Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company—usually called the Rio Grande or D&RGW—was incorporated in 1920 and formally emerged on July 31, 1921, through the reorganization of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Based in Denver, Colorado, it was built for mountain railroading, where a straight line was apparently considered poor sportsmanship.

The company inherited a celebrated narrow-gauge legacy and operated key routes across Colorado and Utah. Coal, minerals, freight, passenger trains, steep grades, and dramatic canyon geography supplied the daily program. Its Rio Grande Zephyr passenger service ran until 1983, the last privately operated intercity passenger train in the United States at the time.

In 1988, parent Rio Grande Industries acquired Southern Pacific Transportation Company. The combined system adopted the better-known Southern Pacific operating identity, and the D&RGW continued as a distinct Southern Pacific division until 1992. The Rio Grande name left a very large set of boot prints in western railroad history.

Our Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad collection celebrates the black-and-gold swagger of a railroad that went through the Rockies rather than politely around them. It is for canyon runners, mountain-grade maniacs, rail-yard romantics, and anyone who thinks a corporate ghost should arrive with a locomotive horn.