Grand Junction Freight Depot

This is one of the Rio Grande original facilities remained along its route in Colorado; the freight depot at Grand Junction.


Grand Junction was one of the strategic points among D&RGW route between Denver and Salt Lake City. Accordingly, many facilities were built.

According to Denver & Rio Grande Western Depots Volume 1 by Clive Carter, the original Grand Junction freight depot was built in 1906 but destroyed by fire in 1918. The replacement building was built in 1919 with this two-story brick structure office and 181 feet long one-story gable roof and brick wall structure freight room.
The freight room was extended another 80 feet in 1941. Unfortunately, however, it was retired in 1966.

The brick structure houses rival BNSF office today. Similar former D&RGW freight depot at Pueblo, CO built in 1924 houses the Pueblo Heritage Museum, and the one at Ogden, UT built in 1913-4 is under redevelopment[1].

A pair of loading ramps also remains next to the freight depot. Tracks are intact but seem neglected for decades.

All photos are taken on Sep. 11, 2017

[1] Oct. 1, 2010 Salt Lake Tribune;

: remaining wood shutter
: remains of Rio Grande logo
: remains of loading ramps

　　
旧D&RGW沿線に今も遺るRio Grandeの遺物を紹介している。

この建物は、元Rio GrandeのFreight Depotである。1920年竣工の組積造二階建てで、事務所部分には現在BNSFが入居している。よく見ると、外壁にRio Grandeのロゴマークを削り落とした跡がまだ遺っている。倉庫部分や隣接するトレーラーのランプは、今はもう使われていないようだ。