Known for the distinctive white crosses emblazoned on its rolling stock, the first Denver & Rio Grande Western Railway was split off from the Denver & Rio Grande in 1885 after a dispute between William Palmer and Frederick Lovejoy. It operated the narrow gauge main line between Grand Junction Colorado and Ogden Utah until 1890 when it was standard gauged.

Boxcars 4000 through 4120 were Billmeyer & Smalls-built cars inherited from the Denver & Rio Grande. These are well represented with the Leadville Designs B&S Boxcar kits in HO, S and O. Interchange between the Utah & Northern, D&RGWRy, D&RG, and DSP&P was fairly free in the 1880s so these D&RGWRy boxcars could be found across Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Montana from Denver to Butte.