utah line

Acherton (463.2 miles from Denver)

West Water (473.6 miles from Denver)

Cottonwood (479.8 miles from Denver)

Cisco (496.2 miles from Denver)

White House (498.8 miles from Denver)

Ruby (MP 473.1)

Shale (MP 478.0)

Utaline (MP 483.4)

Colorado/Utah line
Utaline to Crevasse constructed by RGW subsidiary State Line & Denver Railway (LeMassena, p. 255)

Westwater (MP 488.4)

Cottonwood (MP 493.2)

Agate (MP 498.9)

Cisco (MP 504.4)

White House (MP 512.0)

Point of connection for 1890 Crevasse to White House standard gauge line
498.8 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Elba (MP 515.9)

Sagers (MP 520.1)

506.7 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Vista (MP 525.3)

Thompson (MP 528.1)

515.0 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Brendel (MP 534.2)

Floy (MP 540.9)

Solitude (MP 546.9)

536.3 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Riverside

shown in 1884 engineer's report

Daly (MP 551.4)

Green River (MP 555.2)

544.9 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Sphinx (MP 561.3)

551.4 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Desert (MP 568.0)

shown as Desert Switch in April 1884 narrow gauge timetable
557.9 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Cliff (MP 574.7)

shown as Cliff Siding in April 1884 narrow gauge timetable
564.4 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Woodside (MP 580.6)

Grassy (MP 596.9)

Cedar (MP 593.5)

Verde (MP 599.4)

Mounds (MP 603.2)

Farnham (MP 608.7)

599.7 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Wellington (MP 613.5)

Price (MP 619.1)

610.3 miles from Denver via narrow gauge
shown as Castle Valley in 1884 engineer's report

Maxwell (MP 621.8)

Helper (MP 626.5)

Utah Ry. Jct. (MP 628.8)

Castle Gate (MP 630.3)

623.5 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Royal (MP 631.6)

Nolan (MP 635.1)

Kyune (MP 639.3)

632.2 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Colton (MP 644.5)

shown as P. V. Junction in April 1884 timetable
636.9 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Soldier Summit (MP 651.4)

644.1 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

New line constructed in 1913 to make an easier grade, to accommodate Utah Railway coal trains.

Original line between Detour and Soldiers Summit:

replaced in 1913

Soldier Summit (644.1 miles from Denver)

Tucker (651.2 miles from Denver)

shown as Clear Creek in April 1884 timetable

connection for Utah & Pleasant Valley line to cola mines in Pleasant Valley

now a rest stop on U. S. 6

Detour (?? miles from Denver)

Scenic (MP 656.5)

Gilluly (MP 661.0)

Detour (MP 665.8)

Point of connection for 1913 Soldier to Detour standard gauge line

Narrows (MP 672.5)

shown as Red Narrows in April 1884 timetable
662.7 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Mill Fork (MP ??)

658.3 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Rio (MP 676.7)

Known briefly as "New Rio" during construction of Thistle line relocation, June-July 1983

Original mainline prior to Thistle relocation due to mudslide, April-July 1983
Rio (MP 676.5)

Thistle (MP 680.9)

659.4 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Castilla (MP 684.5)

This was originally an unnamed siding; Castilla name applied following the Thistle line relocation

Castilla (MP 684.7)

Known briefly as "New Thistle" during construction of Thistle line relocation, June-July 1983

Moark (MP 688.6)

Mapleton (MP 691.3) (later known as Sutro)

S.L.&U. Crossing (MP 695.0)

Springville (MP 695.8)

684.1 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

U.P. Crossing (MP 698.9)

Grundy (MP 700.0)

Provo (MP 701.2)

689.4 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Dern (MP 702.5)

Lakota (MP 704.8)

U.P. Crossing (MP 705.7)

Geneva (MP 710.0)

American Fork (MP 713.7)

702.2 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Lehi (MP 717.0)

705.5 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Mesa (MP 720.2)

Nash (MP 722.8)

Olivers (MP 725.5)

Riverton (MP 728.6)

Endot (MP 734.0)

Midvale (MP 734.5)

shown as Bingham Junction in April 1884 timetable
724.1 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Murray (MP 738.4)

East Roper (MP 740.7)

Roper (MP 742.5)

U.P. Crossing (MP 744.2)

Salt Lake City (MP 745.1)

734.9 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

U.P. Crossing (MP 745.6)

Site of a D&RGW 17-lever manual interlocking to protect D&RGW crossing at 700 West of OSL at South Temple, and WP's crossing of D&RGW at 100 South.

Replaced in 1948 by Grant Tower automatic interlocking.

North Salt Lake (MP 750.9)

Woods Cross (MP 753.6)

743.5 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Farmington (MP 760.6)

750.2 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Kaysville (MP 764.4)

754.1 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Layton (MP 767.2)

756.9 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

U.P. Crossing (MP 771.2)

D&RGW crossing of OSL Syracuse Branch, which was built in 1889, after D&RGW was completed to Ogden in 1883.

Roy (MP 775.1)

Transfer (MP 781.1)

Ogden (MP 782.0)

774.2 miles from Denver via narrow gauge

Sources:

D&RGW April 1884 passenger timetable, showing distances from Denver via the original narrow gauge
D&RGW Salt Lake Division timetable 117, December 4, 1938 (from Scott Meier's web site)
D&RGW Grand Junction Division timetable 119, June 2, 1940 (from Scott Meier's web site)
maps in LeMassena's Rio Grande to the Pacific
D&RGW 1934 Condensed Profiles
Robert Harmen email to D&RGW list at YahooGroups, July 17, 2003.