Colorado Heritage Train circle trip

[MARC Rider]

Hey, we still can't travel, but we can always dream, right?

A few years ago on a winter sports trip to New Mexico and Colorado, I passed through the small town of Antonito, Colorado and noticed the steam locomotives parked out in a railyard. A while later, we had lunch in Alamosa, and it seems that there was some excursion train equipment sitting around at the town depot, which also served as the tourist information center, and, most importantly, the public restrooms. It then occurred to me that there was some train riding to do in Colorado, apart from riding the Zephyr across the Rockies. So after some research, I've developed a sort of circle trip out of Denver to check as many of these out as I can.

Being that all of these tourist lines are widely separated across the state, this will need to be a road trip. If the rental car companies cooperate, I'd like to get a one-way rental from Denver, drive the circle, and end up in Glenwood Springs, where I'd return the car and take the Zephyr back to Denver. Alternatively, I could return the car in Grand Junction and do the same thing.

The first stop would be a day trip up I-70 to the Georgetown Loop Scenic Railroad. There is also the California Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, not sure whether it's worth a visit. If I rent a 4x4, it might be possible to drive over one or more of the old narrow gauge line roadbeds that cross the Continental Divide.

Once done with Denver, it's time to drive south the Colorado Springs and ride the cog railway up Pikes Peak.
Next, over to the Royal Gorge Route route railroad.

It looks like the Rio Grande tourist train in Alamosa is no longer running, so it's off to Antonito for the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic railroad. I'd have to decide whether I just want to do the one-way trip along the line or stay overnight in Chama and ride it in both directions.

Finally, off to Durango and a ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow gauge.

After that, it's a lot of driving through the Rockies to get to Glenwood Springs. A nice soak in the hot pool, and then a ride on the Zephyr into Denver.

I'm interested in hearing if anyone has ridden on any of these trains, whether there are some other tourist railroads that might be worth riding, whether any of the premium classes are worth the extra money, etc. I also wonder whether it might be better to run the loop in the opposite direction, so that I have a better chance of my Zephyr ride across the Rockies being in the daytime.

 

[me_little_me]

Both the Durango Silverton (have ridden it 6 times - in the '80s) and the Cumbres & Toltec (once in the 2010s) are outstanding. I'd put them as the two best in the country.

D&S has better scenery (looking almost straight down from the edge of the track is the river) and seeing Silverton (a couple of blocks in any direction then mountains right at the edge of town)but the C&T had the best overall experience. You get to stand in the open car to take pics or sit in your seat. Great hot lunch halfway - imagined it was like the Harvey operation. Everyone off the train, fed a sit-down dinner, then back on the train. You can see the track a mile or more ahead of where you are but only a couple of hundred yards (as it loops back and forth) and owned by the states of Colorado and NM but operated for them by a private company and done very well.
Both offered round trip service or one way by train and one by bus.

 

[Gemuser]

A railfan mate & I did this in 2012 using Vacations by Rail - Colorado Rail Experience tour

Link to current version: Colorado Rail Experience | Train Rides in Colorado

This was an absoultly fabolus tour by bus, hitting all the top hertiage railways in Colorado. We had to do it by bus as we do not drive in countries where they drive on the wrong side of the road! [After over 40 years I find it very hard to switch sides, last time I tried was in Italy in 2001 and I nearly killed us all]

The tour has changed a bit 8 years but the bus driver & guide were extreamly good and all in all a very good time was had by all.

Gemuser

 

[Gemuser]

A railfan mate & I did this in 2012 using Vacations by Rail - Colorado Rail Experience tour

Link to current version: Colorado Rail Experience | Train Rides in Colorado

This was an absoultly fabolus tour by bus, hitting all the top hertiage railways in Colorado. We had to do it by bus as we do not drive in countries where they drive on the wrong side of the road! [After over 40 years I find it very hard to switch sides, last time I tried was in Italy in 2001 and I nearly killed us all]

The tour has changed a bit 8 years but the bus driver & guide were extreamly good and all in all a very good time was had by all.

Trip Report thread: Trip Report - Amtrak Coast to Coast & Back Sept/Oct 2012
See Reply 17 for the Colorado part.

Gemuser

 

[MARC Rider]

A railfan mate & I did this in 2012 using Vacations by Rail - Colorado Rail Experience tour

Link to current version: Colorado Rail Experience | Train Rides in Colorado

This was an absoultly fabolus tour by bus, hitting all the top hertiage railways in Colorado. We had to do it by bus as we do not drive in countries where they drive on the wrong side of the road! [After over 40 years I find it very hard to switch sides, last time I tried was in Italy in 2001 and I nearly killed us all]

The tour has changed a bit 8 years but the bus driver & guide were extreamly good and all in all a very good time was had by all.

Trip Report thread: Trip Report - Amtrak Coast to Coast & Back Sept/Oct 2012
See Reply 17 for the Colorado part.

Gemuser

This sounds like a good tour and worth considering. They're now pricing it at $2,500, $2,600 in 2022, based on double occupancy. They're not clear what the "singles supplement" would be. I did some quick back of the envelope calculations and figured that a self-driven tour, including rental car, hotels, the meals included in the bus tour, and the rail fares would be about $1,800 - $1,900. Being a US local, I have no problem with driving on the right side of the road, and I even have some experience driving around in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It should be a snap, especially if I do it in the summer. On the other hand, my wife doesn't handle altitude very well, so she couldn't come along, and I think she wouldn't be real thrilled about me driving around in the middle of nowhere by myself, so I'd have to find a buddy to do this with me. Or else cough up the extra bucks for the bus tour.

 

[railiner]

. There is also the California Railroad Museum in Golden, not sure whether it's worth a visit.

The COLORADO Railroad Museum near Golden, is definitely worth a visit...

 

[Willbridge]

I think the bus tour idea is good for someone who wants to see several lines and not be combining them with non-rail recreation. Living in Denver there are still some lines I have never ridden but those that I have involved other people's interests, too!

Definitely visit the Colorado Railroad Museum. When I visited the Dutch narrow-gauge museum there were some volunteers there who had visited it and were impressed.

If you want a sample LRT ride the most scenic is the W-Line from Union Station destined to "Golden" (not to the museum). The most "big city" for train movements is the Central stretch between either downtown terminal and the I-25 & Broadway Station. At the 10th & Osage Station on the central trunk segment is the Buckhorn Exchange, Colorado Liquor License #1. "Buffalo Bill drank here."

If you are driving, get off of I-25 and stop for a few minutes each at the Colorado Springs Rio Grande Station and the Pueblo Union Depot. Both have restaurants nearby. Neither has had scheduled passenger service since the 1971 bloodbath but hope springs eternal.

Don't miss the Georgetown Loop.



The attached pdf newsletter is outdated but will give you some ideas of what is here.

 

[Barb Stout]

Both the Durango Silverton (have ridden it 6 times - in the '80s) and the Cumbres & Toltec (once in the 2010s) are outstanding. I'd put them as the two best in the country.

D&S has better scenery (looking almost straight down from the edge of the track is the river) and seeing Silverton (a couple of blocks in any direction then mountains right at the edge of town)but the C&T had the best overall experience. You get to stand in the open car to take pics or sit in your seat. Great hot lunch halfway - imagined it was like the Harvey operation. Everyone off the train, fed a sit-down dinner, then back on the train. You can see the track a mile or more ahead of where you are but only a couple of hundred yards (as it loops back and forth) and owned by the states of Colorado and NM but operated for them by a private company and done very well.
Both offered round trip service or one way by train and one by bus.

I too have ridden on both the Durango-Silverton train and the Cumbres Toltec train and loved both experiences, however, it seemed to me that the C&T had better scenery than the D-S train, but they were both exceedingly wonderful and memorable. At the time we took the C&T, the train would stop briefly in certain places to pick up hikers. Wouldn't that be amazing to be hiking and also able to catch the train?!

When we took the D-S, we were in one of the cars where they did one of those "living history" things where they had a lady dressed up in 1800s western frontier gear who was playing the role of the first newspaper person in Durango when the rail gave birth to the town of Durango. She told lots of great stories about the early rail in Colorado and other history of the area as we passed through them. She was wonderful. The experience was worth the money. We also stayed in the General Palmer Hotel which is right next to the Durango train station. That was a hoot also.

 

[Palmland]

While the D&S scenery is more dramatic for the stretch high above the river as it hangs to the cliffs, I would agree with MeLittleMe that C&T is a better experience. It's more railfan friendly with open access everywhere and seems more like a 'real' railroad than a tourist attraction. I'd ride the train eastbound from Chama and bus return to enjoy the steep climb out of Chama. I'd stay there rather than Antonito, although lodging is not fancy. Agree also that the Coloroado RR Museum is well worth it. I was in college during its earlier days and enjoyed chatting with its director, Bob Richardson.

It is a shame the operation out of Alamosa has closed, mostly due to poor management. It was very enjoyable when it used a steam engine and had a homemade parlor-cafe-observation car with open platform. I'd like to hear about your ride on the Royal Gorge train as we have yet to do that, although I traveled on part of that route when it was operated by the Rio Grande.

 

[me_little_me]

A railfan mate & I did this in 2012 using Vacations by Rail - Colorado Rail Experience tour

This was an absoultly fabolus tour by bus, hitting all the top hertiage railways in Colorado. We had to do it by bus as we do not drive in countries where they drive on the wrong side of the road! [After over 40 years I find it very hard to switch sides, last time I tried was in Italy in 2001 and I nearly killed us all]

For someone from a country where you have to walk around upside down your whole life, I'm not surprised you are confused by driving around on the RIGHT side of the road. ✂
<---Upside down smile!

 

[como]

The COLORADO Railroad Museum near Golden, is definitely worth a visit...
[

Hey, we still can't travel, but we can always dream, right?

A few years ago on a winter sports trip to New Mexico and Colorado, I passed through the small town of Antonito, Colorado and noticed the steam locomotives parked out in a railyard. A while later, we had lunch in Alamosa, and it seems that there was some excursion train equipment sitting around at the town depot, which also served as the tourist information center, and, most importantly, the public restrooms. It then occurred to me that there was some train riding to do in Colorado, apart from riding the Zephyr across the Rockies. So after some research, I've developed a sort of circle trip out of Denver to check as many of these out as I can.

Being that all of these tourist lines are widely separated across the state, this will need to be a road trip. If the rental car companies cooperate, I'd like to get a one-way rental from Denver, drive the circle, and end up in Glenwood Springs, where I'd return the car and take the Zephyr back to Denver. Alternatively, I could return the car in Grand Junction and do the same thing.

The first stop would be a day trip up I-70 to the Georgetown Loop Scenic Railroad. There is also the California Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, not sure whether it's worth a visit. If I rent a 4x4, it might be possible to drive over one or more of the old narrow gauge line roadbeds that cross the Continental Divide.

Once done with Denver, it's time to drive south the Colorado Springs and ride the cog railway up Pikes Peak.
Next, over to the Royal Gorge Route route railroad.

It looks like the Rio Grande tourist train in Alamosa is no longer running, so it's off to Antonito for the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic railroad. I'd have to decide whether I just want to do the one-way trip along the line or stay overnight in Chama and ride it in both directions.

Finally, off to Durango and a ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow gauge.

After that, it's a lot of driving through the Rockies to get to Glenwood Springs. A nice soak in the hot pool, and then a ride on the Zephyr into Denver.

I'm interested in hearing if anyone has ridden on any of these trains, whether there are some other tourist railroads that might be worth riding, whether any of the premium classes are worth the extra money, etc. I also wonder whether it might be better to run the loop in the opposite direction, so that I have a better chance of my Zephyr ride across the Rockies being in the daytime.

I grew up in Colorado. The Georgetown Loop is worth checking out. The cog railway is fun. Both are a little touristy but still nice rides.

Some of the narrow gauge routes can be done with a 4X4, and much of it will can be done in a rental car. Drive to Boulder and head up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill. From there you can access the Switzerland Trail, the right of way of the Colorado and Northwestern / Denver Boulder and Western Railroad. The drive is about 9 miles to Sugarloaf. It's great hike, and an exciting drive. Driving up Boulder Canyon on Colorado 119 to Sugarloaf Road will also take you to the other end of of the drive. I think that you can still drive west from Gold Hill on the right of way and end up on connecting to a county road that follows the right of way to Ward. You can follow the route that the railroad took out of Boulder by taking Four Mile Canyon Drive which follows Four Mile Creek to Sunset which is about a third of the way between Sugarloaf and Gold Hill.

Look for Forest Crossen's The Switzerland Trail of America a great book about the railroad with lots of pictures and maps.

 

[Alice]

I've done all of the ones you have mentioned and more. Some additional pointers:

Steam trains are fun both to ride and chase. I usually schedule chasing after the ride and take photos of good spots (highway signs at grade crossings, for instance) during the ride.

Georgetown Loop was having trouble with their steam engine one year I was there so running diesel, and most everybody bailed. I had the open air car pretty much to myself that trip, very nice.

The Leadville train is kind of boring but worth doing if you have time for two reasons: the town is fun; the locomotive ride (diesel) is not much extra and gives you extended private time with someone in the business. The year I went, he was down during the Alaska RR off season. He went to different mainland excursion trains each year.

The Forney Museum in Denver and the Transportation Museum in Golden are very different and both good.

In Silverton, the mine tour (and train) is worthwhile.

To really appreciate the Pikes Peak cog system, you need to drive up Pikes Peak, too. And imagine it in winter. Failing that, I see you can ride the cog up and bike down. That would be quite a trip. I do not recall much in the way of shoulders last time I was over there.

Fort Collins is kind of out of the way. But they have a Birney that operates in the grassy section in the middle of the street between downtown and the city park. If you time it right, you can watch them put it to bed in the park. They also have a freight short line that operates in the street. If you time it right, you can watch them put it to bed in the park.

Of course, be sure to ride Denver's historic trolleys. They do not give tours of the barn but they are informal enough that you might get invited in. I spent a half-day with my mother one year doing the loop and getting off one car and taking the next, as the cars are all different and all beautiful. One of the conductors told us when his last run was and invited us to meet him there. We had other plans so didn't make it.

The Colorado tourism people sometimes put a chapter for railfans in their annual guide. I couldn't find it, but found several other pages worth a look:

Railroad Museums
Trains Trips
Train Buff Road Trip

And one of the Denver minor papers had this in 2018:
Fifteen Train Experiences

 

[railiner]

Here's one that I don't think was mentioned...wonder what became of this proposal?

https://www.weeklyregistercall.com/2019/10/31/central-city-railroad-and-mining-museum/

 

[railiner]

This list, includes a couple of other minor RR museums, maybe not worthy as a destination unto themselves, but worth looking at if you happen to pass them...
https://www.colorado.com/articles/colorado-railroad-museums

 

[Seaboard92]

Don't miss the Royal Gorge Scenic out of Park City. It is part of the Tennessee Pass rail line that may or may not be reopened soon.

Georgetown Loop is definitely worth doing. I honestly didn't want to do it when I went to Colorado because I thought a three or so mile long trip one way wasn't worth my time. I was gladly mistaken.

 

[GoAmtrak]

I'm not sure if it's accurate to put my question here or to open a new thread.

I read there are a lot of heritage railways all around the US (thus non-Amtrak, non commuter-rail, non light rail). Which of those heritage railways do operate on a regular basis, all year long? I read about a lot of heritage railways only operating in summer or in fall.

Some of the few of those railway which seem to operate all year long, are the Grand Canyon Railway between Williams and Grand Canyon Village. Are there other US heritage railway which operate (or did operate prior Corona) even in winter?

 

[joelkfla]

I'm not sure if it's accurate to put my question here or to open a new thread.

I read there are a lot of heritage railways all around the US (thus non-Amtrak, non commuter-rail, non light rail). Which of those heritage railways do operate on a regular basis, all year long? I read about a lot of heritage railways only operating in summer or in fall.

Some of the few of those railway which seem to operate all year long, are the Grand Canyon Railway between Williams and Grand Canyon Village. Are there other US heritage railway which operate (or did operate prior Corona) even in winter?

Strasburg Rail Road | Train Rides in Lancaster County, PA runs on weekends thru the winter.

So does Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in southwestern Colorado.

 

[flitcraft]

The Verde Canyon Railroad in Arizona is open all year round, and is beautifully scenic.