 Alpine tunnel telegraph station | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Colorado |
| Dates of operation | 1872–1894 |
| Successor | Colorado and Southern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | originally 3 ft (914 mm) |
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad (later called the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway) was a historic 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad that operated in Colorado in the western United States in the late 19th century. The railroad opened up the first rail routes to a large section of the central Colorado mining district in the decades of the mineral boom. The railroad took its name from the fact that its main line from Denver ascended the Platte Canyon and traversed South Park, hence its popular name "The South Park Line." Despite its lofty goals, the line never connected itself with the Pacific or any transcontinental line, apart from its terminal at Denver Union Station.
Founded in 1872 by Colorado Governor John Evans, the company was purchased by the Union Pacific Railway in 1880, though it continued to be operated independently.[1][2] The line went bankrupt in 1889 and was reorganized under a new corporate name as the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway.[2] When the Union Pacific went bankrupt in 1893, the DL&G lines went into receivership and were eventually sold to the Colorado and Southern Railway.[1] In the first half of the 20th century, nearly all the company's original lines were dismantled or converted into 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. The last train to run on narrow gauge C&S tracks was from Como, Colorado on April 11, 1937. A section of the standard gauge line between Leadville and Climax is still operated as a passenger excursion railroad called the Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad. At its peak the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad had 335 miles (539 km) of narrow gauge line, making it the largest narrow gauge railroad in the state of Colorado.[2]
- ^ a b Virginia McConnell Simmons (March 1, 2012). "The Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad". Colorado Central Magazine.
- ^ a b c The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad History (PDF), United States Forest Service, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-17, retrieved 2016-10-12