Denver & Rio Grande (1952) was one of a number of movies filmed on real D&RGW system. You can find more information about the movie itself in its entry in IMDB.

Plot Synopsis

The movie is a highly fictionalized, romanticized account of the struggle between the Canon City & San Juan and the Rio Grande to build through the Royal Gorge.

The CC&SJ, in reality, did not exist, but presumably they represent the Santa Fe's Pueblo & Arkansas Valley that really did challege the Grande in the Gorge.

Equipment

The "268" used in the movie is really D&RGW 345. D&RGW 319 is really 319. D&RGW caboose 0579 appears in the world's ugliest green paint.

Filming Locations

(No original available - timings from taped broadcast)

Scenes from the Title and Introduction

Opening Scene - Head-on shot of D&RGW 5481 (looks to be near Denver), followed by cab footage through Glenwood Canyon. The view during the opening "Denver & Rio Grande" title is headed west through Shoshone. Today, Interstate 70 crosses the tracks just around the first corner, but was not built until 30 years after the movie was made. Once the scene switches away from the Shoshone main/siding, it's still in Glenwood Canyon, but location unknown.

After the "We gratefully awknowledge" screen, the next shot is of DRGW 5621 leading an eastbound freight at Dotsero. It's coming out of Glenwood Canyon and headed onto the Dotsero Cutoff. The camera is looking south.

The next shot, meeting DRGW 5511, is at an unknown siding.

The third, wide open shot was taken from Rocky on the Moffat Route, looking back at the train up above the Big Ten Curves near Fireclay. The photographer is very close to the Rocky Flats Spur?. The following scene, showing the PA/PB set of DRGW 6001 and 6002, as well as a five car train, shows the same train as in shot three, but on the middle level between the two curves. The final shot of the set it back at the original location of Rocky, as the eastbound is now on the lowest level of the curves and headed for Denver.

At around 2:00 in, we see DRGW 5534 leading what appears to be a westbound. Location uncertain. The next scene, showing a matched set of black & yellow FTs passing a double target signal, appears to be the westbound California Zephyr? at West Crescent, CO, on the Moffat Route. The next scene is again a westbound Zephyr, likely somewhere on the Dotsero Cutoff (possibly Dell?)

As the narrator is mentioning "the fight for the route through the Royal Gorge,", the scene is obviously a westbound in the Royal Gorge, just west of the famous bridge (as it can be seen in the first part of the pan).

The last standard gauge scene in the introduction is the meeting of the two California Zephyrs?, with the oncoming one led by DRGW 5531. The location is unknown, though my guess is that it's Dotsero or Range.

Scenes in the Movie

Unless otherwise noted, all of the train scenes in the move were shot on the Silverton Branch.

12:01 - Initial construction scene. No idea where this is, but may be a movie set some

12:13 - Train rounding the curve. This is the High Line.

14:28 - View of a narrow gauge train from river level - exact location unknown, but probably near Tank Creek.

14:34 - Train pulling through a yard - Silverton, CO

16:00 - Distant shot of train following the river - This looks to be north of Teffts.

16:28 - River level scene after the bad guys throw their dynamite - I think this is actually southbound between Tank Creek and Tacoma.

21:59 - Train pulling into the railhead camp - I think the camp set is at the Cascade Canyon wye.

53:40 - McCabe's men try to stop Palmer's train - must be Durango, but it sure doesn't look right.

56:08 - "Swallows, CO" is really Silverton again, looking north towards end-of-track.

57:00 - "Spikebuck" is a movie-built shelter at an unknown location

58:00 - "Beaver" is at the High Bridge, south of Tacoma, looking south.

58:20 - "Texas Creek" appears to be just above the Tefft bridge, looking northeast at the Needle Mountains.

1:06:00 - "Parkdale" - Location unknown - might be Elk Park

1:09:15 - The blockade scene - Southbound on the High Line.

1:17:00 - The big wreck scene is near the site of today's Tall Timber resort.

1:20:00 - The blockade scenes are Elk Park