Denver and New Orleans Railroad

From TrainSpottingWorld, for Rail fans everywhere

The Denver and New Orleans Railroad, later to link up with the Fort Worth and Denver Railway and both would become part of part of the Colorado and Southern Railroad. The D&NO was started by Colorado Governor John Evans, David Moffat and other associates in 1881 to give Denver an outlet to the Gulf. The goal was later changed to a connection with Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad which was building northwest from Fort Worth. They built from Denver to Pueblo, Colorado, and then The Denver, Texas & Fort Worth Railroad was organized to build south from Pueblo, Colorado. In 1888 it link up with Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad and all soon came under up control by General Grenville Dodge and Union Pacific Railroad. The sourthen lines were brought together with Colorado Central Railroad and Cheyenne and Northern Railway to form the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railroad. When Union Pacific went bankrupt in 1893 they were seprated from Union Pacific and united with the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway by Frank Trumbull in to Colorado and Southern Railroad in 1899. In 1908 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad bought control of the C&S. It would later merge in to the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981 and is still in use today.

References

  • Athearn, Robert G. (1977). The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad: Rebel of the Rockies. University of Nebraska Press. 
  • Drury, George H. (1991). The Historical Guide to North American Railroads. Kalmbach Publishing Co.. 0-89024-072-8.