Great Colorado Vacation Ideas
Posted by Jamie | Posted in Travel | Posted on 27-08-2011-05-2008
0
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions and a great place to visit in Colorado. This spectacular stretch of 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 2 miles (3.2 km) apart in steep, narrow Clear Creek west of Denver. Engineers designed a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice that distance to connect them, slowly gaining more than 600 feet (183 m) in elevation. It included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4 %, and 4 bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil’s Gate High Bridge.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. Rail line construction began in 1973 with track and ties donated by the Union Pacific Railroad.
The 3-mile (4.8 km) segment opened on March 10, 1984 and is a restored segment at the upper end of the historic Colorado Central main line up Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden. It climbs approximately 640 feet (195 m) between the 2 towns. The longer main line up the canyon was constructed in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush and was used extensively during the silver boom of the 1880s to haul silver ore from the mines at Silver Plume. The Loop portion of the line was the crowning segment of the line at the top of the gorge and features a 95-foot (29 m) high trestle. The entire line, including the Loop, was dismantled in 1939, but interest in restoration of the Loop segment as a tourist attraction in the 1970s led to the construction of a new high bridge and the refurbishment of the segment, which reopened in 1984.
The train ride includes an optional walking tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine, located at the halfway point on the railroad. Visitors walk 500 feet (152 m) into a mine tunnel bored in the 1870s while guides point out the rich veins of silver and relate the history of the mine.
Passengers board the train at depots located in Silver Plume and Georgetown. Visit www.georgetownlooprr.com for more information.
