Colorado’s Trains and Train Museums
The whistle blows. Metal grinds against metal. Hot steam erupts from the stack. And you're off on an adventure, aboard a 40-ton iron horse destined for high mountains and stories of gold. In Colorado, train trips provide uncommon excitement as they steam between canyon walls 1,220 feet high, and atop spindly trestles that carry the weight of the locomotive across their supports. And if you don't feel like riding the rails, you can still learn about them: train museums give you the inside track on the how and why of rail travel in Colorado. Use this guide to find out what each route has to offer.
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Trains
Train Museums
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Trains
Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Georgetown Loop Railroad
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Ski Train
Leadville & Southern Railroad Company
Amtrak
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
Rio Grande Scenic Railway
Galloping Goose
Royal Gorge Route Railroad
This two-hour train ride covers 24 miles of vacation-defining scenery. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad originally transported silver ore from the depths of fortune-making mines to the steel security of bank vaults. Today, it will shuttle you along historic track, while you learn more about the history of the area and the train. Unlike other routes perched atop cliffs and mountains,this one runs along a valley floor surrounded by the 1,200-foot rock walls of the Royal Gorge. During your ride, be sure to look skyward to the lip of the canyon, where the highest suspension bridge in the world — the Royal Gorge Bridge — connects the two sides of the expansive crevasse.
Georgetown Loop Railroad
Leaving from either Georgetown's Devil's Gate or the Silver Plume Depot, this six-mile trip takes slightly more than an hour. In addition to riding the rails, you can also sign up for an optional guided tour of the once bountiful Lebanon Silver Mine.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was completed in 1884 to meet the need of transporting precious metals from the mines to the cities. But as the deposits were depleted, the route fell into disuse, coming to a complete halt in 1941. Thanks to the draw of the area's panoramic views of Clear Creek Valley, the route reopened in 1984 as a tourist attraction and has since become synonymous with visiting Georgetown. You can now take in the area's beauty while seated in open-air cars or enjoy the scenery through the windows of covered cars. A highlight of the scenic journey is the train's crossing of Devil's Gate Bridge, a trestle spanning the deep drop of a river-carved canyon.
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Everyone knows the song "America the Beautiful," but not everyone knows that it was inspired by Katharine Lee Bates' 1890s trip on the cog railway to the pinnacle of Pikes Peak. Now you can be inspired, too ... just board the world's highest cog railroad in Manitou Springs and travel 14,110 feet to Pikes Peak's summit. A cog railway is different than most trains, because instead of just using friction to provide motion, it uses gears set between the rails to help pull the train up the mountain. This system allows heavy trains to travel up steeper grades. The entire trip is nearly nine miles long and takes about three hours. So you'll have plenty of time to be captivated, just as Miss Bates was over 100 years ago.
During the ride, see aspens rush past your windows and mountain peaks stretch toward the horizon. Small waterfalls can even be seen as you summit Pikes Peak, one of the United States' most iconic mountains. On the way up, keep your eyes peeled for Colorado's state mammal, the bighorn sheep — they like to make their presence known with fairly common sightings.
Ski Train
In the winter, the Ski Train will take you to the slopes of Winter Park Ski Area, allowing you to skirt traffic and add a scenic tour to a popular Colorado activity. But don't let its name fool you — the Ski Train also runs in warmer weather, transporting visitors from Denver to Winter Park for a hiking and mountain biking enthusiast's dream come true. With miles of single track and acres of evergreens, the outdoor life beckons riders.
Along the route you'll pass through 27 tunnels in 25 miles — the most tunnels in the shortest distance in the entire Western Hemisphere. The construction of the tunnels alone took more than one thousand workers to complete — a feat that ended up costing more than $400 per foot of tunnel.
Leadville & Southern Railroad Company
A brick-red locomotive, powered as much by history as fuel, will take you over the Continental Divide and around the boomtown of Leadville — the highest incorporated city in the United States. Sandwiched between Mount Elbert and Mount Democrat — both higher than 14,000 feet — the Leadville & Southern Railroad traverses sections of the Rockies where nearly inaccessible wilderness reigns king. This almost impassible terrain was the very reason tracks were originally laid in the 1800s to provide a way for miners and merchants to weave their way through the daunting alpine terrain. For two-and-a-half hours, you can ride this historic route and glimpse into the history of the miners, and take in the scenery of the towns associated with the area.
Amtrak
In Colorado, high-mountain passes, lush groves of aspen and expanses of prairie dominate the landscape. But historic trains aren't the only way for you to see it — Amtrak also supplies views of Colorado's stunning landscapes. The California Zephyr line travels roughly two-thirds of the way across the country, including the heart of the Colorado Rockies. From the depths of the Gore, Byers and Glenwood Canyons to the heights of the Rockies themselves, Amtrak provides a more modern way for you to enjoy an extended scenic trip through the state's natural beauty.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
More than $300 million in gold and silver were hauled along these narrow-gauge tracks at the peak of the gold and silver rush. Even though the gold rush went bust, thousands of visitors have been coming to experience the rich history and million-dollar views along the route. In fact, this historic train has been providing access to these vistas for almost 125 years.
Even if you've never ridden one of Colorado's trains, there's still a good chance you're already familiar with the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train is a major star of the big screen, making appearances in such blockbuster movies as the original Around the World in 80 days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and How the West Was Won.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the highest and longest narrow-gauge railway in the United States. This steam locomotive is an anomaly among trains. Not only does it hold the unique distinction of being the highest and longest narrow gauge, it is also co-owned by two states — Colorado and New Mexico. Ride the train across the state border along its one-way, 64-mile route from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico. Along the way it runs through a varied landscape, ranging from open tundra to rolling hills and the steep cliffs of the Rocky Mountains.
Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad
Travel through a century of history in only 45 minutes. A four-mile round-trip ride takes you by the once gold-hungry town of Cripple Creek, where today, the chance to strike it rich is still a major draw — not from panning for gold, but by gambling in the town's casinos. Regardless of your luck there, you'll still gain a wealth of knowledge learning about the area's gold-gilded history from aboard this historic train.
Rio Grande Scenic Railway
It's been nearly an entire generation since trains have traveled across tracks near Alamosa. Originally constructed in 1878, the railway was built to help promote and sustain the development of the area. Long known as an agrarian community, raw goods were the export of the town, with finished products coming in to meet the needs of settlers.
The passenger route was closed in 1953 and reopened to visitors in 2006, meaning passengers of today's Rio Grande Railway out of Alamosa are treated to an experience very few alive can say they've had. The Rio Grande now runs two passenger trains out of the town of Alamosa — the Toltec Limited and the San Luis Express. The Toltec Limited acts as an artery connecting travelers by narrow gauge from Alamosa to another scenic train, the Cumbres & Toltec.
The San Luis Express still runs on its original standard-gauge tracks (the highest in Colorado's Front Range). The destination for this scenic ride is the moderately sized 1870s town of La Veta, where you can lunch and shop before re-boarding for your return trip to Alamosa. The track is laid along the edge of the San Isabel National Forest, a natural playground for outdoors enthusiasts and a photographer's dream location. You'll also pass through two tunnels and around the dramatic Horseshoe Curve, where picture-perfect scenery is at its best.
Galloping Goose
Looking like a gangly cross between an old school bus and a camper trailer, the silver Galloping Goose #5 in Dolores is a beloved (if a bit quirky) remnant of the San Juan Mountain's past. Between 1931 and 1935, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad built seven "geese" out of 1926 Buick and Pierce Arrow automobiles — and whatever usable parts they could find. The geese cut labor costs, as steam engines required upwards of six operators, while the geese only needed one. Whether they were nicknamed for the way they waddled on the uneven tracks, or for their unexpected honking horns, the Galloping Geese helped transport passengers, freight and mail and keep the railroad afloat through a tough time. You can now see Goose #5 on display at Dolores' Rio Grande Southern Depot. Completely refurbished in 1997–98 by the Galloping Goose Historical Society, good old #5 occasionally takes passengers along the Durango-Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec railways.
Train Museums
Colorado Railroad Museum
Forney Museum of Transportation
Gunnison Pioneer & Train Museum
Colorado Railroad Museum
For many, the history behind trains is just as invigorating as riding the rails. If you're one such railroad buff, check out the Colorado Railroad Museum. Established in 1959, this museum treats you to the long and often flamboyant history of Colorado's railroads. The grounds of the museum, at the base of North Table Mountain in Golden, are laden with well-maintained behemoths of steel and engineering. Included in the collection is one of the whimsical Galloping Goose cars, built between 1931 and 1935. This train-truck hybrid is a rare oddity, representing one of only a handful ever constructed. In addition to the goose, the painstakingly rebuilt D&RGW engine number 683 is one of the museum's crowning pieces, as is the more modern-looking D&RGW number 5771.
If you don't have the time to travel the state riding each and every historic and scenic train, you can make a stop at this informative railroad museum where helpful staff armed with expert knowledge are readily available to answer any questions.
Forney Museum of Transportation
While the Forney Museum of Transportation's focus is on more than just trains, its exhibit on these iron horses is still extensive. If you're a fan of scale models, make sure to check out the model of Union Pacific number 4005, or "Big Boy," the world's largest steam locomotive — only 75 of these 1:32-scale trains were ever built. In addition to the scale model, the Forney Museum also has the real deal, including the Forney Locomotive — affectionately dubbed the "Little Giant&," it's a precursor to the elevated train of today. These smaller locomotives were heavily relied upon during the late 1800s and early 1900s as conveyances for both passengers and products in and around metropolitan areas.
Gunnison Pioneer & Train Museum
While this museum has a wider focus than just the romanticized locomotive, their tribute to this piece of Americana is still an evident eye-catcher. The centerpiece of the museum's train collection is the immaculately kept D&RG Narrow Gauge engine number 268.
At he Gunnison Pioneer & Train Museum's rail yard, you can peruse a variety of artifacts, including a locomotive, a boxcar, gondola, livestock car and everyone's favorite, a bright-red caboose. Each is displayed on museum grounds near an authentic water tower, once used by the same rail company that originally laid the tracks in the area, D&RG Railroad.
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Updated: 05/01/07