Trn Ft0609 Colorado
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FANTRIP >> What else can you do in Colorado? See: www.TrainsMag.com www.TrainsMag.com 61 BY JIM WRINN 60 T rains JUNE 2009 Plan a Colorado railfan vacation Here’s a T rains-tested 10-day trip that offers mainline action, steam excursions, and great museums In the late 1800s, adventurous travel- ers set off from Denver on the so-called “narrow gauge circle,” a breathtakingly sce- nic thousand-mile journey by rail into the Colorado Rockies. Today, you can travel a similar route, riding some of the same rails as 120 years ago, for a Colorado railfan va- cation that mixes mainline action, moun- tain-climbing steam-powered tourist lines, and excellent museums. Best of all, you can do it in 10 days and for less than $1,500. Here’s a Trains-tested itinerary for a mod- ern narrow gauge circle: Day 1: Arrive in Denver, head south on Interstate 25, but find side roads as you trav- el south. You’ll follow one of the West’s most heavily trafficked north-south main lines, the famous Joint Line that carries both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific trains along the east side of the Front Range. Be- tween the south side of Denver and Palmer Lake (where helpers cut off southbound unit coal trains from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin), the southbound main line is to your west and the northbound main line is to your east, separated by less than a mile. Spend the night in Colorado Springs, where the depot is an excellent Italian restaurant called Giuseppe’s and narrow-gauge Rio Grande 4-6-0 No. 168 is on display nearby. Day 2: Morning: Ride the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway on Swiss-built die- sels to the summit of the 14,110-foot high mountain. Aſternoon: Visit the Garden of the Gods geological formation or stop and play at Great Sand Dunes National Park on the way to Alamosa for the night. Day 3: Rio Grande Scenic’s route across La Veta Pass is a scenic delight best enjoyed from one of the line’s dome cars. at eve- ning, drive to Chama, N.M., for the night. Stay at e Hotel & Shops, across the street from the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Rail- road. Lie in bed and listen to the steam lo- comotives switching in the yard. Day 3: Explore the C&TS yard and shop before riding the Denver & Rio Grande’s San Juan extension one way across the 4-percent climb to Cumbres Pass, and on to Antonito, Colo., with a bus return. is is steam rail- roading in the mountains at its best. Day 4: Follow the morning C&TS train from Chama to Cumbres, stopping to take photos along Route 17. en, head west to Durango. Visit the roundhouse museum at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and watch the aſternoon’s trains arrive. e Best Western Rio Grande Inn is close to the D&SNGRR station, and balco- ny rooms overlook the shop complex. Walk to nearby Steamworks Brewing Co. for din- ner and a pint of Steam Engine lager. Day 5: Ride the D&SNGRR to Silverton. Coaches are great, but if you’re tall or large, they can be confining on the all-day trip. If the weather is cooperative, an open car is an ideal venue. Or live like an executive and take the office car on this magnificent journey through the Animas River Can- yon. Spend the night in Durango again. Day 6: Drive U.S. 550 north, enjoying UP SD70M 4585 northbound on a unit ballast train meets BNSF SD70MAC 8937 on the Joint Line just north of Palmer Lake. Here the main lines are only yards apart. Chip Sherman the mountain scenery. At Montrose, head east on U.S. 50. Be sure to see the railroad displays for Black Canyon of the Gunnison that are part of the National Park Service. Overnight at Salida in a bed and breakfast or in Canon City in a hotel. Day 7: Ride the Royal Gorge Route Rail- road into its namesake. Dome cars and open-top cars provide unobstructed views. Aſter the ride, visit the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park for the view from above. Time your visit to the park so you can ride the funicu- lar to the bottom of the canyon to capture the classic photo of the train at the hanging bridge in the gorge. Overnight in Leadville. Day 8: Ride the Leadville, Colorado & Southern train at the 10,000-foot elevation, then drive to Silver Plume to ride the Georgetown Loop. Walk from the Silver Plume Depot on the path adjacent to I-70 for great views. Spend the night at George- town or Idaho Springs, which displays Colorado & Southern 2-8-0 No. 60. Day 9: Wander side roads to Moffat Tunnel and the Big 10 Curve to marvel at the engineering that went into this main line that sees UP and BNSF freights, plus Amtrak’s California Zephyr today. Be sure and spot the famous “Giant’s Ladder” at Moffat’s east portal, where the railroad travels up and over the continental divide. Day 10: Make a day out of the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, tour the nearby Coors Brewery, then head into Den- ver to visit Union Station. Several boutique hotels and restaurants populate the neigh- borhood, and the station’s neon sign always makes a great photo at dusk. An optional extra day can provide a chance to visit nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado railfan paradise >> FANTRIP BRIEFS Do you have the speed, skill, and strength to win the Portola Railroad Days Spike Driving Contest on Aug. 23? Competitors are timed driving four spikes into ties; the entry fee is $5, and the grand prize $1,500. Sponsored by the Western Pacific Railroad Museum, 530-832-4131. Hurry, May 28 marks the registra- tion deadline for registering kids for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylva- nia’s summer Barons & Builders Day Camp. For details, visit www.rrmu- seumpa.org, or call 717-687-8628. Railfans are welcome to join the new Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Historical Society; applica- tions are online at www.dlwrrhs.org. Are you driven to win?
Transcript of Trn Ft0609 Colorado
FANTRIP
>> What else can you do in Colorado?See: www.TrainsMag.com www.TrainsMag.com 61
BY JIM WRINN
60 Trains JUNE 2009
Plan a Colorado railfan vacationHere’s a Trains-tested 10-day trip that offers mainline action, steam excursions, and great museums
In the late 1800s, adventurous travel-ers set o� from Denver on the so-called “narrow gauge circle,” a breathtakingly sce-nic thousand-mile journey by rail into the Colorado Rockies. Today, you can travel a similar route, riding some of the same rails
as 120 years ago, for a Colorado railfan va-cation that mixes mainline action, moun-tain-climbing steam-powered tourist lines, and excellent museums. Best of all, you can do it in 10 days and for less than $1,500. Here’s a Trains-tested itinerary for a mod-
ern narrow gauge circle: Day 1: Arrive in Denver, head south on
Interstate 25, but � nd side roads as you trav-el south. You’ll follow one of the West’s most heavily tra� cked north-south main lines, the famous Joint Line that carries both BNSF Railway and Union Paci� c trains along the east side of the Front Range. Be-tween the south side of Denver and Palmer Lake (where helpers cut o� southbound unit coal trains from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin), the southbound main line is to your west and the northbound main line is to your east, separated by less than a mile. Spend the night in Colorado Springs, where the depot is an excellent Italian restaurant called Giuseppe’s and narrow-gauge Rio Grande 4-6-0 No. 168 is on display nearby.
Day 2: Morning: Ride the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Cog Railway on Swiss-built die-sels to the summit of the 14,110-foot high mountain. A� ernoon: Visit the Garden of the Gods geological formation or stop and play at Great Sand Dunes National Park on the way to Alamosa for the night.
Day 3: Rio Grande Scenic’s route across La Veta Pass is a scenic delight best enjoyed from one of the line’s dome cars. � at eve-ning, drive to Chama, N.M., for the night. Stay at � e Hotel & Shops, across the street from the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Rail-road. Lie in bed and listen to the steam lo-comotives switching in the yard.
Day 3: Explore the C&TS yard and shop before riding the Denver & Rio Grande’s San Juan extension one way across the 4-percent climb to Cumbres Pass, and on to Antonito, Colo., with a bus return. � is is steam rail-roading in the mountains at its best.
Day 4: Follow the morning C&TS train from Chama to Cumbres, stopping to take photos along Route 17. � en, head west to Durango. Visit the roundhouse museum at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and watch the a� ernoon’s trains arrive. � e Best Western Rio Grande Inn is close to the D&SNGRR station, and balco-ny rooms overlook the shop complex. Walk to nearby Steamworks Brewing Co. for din-ner and a pint of Steam Engine lager.
Day 5: Ride the D&SNGRR to Silverton. Coaches are great, but if you’re tall or large, they can be con� ning on the all-day trip. If the weather is cooperative, an open car is an ideal venue. Or live like an executive and take the o� ce car on this magni� cent journey through the Animas River Can-yon. Spend the night in Durango again.
Day 6: Drive U.S. 550 north, enjoying
UP SD70M 4585 northbound on a unit ballast train meets BNSF SD70MAC 8937 on the Joint Line just north of Palmer Lake. Here the main lines are only yards apart. Chip Sherman
the mountain scenery. At Montrose, head east on U.S. 50. Be sure to see the railroad displays for Black Canyon of the Gunnison that are part of the National Park Service. Overnight at Salida in a bed and breakfast or in Canon City in a hotel.
Day 7: Ride the Royal Gorge Route Rail-road into its namesake. Dome cars and open-top cars provide unobstructed views. A� er the ride, visit the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park for the view from above. Time your visit to the park so you can ride the funicu-lar to the bottom of the canyon to capture the classic photo of the train at the hanging bridge in the gorge. Overnight in Leadville.
Day 8: Ride the Leadville, Colorado & Southern train at the 10,000-foot elevation, then drive to Silver Plume to ride the Georgetown Loop. Walk from the Silver Plume Depot on the path adjacent to I-70 for great views. Spend the night at George-town or Idaho Springs, which displays Colorado & Southern 2-8-0 No. 60.
Day 9: Wander side roads to Mo� at Tunnel and the Big 10 Curve to marvel at the engineering that went into this main line that sees UP and BNSF freights, plus Amtrak’s California Zephyr today. Be sure and spot the famous “Giant’s Ladder” at Mo� at’s east portal, where the railroad travels up and over the continental divide.
Day 10: Make a day out of the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, tour the nearby Coors Brewery, then head into Den-ver to visit Union Station. Several boutique hotels and restaurants populate the neigh-borhood, and the station’s neon sign always makes a great photo at dusk. An optional extra day can provide a chance to visit nearby Rocky Mountain National Park.
Coloradorailfanparadise
>> FANTRIP BRIEFS
Do you have the speed, skill, and strength to win the Portola Railroad Days Spike Driving Contest on Aug. 23? Competitors are timed driving four spikes into ties; the entry fee is $5, and the grand prize $1,500. Sponsored by the Western Pacifi c Railroad Museum, 530-832-4131.
Hurry, May 28 marks the registra-tion deadline for registering kids for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylva-nia’s summer Barons & Builders Day Camp. For details, visit www.rrmu-seumpa.org, or call 717-687-8628.
Railfans are welcome to join the new Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Historical Society; applica-tions are online at www.dlwrrhs.org.
Are you driven to win?
