Durango had a classic small railroad terminal. Then the Colorado highway department decided they needed the industrial area in the background and the yard area in the foreground for new highway construction. Very little from this scene remains today.
The DRGW narrow gauge was the last major steam operation in the U.S. The climb over 10,000 foot Cumbres pass was spectacular, with two engines handling 70 car trains. Hopefully these images convey some of the drama of mountain steam railroading.