The upper level of my two-level layout is all narrow gauge, depicting a portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Fourth Division line in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
My Home HO Layout -
D&RGW Fourth Division
The D&RGW Fourth Division is the portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western which ran from Alamosa to Durango, Colorado and beyond. This line has interested me for years, because as late as the 1960s, it had an active standard gauge line entering from the east, a dual gauge yard at Alamosa, dual gauge track south to Antonito, and 3-foot narrow gauge beyond Antonito to Chama, Durango, and the mining districts around Silverton. The standard gauge locomotives were all diesel, yet the narrow gauge was still steam, using 50 year old 2-8-2 locomotives. It was a study of contrasts – the new meeting the old.
My HO scale depiction of the Fourth Division focuses on the segment from Alamosa to Chama, NM, most of which is now the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The C&TSRR travels through flat desert, flat-top mesa country, dramatic canyons, high mountain meadows, across the top at Cumbres Pass (10,015’ elevation), and down a steep 4% grade to Chama NM.
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While I’ve built several layouts before, none have matched the complexity or been as complete as this one. It started as an 8 foot module for the Mudhens, a HO narrow gauge club originally based in St. Louis. The partially built previous layout was torn down and this layout was begun in 1987, where the Chama module could be an integral, yet removable part. My design was for a two-level layout, with standard and dual gauge (Alamosa) on the lower level, and narrow gauge (Chama and Cumbres Pass) on the upper level, with a 4-1/2 turn narrow gauge helix connecting the two levels. To fit this into limited space (13’ x 16’), the layout is a “C” shape, with an open area in the center.
The “golden spike” was laid in 1991, but most of the scenery was still missing. Now, the scenery on the upper level is 80% complete, but less so on the lower level. The Alamosa yard was redesigned and rebuilt in 2004-2005.
Thanks to the many great modelers and convention organizers in the St Louis area, this layout has been on numerous layout tours, including local meets, several National Narrow Gauge Conventions, NMRA regional conventions, the NMRA National Convention, and the Sn3 Symposium.