The D&RGW : A brief History:

The original Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway built a narrow gauge line from Ogden, Utah via Soldier Summit, to Grand Junction, Colorado. In 1901, the Denver and Rio Grande merged with the Rio Grande Western, consolidating in 1908.

Even as the D&RGW exploited the best new standard-gauge technology to compete with other transcontinental carriers, the railroad continued to operate the famed steam-powered narrow gauge lines for both freight and tourist services..

In 1988, The Denver and Rio Grande Western purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad. The combined company took the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) name due to its "fast freight" philosophy.

 On September 11, 1996, in a bold move the D&RGW Purchased the Union Pacific Railroad, partly in response to the earlier merger of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe which formed the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. As the D&RGW absorbed the Union Pacific into its system, signs of the fabled trans-continental railroad's existence are slowly fading away.

The HO scale D&RGW system is built on a series of Free-Mo2 modules that depict actual locations along the D&RGW as well as locations that were acquired through numerous acquisitions over the years.