Shavano (train)

The passenger train ran between Salida and Gunnison, Colorado on the railroad's historic narrow gauge route over Marshall Pass.

The original east-west main line of the Denver & Rio Grande, constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, was built as a narrow-gauge railroad, with the rails spaced three feet apart.

The route then continued over Marshall Pass to Gunnison, Montrose, and Grand Junction, before entering Utah and proceeding to Salt Lake City and Ogden.

Narrow-gauge trains 315 and 316, carrying coaches and a parlor car, operated between Salida and Montrose until August 1936, when the Gunnison-Montrose portion of the route was discontinued.

The refurbishment included the addition of enclosed vestibules, the installation of electric lights and steam heating, and new interior seats and fixtures.

Unlike other lines with open observation cars for non first class passengers, the D&RGW operated theirs for an additional 25 cent charge. The cars were available during the summer months on both the Royal Gorge and the Black Canyon ( Shavano ) routes. The photo is from the Royal Gorge route and is circa 1917.