Grand Junction Rio Grande Motorway Depot

This is one of the Rio Grande original facilities remained along its route in Colorado; the Rio Grande Motorway depot at Grand Junction[1].


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

This structure, made from military originated Quonset assemblies, next to the Rio Grande freight depot, housed Rio Grande Motorway depot[2]. Quonset, an American Indian word meaning “small, long place”, was designated to the lightweight military prefabricated building designed in 1941 by George A. Fuller Company: Quonset Point, R.I. was the name of the place where it was first manufactured. Grand Junction railroad district still has several military originated Quonset examples including this structure.

Rio Grande Motorway route from Grand Junction reached as far as Somerset, CO, Farmington, NM and Cortez, CO over Red Mountain Pass, Salida, CO over Monarch Pass, and Alamosa, CO over Wolf Creek Pass[3]. Aligning Moab Garage Co., later Garrett Freightlines from 1954, connected Bluff, UT, and Wellington, UT from Grand Junction via Cisco, UT[4]. Unfortunately, however, the company was shut down in 1982[5].

All photos are taken on Sep. 11, 2017

[1] arx, (2012) Wheels on Wheels - 12, Boxcar Red Collection;
[2] Jordan, Kathy, (2011) Quonset huts first housed WWⅡ soldiers, then civilians, Apr. 7, 2011 The Daily Sentinel;
[3] Rio Grande General Traffic Department Circular No. 36-E;
[4] Mar. 8, 1976 Idaho State Journal;
[5] May 27, 1982 New York times;
* 1951 Rio Grande Motorway route map;



　
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 MotorwayのFreight Depotである。Grand Junction駅周辺にいくつか遺る、Quonsetという第２次世界大戦時に開発された軍用プレハブ建築を戦後転用したもの。以前紹介したグリーン・リバーのBen's Cafeの建物も、このQuonsetにファサードを付加した建物である。

Rio Grande Motorway Inc.はD&RGWの子会社で、コロラド・ユタ・ニューメキシコ各州において自動車による貨客輸送を行っていた。1982年に売却されている。