The San Juan was a narrow guage train, but unlike most that conjure images of no-frills freight trains with limited passenger service, this one was a true luxury passenger train. Introduced in 1937 as a pair of sister trains, the Denver and Rio Grande San Juan was described by author Lucius Beebe as "one of the most beautiful trains you had ever seen, and on second glance, one of the smallest. " Operating between Alimosa and Durango, the San Juan route criss-crossed the New Mexico-Colorado state line and included a stop in Chama.