With mountains stretching to the horizon, the region west of the Continental Divide would seem to be an impossible place for a railroad to traverse -- yet the Rio Grande found the Colorado River and followed its water-level route all the way to the desert sands of Utah. Clearly it wasn't always easy going, as the twisting alignment through the narrow confines of Little Gore Canyon attests, but the railroad remains an engineering marvel to this day. It is also the key outlet for coal originating on the North Fork and Craig Subdivisions, as demonstrated by this load out of Twentymile Mine; visible near the distant bend are the mid-train DPU helpers.
