Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Denver & Rio Grande Western means rugged, spectacular mountain railroading, heavy freight hauling, and terrific action shots. We'll see lots of Rio Grande power, and some cabooses too! Moffat Tunnel, Royal Gorge and Tennessee Pass are just three locations you'll want to see!
*No AI was used to bring this show to you.* Read about our AI Policy and how we get videos ready for YouTube at: Pentrex.com/AI
*About Pentrex:* For over 40 years we've been the leader in railroad video entertainment. See us at Pentrex.com and right here on YouTube, with the Official Pentrex Channel!
Pentrex also owns these railroad video entertainment brands: Highball Productions, Green Frog, Valhalla Video, Donner Rails, WB Video, Main Line Motion Pictures, Broken Knuckle Video, Midwest Video and distribute Revelation Video. You will see shows from all the brands on our channel.
*About this show:* When this was filmed, in 1986, the railroad was still an independent entity and most of its trains were pulled by pure sets of Rio Grande power, many with cabooses. Units from Burlington Northern, Southern Pacific, and Missouri Pacific can also be seen with run-through trains. This was pre-merger mania, a great time to tour the D&RGW.
Join Pentrex as we cover the entire Denver to Salt Lake City mainline. Savor the thrill of a cab ride up the Front Range to Moffat Tunnel. Travel to Winter Park to see the Ski Train with its heavyweight coaches. Watch Rio Grande, Santa Fe, and Burlington Northern trains share operations on the Joint Line between Denver and Pueblo. Climb the awesome slopes of Tennessee Pass to the 10,000-foot summit; then descend into the Royal Gorge with its sheer rock walls. Filmed throughout the four seasons of the year, this show brings you the beauty of the Rio Grande terrain and all its nonstop action, including the Rio Grande"s business cars, Amtrak, and plenty of freights. It's a fantastic trip!
Own the DVD with better quality (no YouTube compression or commercials!) and a have permanent addition to your collection. Get it at Pentrex.com
pentrex.com/DVD-Denver-%26-Rio-Grande-Western-DVD_DRGW-DVD
0:00 "Through the Rockies, Not Around Them"
1:23 Amtrak, Utah Junction, Denver
7:57 Upgrade with a loaded coal train
9:56 3 units and snow
11:18 A Plain meet & Tunnel #2
14:47 Moffat Tunnel, East Portal
20:39 6 units thru Tunnels 2 & 3
23:56 Cab Ride!
33:39 Heading down the Craig Branch
36:02 Byers Canyon
40:43 West Portal & a top-of-the-mountain view
44:43 California Zephyr with Rio Grande power
49:15 The red rocks of the Colorado River canyon
50:11 A different kind of Westbound!
57:43 Glenwood Springs
1:04:30 5 units & helpers working hard
1:08:17 Tennessee Pass, 11 units pulling!
1:12:45 Caboose sighting
1:18:52 Royal Gorge
1:22:15 Snow haulin'
1:26:05 Pueblo
1:28:38 Castle Rock
1:32:40 Ski Train leaving Denver
1:34:45 Moffat Tunnel, West Portal
1:40:07 Salt Lake City
1:47:49 Twin bore Thistle Tunnels
1:49:35 From the Observation Car
Thumbnail images by:
Drew Jacksich via a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license
Drew Jacksich via a CCA 2.0 license
Roger Puta, A photo graciously made Public Domain
The Denver & Rio Grande Western means rugged, spectacular mountain railroading, heavy freight hauling, and terrific action shots. We'll see lots of Rio Grande power, and some cabooses too! Moffat Tunnel, Royal Gorge and Tennessee Pass are just three locations you'll want to see!
*No AI was used to bring this show to you.* Read about our AI Policy and how we get videos ready for YouTube at: Pentrex.com/AI
*About Pentrex:* For over 40 years we've been the leader in railroad video entertainment. See us at Pentrex.com and right here on YouTube, with the Official Pentrex Channel!
Pentrex also owns these railroad video entertainment brands: Highball Productions, Green Frog, Valhalla Video, Donner Rails, WB Video, Main Line Motion Pictures, Broken Knuckle Video, Midwest Video and distribute Revelation Video. You will see shows from all the brands on our channel.
*About this show:* When this was filmed, in 1986, the railroad was still an independent entity and most of its trains were pulled by pure sets of Rio Grande power, many with cabooses. Units from Burlington Northern, Southern Pacific, and Missouri Pacific can also be seen with run-through trains. This was pre-merger mania, a great time to tour the D&RGW.
Join Pentrex as we cover the entire Denver to Salt Lake City mainline. Savor the thrill of a cab ride up the Front Range to Moffat Tunnel. Travel to Winter Park to see the Ski Train with its heavyweight coaches. Watch Rio Grande, Santa Fe, and Burlington Northern trains share operations on the Joint Line between Denver and Pueblo. Climb the awesome slopes of Tennessee Pass to the 10,000-foot summit; then descend into the Royal Gorge with its sheer rock walls. Filmed throughout the four seasons of the year, this show brings you the beauty of the Rio Grande terrain and all its nonstop action, including the Rio Grande"s business cars, Amtrak, and plenty of freights. It's a fantastic trip!
Own the DVD with better quality (no YouTube compression or commercials!) and a have permanent addition to your collection. Get it at Pentrex.com
pentrex.com/DVD-Denver-%26-Rio-Grande-Western-DVD_DRGW-DVD
0:00 "Through the Rockies, Not Around Them"
1:23 Amtrak, Utah Junction, Denver
7:57 Upgrade with a loaded coal train
9:56 3 units and snow
11:18 A Plain meet & Tunnel #2
14:47 Moffat Tunnel, East Portal
20:39 6 units thru Tunnels 2 & 3
23:56 Cab Ride!
33:39 Heading down the Craig Branch
36:02 Byers Canyon
40:43 West Portal & a top-of-the-mountain view
44:43 California Zephyr with Rio Grande power
49:15 The red rocks of the Colorado River canyon
50:11 A different kind of Westbound!
57:43 Glenwood Springs
1:04:30 5 units & helpers working hard
1:08:17 Tennessee Pass, 11 units pulling!
1:12:45 Caboose sighting
1:18:52 Royal Gorge
1:22:15 Snow haulin'
1:26:05 Pueblo
1:28:38 Castle Rock
1:32:40 Ski Train leaving Denver
1:34:45 Moffat Tunnel, West Portal
1:40:07 Salt Lake City
1:47:49 Twin bore Thistle Tunnels
1:49:35 From the Observation Car
Thumbnail images by:
Drew Jacksich via a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license
Drew Jacksich via a CCA 2.0 license
Roger Puta, A photo graciously made Public Domain
