Re: Rio Grande construction

As one who worked on La Veta Pass, I can offer the following:

The town at the bottom of the eastern slope is "La Veta".

The summit of the original narrow gauge route, and later the original alignment of US Highway 160 is "Veta Pass"

The summit of the new alignment of US Highway 160 is "North La Veta Pass"

The summit of the standard gauge alignment is "La Veta Pass", but because there are too many "La Vetas" around, the station is named "Fir".

After the standard gauge was completed in 1899, the narrow gauge was removed from Wagon Wheel Jct. where the NG and SG lines parted at the far western edge of the map, to Reliance Jct. at the far eastern edge of the map. A portion of the grade is missing on the map, as the grade crosses pastureland that has been plowed under removing any traces of the RR grade.

Some dozen years later, standard gauge was relaid on the narrow gauge grade from Reliance Jct. to the Ojo Coal Mines. This line was removed in 1938.