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RGS Story, The Rio Grande Southern Vol IV 4 Over the Bridges Ophir Loop to Rico
The RGS Story Vol 4 Over the Bridges Ophir Loop to Rico by Russ Collman, Dell A McCoy & William A Graves
Hard Cover w/Plastic Protective Cover Reflections from the lights on some photos.
496 pages
Copyright 1994
CONTENTS
Acknowlegments 7
List of Detailed Maps 8
List of Drawings and Photographs of RGS Bridges 9
Story of Lucien L. Nunn 12
Stations, Sidings and Major Bridges - Mile by Mile 41
The San Miguel Examiner articles and Over the Ophir Loop to Lizard Head and Rico are included in this chapter
One Day of Operations on the RGS 491
MAP LIST
The Ophir Loop 45
Matterhorn 146
Trout Lake 204
Uncompahgre National Forest 214
Lizard Head 272 - 273
Snow 329
Gallagher Trestles 352
U.S. Geological Survey Map, Telluride Area 397
Lizard Head Pass 305
Timber 434
Coke Ovens 440
Burns 461
Winkfield 488
INTRODUCTION
DURING THE SPRING of 1891, construction of Otto Mears' narrow-gauge Rio Grande Southern Railroad was once again resumed. The goal was to reach the summit of Lizard Head Pass and push steel on downgrade to the mining community of Rico. Otto's first objective on the RGS had been achieved, and regular train service between Ridgway and the booming settlement of Telluride was already operating.
Otto Mears had been thwarted in his attempt to reach Ouray by way of Silverton, Red Mountain and Ironton. The grade from Albany (just north of Ironton) to Ouray and a connection with the Denver & Rio Grande Railway was simply too steep for a regular adhesion railroad, and Otto's attempt to raise money for the construction of a rack-and-pinion Swiss-style railroad failed. So... Otto plunged into the building of the Rio Grande Southern via Ridgway, about 10 miles north of Ouray, with his original desire still clearly in mind... to open up the immense region centering on the rich mining districts surrounding Telluride, Ophir and Rico.
During mid-May of 1891, the snowpack of the previous winter began to melt, and Otto Mears was able to begin tracklaying at Vance Junction, seven miles west of Telluride. This was the point where tracklaying had halted during November of 1890, and the RGS construction crews looked at the heights of the Ophir Loop and Lizard Head Pass with cautious optimism.
Beyond Vance Junction, Mears tackled some of the most awesome natural obstacles that could confront a railroad builder. About 10 miles south of Telluride, an area which later became famous as the Ophir Loop presented extremely craggy, rocky terrain to the "Pathfinder of the San Juans." Nearly all of the summer of 1991 was spent finding and building the line (including large timber trestles) up and over the cliffs above the Lake and Howard forks of the San Miguel River.
After the Ophir Loop was completed by mid-September of 1891, the tracklayers worked with as much haste as possible to push steel from 10,250-foot Lizard Head Pass to Rico, so the railroad would reach that mining camp before winter snows would halt railroad construction. During October of 1891, the first passenger train rolled into Rico-a truly momentous occasion for this isolated mountain community. Wild rejoicing took place on both sides of Rico, as well as in the little mining town itself.
In the middle of all the merriment, Otto Mears was presented with an engraved silver spike from the then-prosperous Enterprise Mine, which was located on the mountain slope east of Rico. After this was done, all the dignitaries enjoyed a sumptuous banquet, complete with after-dinner speakers. A festive ballroom dance followed dinner, and much Western-style celebration took place all over Rico.
Volume IV of The R G S Story begins at the Ophir depot and takes you up the Ophir Loop, over Lizard Head Pass and down across the Gallagher trestles to Burns Caand the outskirts of Rico.
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