Narrow Gauge to the San Juans: Exploring the West's Greatest 3-foot Gauge Railroad Empire

by Sam Furukawa

Cloth with dust jacket, 11x8.5" horizontal format, 176 pages, 233 new photos (all color). 2014. "IT WAS THE GREAT age of railroad expansion in the American west. In 1879 the Denver & Rio Grande Rail-way began building its San Juan Extension. The rails pushed west from Alamosa, Colorado, heading for the rich mining districts of the San Juan Mountains. The goal was Silverton, Colorado, and in all, the route would total 245 miles. "D&RG’s successor, the Denver & Rio Grande Western, ran until 1968. Two segments of the line were saved to be operated as historic railroad experiences. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad operates from Antonito, Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs trains between the Colorado towns of its name. "The photos in this book, shot in the 21st Century, document the trains that run over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass and through the deep Animas River Gorge to fabled Silverton, Colorado. "Join photographer Sam Furukawa and head west from Antonito, Colorado, on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad to Chama, New Mexico. After chapters on three miraculously restored locomotives – Eureka, D&RGW No. 315, and D&RGW No. 463 – continue your journey to Silverton, Colorado, on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge."

176 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2014