Slight correction - the narrow gauge actually reached Glenwood Springs and Aspen via Tennessee Pass. But it was very short lived, as the grade from Gilman west was standard gauge, and in some instances the ties were standard gauge as well. William Henry Jackson's photos of the line at the time it was completed are interesting, because they show the narrow gauge equipment on what is clearly a standard gauge roadbed in some places east of Glenwood Springs.
Technically there was another railroad in the picture as well. The section from Gramid (just west of Newcastle) to Grand Junction was built by the Rio Grande Junction Ry, jointly owned by the D&RG and the Colorado Midland. This allowed a single track instead of parallel construction in an area with light traffic originating on line. When the CM was abandoned, the D&RG acquired the RGJ.
Charlie Mutschler
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