D & RG Narrow Gauge Trestle

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad's Cimarron Canyon trestle, listed as D&RG Narrow Gauge Trestle on the National Register of Historic Places, is a narrow-gauge railroad deck truss bridge crossing the Cimarron River, within the Curecanti National Recreation Area near Cimarron, Colorado.

Cimarron Canyon trestle
Nearest cityCimarron, Colorado
Coordinates38°27′06″N 107°32′59″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1880
Architectural stylePratt truss
NRHP reference No.76000172 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1976
Cimarron Canyon trestle, October 2012

The bridge was built in 1895 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, replacing a wooden trestle that was built sometime around 1882. The bridge was originally 288 feet (88 m) long but only the central span of it remains today. Today this narrow-gauge trestle is the last remaining railroad bridge along the Black Canyon of the Gunnison route.

The bridge has a steam locomotive, boxcar, and caboose on display – all from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad 3 ft (914 mm) gauge. The steam locomotive is D&RGW No. 278, a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1882.[2] The D&RGW used the designation C-16 for this class of locomotive; the letter C stands for consolidation (2-8-0) and the 16 for its 16,000 pounds of tractive effort. The boxcar, D&RGW #3132, was built in 1904 by the American Car and Foundry. While Caboose #0577 was manufactured in 1886.

Restoration

In July 2010, the NPS began a program of restoring the Cimarron Canyon trestle and the rolling stock displayed on it, including the D&RGW No. 278 steam locomotive. As a result, the stock was subsequently removed from the bridge and stored in a maintenance yard in Cimarron.[3] While work on the bridge took place, the locomotive and rolling stock were sent to various firms in Colorado for cosmetic restoration. Following restoration, the rolling stock would either return to the bridge or be displayed nearby. By late 2018, the entire restoration project had been completed and the D&RGW No. 278, boxcar, and caboose were placed back on the trestle on October 26, 2018.[4][5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. D&RGW-related Steam Locomotive Rosters
  3. "Photo Gallery (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  4. National Park Service – Cimarron Train Restoration Project
  5. Gunnison, Mailing Address: 102 Elk Creek; Us, CO 81230 Phone:641–2337 x205 Contact. "Engine 278 Returns to Cimarron – Curecanti National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)". nps.gov. Retrieved August 7, 2019.


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