Ridgway was established by Otto Mears in 1890 when construction of the RGS began. The older town of Dallas was absorbed, as so often happened in the period, when the new town gained the support of the railroad. Ridgway is located 27 miles south of Montrose and is in a beautiful mountain valley at an elevation of 7003 feet. The orange and gold in the surrounding mountains in September are the stuff calendar photos are made of. One can only hope that the early miners, who searched so long and hard for metallic gold, took time to appreciate the gold found in the surrounding aspens on the hillsides in the San Juan Mountains.

The following 2D layout plan will give you an idea of what the Ridgway track plan will look like. The main line running in front of the depot represents the D&RG Ouray branch. The Main line behind the behind the depot belongs to the RGS. The plan has several easily identifiable features of the prototype. The wye on the north end of the Ridgway is present. Trains leaving Ridgway via the wye go either to Montrose on the north (represented by a hidden loop) or to Placerville to the west (via a hidden helix.) Other features of note are the Pratt truss bridge over Uncomphagre River and the classic joint D&RG/RGS Depot. I also plan to include the RGS terminal in the Ridgway plan. This includes the large roundhouse and RGS office building.

2D Plan - Ridgway Yard and Terminal