[3][4] The route was originally opened in 1882 by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) to transport silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains.

[6] William Jackson Palmer (1836–1908) was a former Union General (serving in the American Civil War) who came to Colorado after managing the construction of the Kansas Pacific Railway into Denver in 1870.

Palmer and his associates had agreed that the choice of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge would be well suited to the mountainous country, and relatively less expensive construction costs would enhance the viability of the new railroad.

The original north–south plans of the D&RG eventually expanded to include extensions throughout the booming mining country of central and southwestern Colorado.

In July 1881, the Denver & Rio Grande reached Durango and started building the final 45-mile stretch, which only took nine months and five days.

After World War II, domestic tourism began to grow across the country and the Silverton branch of the railroad would benefit.

Bolstered by national exposure via Hollywood movies being filmed along the line in the late 1940s, the railroad created The Silverton, a summer-only train service, on June 24, 1947.

[13] A short time later, the railroad adorned a locomotive and four coaches with a colorful yellow paint scheme and launched modest public promotion.

Following the ICC's ruling, the railroad reluctantly responded by investing in additional rolling stock, track maintenance and improvements to the Durango depot.

The railroad purchased some of the property around the depot, cleaned up the block extending north to Sixth Street and facilitated the opening of gift shops and other tourist-friendly businesses.

[15] Since 1971, the Silverton branch and nearby Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad (C&TSRR) were the only remnants of the Rio Grande's once extensive narrow-gauge system.

[6] During the late 1970s, the D&RGW was actively trying to sell the Silverton branch and, in 1979, Charles Bradshaw, a Florida citrus grower, offered the railroad a legitimate opportunity to divest itself of the now-isolated route.

On October 5, 1980, The Silverton made its last run under D&RGW ownership and, after operating a work train the following day, the railroad finally concluded its 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge train operations,[16] bringing to a close an era that began 110 years earlier with its narrow-gauge railroad from Denver to Colorado Springs.

In June 2018, the railroad shut down for several weeks due to a wildfire, named the "416 Fire",[17] which was fought by two air tankers, six helicopters and some 400 firefighters on the ground.

[23] The D&SNG was founded by Charles Bradshaw Jr., of Florida, with the intent of purchasing the right-of-way and equipment while expanding the infrastructure and passenger revenue.

Bolstered by the assistance of former Rio Grande operating managers and a relatively sizeable staff of new employees, Bradshaw's plans were set in motion immediately.

The current roster goes as follows: The steam-powered locomotives used today on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad were built during the 1920s.

The name comes from the fact that the first significant use of the type was a series of 20 built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Japanese Nippon Railway in 1897.

The other seven were requisitioned by the United States Army in 1942 to be used on the White Pass & Yukon Route in Alaska during World War II.

The engines were delivered with Master Mechanics-design smokeboxes for draft; however at some point the D&RGW converted them to Andersson (cyclone) front ends.

The running gear on the locomotives also tend to wear out faster than the ALCO-designed K-28s, and the resulting pounding and rough ride can take a toll on the engine crew.

In response to the 416 fire, the D&SNG announced their plans to restore #493 publicly and that the locomotive was their first candidate for an oil conversion, with more to come in the future.

Vestuable ends, train-line steam heat, electric lights, and deluxe Heywood-Wakefield reclining coach seats for 24 passenger were installed.

Open observation gondolas 400–402 were built in 1963, equipped with passenger car trucks, steel roofs, tile floors and tramway seats.

In the winter of 2006–2007 it was again rebuilt into an open air observation car with comfortable and large overstuffed seats for a more expansive view.

Engine 42 and a caboose running from Grady, located east of Mancos, Colorado to Durango was the last train movement on the RGS.

In 1958 the 42 was sold to Magic Mountain Amusement Park in Golden, Colorado, where it was converted to burn fuel oil and operated for a short time.

Beginning May 7, 1988, a new diesel-hydraulic motorcar and trailer railbus began making trips out of Rockwood, Colorado up the Animas canyon.

The new company Animas River Railway was incorporated by the D&SNG, as an attempt to preserve the integrity of its own claim of "100% coal-fired steam locomotives".

The Galloping Goose Railbusses are products of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, a fleet of 7 home made railcars used to haul the US mail and some passengers during the Great Depression.