I awoke at the La Quinta Inn in Denver and after a quick breakfast at the hotel, walked to the Enterprise car rental office on Broadway, arriving there at 7:10 AM. They helped me even though they did not open until 7:30 AM. I drove out with a 2009 Chevrolet Silver Aveo Limited and stopped at the hotel to pick up my luggage then drove west on Interstate 70, about 45 miles through a tunnel and grades both up and down. I exited at Silver Plume, parked and walked towards the Georgetown Loop Railroad. This is a tourist railroad I had always wanted to ride, especially across the Devil's Gate Bridge.
A Brief HistoryThe Georgetown Loop Railroad is a three foot narrow gauge heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, Colorado. The railroad operates summer tourist trains between the communities of Georgetown and Silver Plume, a distance of two miles. The railroad route is 4.5 miles long and ascends an elevation of 640 feet through mountainous terrain along with trestles, cuts, fills, and a grand loop.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado's first visitor attractions. This spectacular stretch of 3 foot narrow gauge railroad was completed in 1884 and considered an engineering marvel for its time. The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie two miles apart in the steep, narrow canyon of Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. Engineers designed a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice that distance to connect them, slowly gaining more than 600 feet in elevation. The route included horseshoe curves, grades of up to four percent, and four bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil's Gate High Bridge.
The Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railroad had been formed in 1881 under the Union Pacific Railroad. The Loop portion of the line was the crowning segment of the line, crossing the top of the gorge on a 95-foot high trestle. Originally part of the larger line of the Colorado Central Railroad constructed in the 1870s and 1880s, in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush, this line was also used extensively during the silver boom of the 1880s to haul silver ore from the mines at Silver Plume. In 1893, the Colorado and Southern Railway took over the line and operated it for passengers and freight until 1938. The line was later dismantled, but was restored in the 1980s to operate during summer months as a tourist railroad, carrying passengers using historic three foot narrow gauge steam locomotives.
In 1959, the centennial year of the discovery of gold in Georgetown, the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park was formed by the Colorado Historical Society. The Colorado Historical Society's chairman negotiated a donation of mining claims and mills, and nearly 100 acres of land.
Interest in restoration of the Loop segment as a tourist attraction in the 1970s led to reopening of the segment. Rail line construction began in 1973 with track and ties donated by the Union Pacific Railroad, and a new high bridge was built. The three-mile restored segment, opened on March 10, 1984, is at the upper end of the historic Colorado Central main line up Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden. The Georgetown Loop Railroad climbs approximately 640 feet between the two towns using 3 miles of track. Passengers can board the train at depots located in Silver Plume and Devils Gate three quater of a mile west of Georgetown.
The train ride includes an optional walking tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine, located at the halfway point on the railroad, where visitors can walk 500 feet into a mine tunnel bored in the 1870s, with guides pointing out once-rich veins of silver and relating the history of the mine.
A look around Silver Plume
Looking east from the end of track.
Denver and Rio Grande Western box car 3582 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904./P>
Denver and Rio Grande Western stock car 5702 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western gondola 824 built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
Denver and Rio Grande Western refrigerator car 153 built by the railroad in 1924.
A Colorado & Southern tender.
Georgetown Loop coach 284 "Argentine", nee White Pass and Yukon 284 "Lake Takhini" built by Coast Steel in 1976.
Denver and Rio Grande Western bunk car 04953, nee box car 4953 built by the railroad and Ohio Falls in 1895.
Georgetown Loop 25 ton switcher 25 built by General Electric in 1948.
Denver and Rio Grande Western caboose 0586 built by the railway in 1900.
Georgetown Loop Railroad tender for Colorado and Southern 12.
Georgetown Loop U4B switcher 130, nee US Gypsum 1303, built by General Electric in 1926.
Georgetown Loop Railroad 44-ton switcher 21, ex. Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, nee Colorado Fuel and Iron 21, built by General Electric.
Under restoration was Georgetown Loop 2-6-2 12, built by Baldwin in 1928 as Kahului Railway Company 12, in Kahului, Hawaii. It ran as their 12 hauling pineapples until 1966 and was the last steam engine used commercially used in that state. An individual from California bought the engine, dissassembled it and moved it back to the mainland. The locomotive was then bought by Scenic Railway in Colorado. Scenic Railway turned right around and sold 12 to the Midwest Central in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, who started to reassemble the locomotive but stopped the project due to insufficiant funding of the boiler replacement. Gary Norton bought the engine in 1988 and reassembled is now on a display train at Halls Tunnel siding.
During my visit, I watched the crew work on the steam engine.
The Silver Plume station built in 1883.
Silver Plume, 9178 feet above sea level.
The station's Train Bulletin.
Silver Plume was 53.9 Miles from Denver.
Georgetown Loop Railroad coach 228 "Silver Queen", nee White Pass and Yukon 278 "Lake Fairweather" built by Coast Steel in 1969.
Georgetown Loop Railroad coach 282 "Clear Creek", nee White Pass and Yukon 282 "Lake Klukshu" built by Coast Steel in 1976
Argentine Central Railway marker, the original railroad that ran out of Silver Plume. I picked up my ticket for the 9:45 AM train ride.
Georgetown Loop 80 ton switcher 1203, ex. Huckleberry Railroad, nee US Gypsum 1203, built by Porter in 1943 had left the shop area to lead our train.
It went past the switch at the station then came forward towards the train.
It was now at the switch and would reverse onto our train.
Georgetown Loop 1203 moved forward and coupled up to our train, which consisted of 80 ton switcher 1203, open cars 718 and 746, coaches 3748 and 2219, open cars 1089, 1157 and 705 and coach 3038.
Georgetown Loop Railroad open car 746 built from a drop-bottom gondola built by American Car and Foundry in 1904.
The former mines on the mountainside across the valley.
Boarding commenced at 9:30 AM and I was first in line.
We departed Silver Plume station a few minutes late.
Our train left the yard.
Interstate 70 rides on the hillside taking just two miles to connect Silver Plume and Georgetown. The railroad used to do it in four miles.
Clear Creek which we would cross four times as we descended the grade.
Stored equipment in a siding down the grade from Silver Plume.
The train's route cuts right between the trees.
Our train would take many curves as it drops down the grade towards Georgetown.
Looking down the train.
The route through cuts and trees.
Dropping down across the Big Fill.
We were now headed back in the direction of Silver Plume.
Clear Creek.
The bridge across Clear Creek.
Passing by rocks and plants as we drop down the grade.
Clear Creek.
The old turntable bridge.
Lebanon Silver Mine Station and the bridge across Clear Creek.
The slope is steep as the railroad clings to the mountain side.
Part of the Lebanon Sliver Mine Experience for the passengers who took the tour and would be picked up by the next train heading down.
The old Hall Tunnel siding where the 1,650 foot long Great Alpine Tunnel was located.
Old remains from the facilities of long ago.
View looking down.
Our crossing of Devil's Gate Viaduct.
The Devil's Gate Viaduct.
The train was now heading the other way after making the 180 degree turn on the viaduct.
The viaduct as seen through the trees.
Crossing Clear Creek.
Clear Creek. Moments later our train has arrived at the Georgetown station which is just west of the Viaduct. There was a large group of passengers waiting to board our train for their trip to Silver Plume.
