 he Narrow Gauge Circle is based on an early day travel package offered by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. The original "Around the Circle" tour was offered to bolster passenger revenues on the many narrow gauge lines in Colorado. The tour was an incredibly popular destination for many early day adventurers.
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 rom Chama the trip continued to Durango, Colorado. Durango was home to the southern terminal of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. At this point the traveler had the option of continuing to Ridgway, Colorado in two ways. The first route followed the rails of the Rio Grande Southern through Dolores, Trout Lake, Ophir, Placerville, and Dallas Divide. The Rio Grande Southern route traveled through some of the most magnificent scenery in Colorado. The second route followed the Silverton Branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. At Silverton the traveler boarded the cars of the famous "Rainbow Route" or Silverton Railroad. The Silverton Railroad pierced the heart of the mighty San Juan Mountains. At the end of the line in Ironton, The traveler had a thrilling stagecoach ride to Ouray over the road known today as the "Million Dollar Highway." At Ouray the trip continued to Ridgway over the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
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rom Ridgway the journey made its way through Montrose, and turned east again towards Denver. Before reaching Denver, the traveler witnessed some of the most incredible scenery in Colorado. The train made it's way through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Marshall Pass, the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River and of course the mighty Royal Gorge. The trip ended with a return trip to via Salida to Denver from whence the journey began.
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hile we can't experience the "Around the Circle" tour in our time we can follow many of the routes the little trains traveled over 100 years ago. The Narrow Gauge Circle is offered in an attempt to recreate the thrilling journey enjoyed by those lucky early day travelers. In addition, I have included the history of many of the other notable narrow gauge railroads that threaded their way through the magnificent mountains of Colorado. We are fortunate to have the exclusive use of Mr. Ted Kierscey's extensive collection of historical photographs from Colorado's past.
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 ou will also find information on enjoying the back roads and ghost towns of southern Colorado. There isn't anything more stunning on earth than fall in the San Juan Mountains. We have a complete set of trail guides to help the expert and novice off-road adventurer. We even have the World's best C. W. McCall website here on the Narrow Gauge Circle. C.W. McCall wrote and sang many songs about the railroads, towns, and mining camps of the San Juan Mountains.
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o experience the Narrow Gauge Circle chose from the buttons below and start your journey. On the subsequent pages, look for the compass next to the railroad or town you want to visit then give it a click. You can also click on most of the images to see a larger full-screen version.The scope of the page has greatly expanded due to the help of friends who have offered their materials for publication here. Soon I hope you will be able to visit every area of the state of Colorado. We will cover any subject related to the narrow gauge railroads that once ran through the scenic mountains of Colorado.
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The Narrow Gauge Circle is written, maintained,and hosted by: Mark L. Evans Send Comments to:Mark L. Evans All original materials, text, and digital images Copyright © 1996-2008 Mark L. Evans. All rights reserved. Imitation is said to be the "sincerest" form of flattery.....Please don't flatter us without permission. |