Seriously considering Leadville, Colorado for a night. There is a scenic railroad - Leadville, Colorado, and Southern RR. It appears that Tennesse Pass is nearby.
Are there any trains (locals) on that line? I know UP mothballed the line years ago, but I would still want to explore the line...a train would be a huge bonus.
BTW, Mark Hemphill wrote an article in another magazine on the Tennessee Pass line...does anyone know which magazine it was?Ed
MP173 but a husband wife vacation so I must selectively be in the right places.
Add "Garden of the Gods" to your itinerary. Just west of Colorado Springs. You can use that as a bargaining chip with wifey to let you enjoy some railroad centric time as well. (you'll probably both enjoy it)
Just an option to consider, but Utah is even more scenic than Colorado. But for you to go that far west would add a serious burden to your driving time. Unless you fly to Salt Lake Cty, rent a one-way, and drive I-15/I-70/US-24 to Colorado Springs, with a detour to Royal Gorge on the closing leg. You'll see alot of cool stuff, and can consider either dropping the rental off and flying back home, or driving the whole way, depending on how much time you have left.
Whenever I drive through the west for a vacation, I always end up wishing I had more time to spend in places that I didn't even know about until I drove past them. My suggestion is intended to give you the freedom to explore such places.
MP173 Ed. Grand Junction yard is a good spot. Amtrac runs thru there on the way to Denver. There is freight traffic also. Glenwood Springs where the tracks run on the south side of the river . A good spot to pull off the road by Glenwood Hot Springs Also eagles gather along there .
Have fun on the "shoot"
Y6bs evergreen in my mind
We are driving from Chicago area west...havent decided whether to go via I80 to North Platte or take I70 thru Kansas City. Will probably be a game time decision. This is not a railroading vacation, but a husband wife vacation so I must selectively be in the right places.
Royal Gorge would work great as it is a wonderful scene...whether or not trains run thru would not be a decision maker. Ditto Tennessee Pass area (obviously!).
I would like to recreate some steps taken back in 1964 and 1966 to Pueblo (by train) and LaJuanta (by train). Also down to Alamosa (by car). I dont recall too much from those trips, but it is always fun to go back to places.
Ed
MP173 We really do not plan on spending much time in Denver, more so out and about in the mountain areas. We do plan on going to Alamosa to the RioGrande Scenic. Is the line thru the Royal Gorge still in operation for either freight or tourist? My family went there in 1964 (I was 9) and it was quite a site. Ed
We really do not plan on spending much time in Denver, more so out and about in the mountain areas. We do plan on going to Alamosa to the RioGrande Scenic.
Is the line thru the Royal Gorge still in operation for either freight or tourist? My family went there in 1964 (I was 9) and it was quite a site.
MP173 Is the line thru the Royal Gorge still in operation for either freight or tourist? My family went there in 1964 (I was 9) and it was quite a site. Ed
Is the line thru the Royal Gorge still in operation for either freight or tourist? My family went there in 1964 (I was 9) and it was quite a site. Ed
Right now, traffic west of the front range is really light.
Flying in, #5 or Driving in? ...You're already ahead knowing the east half of Colorado is flat, there is much more to CO than Denver and you are willing to get off the main drags. The water in the high country is really up right now.
Ruxton Hill, Palmer Lake, Golden, Glenwood Canyon (avoid Glenwood Springs), Tin Cup, Gunnison, Gore Canyon, Gallinas, Portland, Pueblo Jcn., Utah Jcn, Lunch at Guiseppe's in Colorado Springs, Windsor, Fox Junction, Plum Creek, Loveland, Silver Plume, Delta, (avoid Last Chance or Punkin Center), Silverton, Leadville
Glenwood canyon, for sure. Not sure what the traffic count is like these days, but that whole area where I-70, US 6 and the DRGW all parallel the Colorado river is just full of incredible photo opportunities. From Dotsero all the way west to the state line if you have the time.
Also, although the line is dormant, US route 24 from Leadville to Minturn (Tennessee Pass, basically) is something you probably shouldn't miss, if you've never been there before.
The busiest line has to be the "Joint Line" between Denver and Pueblo, although probably less so with coal being down. An interesting way to view it is to take the parallel Denver light rail line out to Littleton/Mineral. You also pass the ex-DRGW Burnham Shops. You can view the Joint Line at the outer stations. South of town, Palmer Lake is at the top of the grade, where the line becomes single track.
The UP (ex-DRGW) "Moffat" line is less busy but the Moffat Tunnel portals are classic photo locations. The East Portal can be reached from a good dirt road west of Rollinsville, and the West Portal is next to US 40, at Winter Park. Glenwood Springs is a nice place to watch Amtrak (the EB and WB Zephyr passby mid-day), and there is a hotel across the street from the depot (I think it s called the Denver) from which you can watch/listen to trains all night.
If you are a narrow gauge fan, Durango and Chama (NM) should not be missed. Georgetown loop is also interesting.
here is a good map of the Denver area with all the RRs that come in and out of Denver.
http://www.coloradorailfan.com/data/maps/map-detail.asp?p=122005
http://www.coloradorailfan.com/data/data.asp
Any suggestions of good spots to watch/photograph trains in Colorado? Are there any Colorado railfan reference websites that can be recommended?Ed
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