The San Luis Central is a privately-held shortline in the heart of the San Luis Valley. The railroad was originally built in 1913 to handle sugar beet traffic to an online mill, but eventually transitioned to hauling other agricultural products when beets didn't work out. The route runs 13 miles from the San Luis & Rio Grande connection at Sugar Junction (just east of Monte Vista, CO) up to Center, CO. It was never part of the Rio Grande system, having operated independently since its opening.

The railroad's shops and yard are located just north of US-160 near Sugar Junction. Operations run on an as-needed basis. Radio frequency is 160.680 MHz. Current power is believed to be their 70-ton GE #71, built new for the SLC in January of 1955 as GE serial #32280.