We continue our survey of Denver's Commuter Rail system with some photos at various outer stations; you may follow along using the map at https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map. The B and the G lines share the rails leading northward from the western end of Union Station to 56th Avenue, where the right-of-way bends to the northwest, leading into Pecos Junction, the second stop. This is where the two lines split, with the B continuing straight, and the G turning to the west.
Under the road overpasses that define the Pecos Junction station of the merged B and G lines is a mural entitled Roots Crossing, painted by a certain Bimmer Torres as part of the RTD's Arts in Transit program. Each station has some artwork, but this is the only one I saw that features transportation. A surreal train occupies most of the station's retaining wall, flanked by four examples of road transport, but also with a steam train and airplane at its top. On this sunny Tuesday we had decided to stop at Pecos Junction because after riding a G train to that point it would only be a short wait for the frequency-challenged B line to Westminster, which runs only once an hour, so we jumped at the opportunity to ride that line out to its terminal at Westminster without a long wait. The train laid up beyond the station, which offered a good angle for a photo, but it turned out the sun was not shining on the side that was accessible without trespassing; the early afternoon would be the right time for that photo. We returned aboard the same train and then transferred to a two-car G line train outward to Olde Town Arvada, one of the way stations en route to its terminal at Wheat Ridge. Above and below: Two photos from a parking deck adjacent to the Olde Town Arvada station. This is in the city's downtown district, which is home to a cluster of charming shops, galleries and restaurants, trying to take advantage of the historic significance related to Colorado's first gold strike, which occurred in this area in 1850. The track in the foreground is not electrified, and is used by BNSF freight service, while passenger trains run under catenary in both directions on the far track. There are grade crossings at both ends. The camera is pointing eastward in the lower view. An eastbound freight surprised us as we were waiting for the next outbound train. We were also taken aback by the livery of the BNSF locomotive (not orange and black), but later found out that this EMD-built SD70MAC is painted in the company's "Executive" paint scheme. The track on the south side of the right-of-way mainly exists to serve the Coors Brewery in Golden. At this point it might be worthwhile to look at Arvada and the rails that helped it to prosper. The history of city and its transportation is displayed on the station's platform in a number of informative panels (see photos below), but bears a bit of research for those interested in more details. With the gold rush the municipality grew significantly, and that resulted in the construction of a railroad to connect it with Denver and the east in 1870. The standard gauge Colorado Central was controlled by the Union Pacific and ran from Golden (you can figure out the etymology of that name) through Arvada to a junction with the UP-owned Denver-Pacific and Kansas-Pacific Railroads. Between 1882 and 1887 the Colorado Central was extended further west from Golden to Silver Plume to support silver mining, but as a 3-foot narrow gauge railway, reaching the famous Georgetown Loop (now a tourist rail operation powered by steam). To support that the tracks through Arvada were converted to dual gauge around 1884. But after the UP transcon failed during the Panic of 1893, the Colorado Central was picked up by the Colorado & Southern (in 1899), which a decade later became a subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (in 1908). The extra rail on CB&Q/C&S line through Arvada was lifted when the narrow gauge line to Georgetown was abandoned in 1938-39 and probably remains today only because of business generated by the Coors Brewery in Golden. The RTD wants to extend the G line from Wheat Ridge to Golden along that right-of-way in the future. But even the dual-gauge rail service was insufficient to meet the needs of growing Arvada. The solution: an interurban. The Denver & Northwestern opened a narrow-gauge electric line to the center of Arvada in 1901 and on to Leyden in 1903. It stimulated Arvada's growth further, providing frequent passenger service to Denver, especially compared to the few trains operated over the steam route. The interurban was built by Denver Tramways as part of its narrow-gauge streetcar system and lasted until the end of rail service in the Mile High city on July 2, 1950. The line had been extended to Golden in 1904 from a junction a little bit south of Arvada's city center. As it was, Golden ended up being served two interurban lines from Denver, the second being a standard-gauge line, the Denver & Intermountain, which was acquired by the Tramway company in 1909, and whose right-of-way was eventually used for RTD's W light rail line (which we rode on Wednesday). Arvada now has a population that is over 120,000. I suspect what drove me to look all this all up was the sight of the BNSF freight train going through downtown Arvada shown above. But it might be appropriate now to mention the rights-of-way used by Denver's other three commuter lines. The B line's history paralleled that of the Colorado Central as the Denver, Marshall & Boulder Railway. It was built in 1885 under UP control and then after the panic/bankruptcy, was also picked up by the Colorado & Southern. This line, through Westminster to Boulder became the C&S's mainline to Longmont, Fort Collins and Cheyenne, and still is an important part of the national railway network, competing with the Union Pacific line through Greeley to Cheyenne. It is hoped that the B will be extended to Boulder and Longmont. The RTD's N line is laid on a former UP branch that connected with other offshoots to Boulder and Fort Collins. There is no longer any freight service on it, but the right-of-way extends for some 33 miles to Erie. The inner portion of the A-Airport line, as far as Airport Boulevard (where it reach its totally new right-of-way), is located along the Union Pacific's mainline to Kansas City. Although now owned by separate entities, only a fence separates them. Back to Arvada. Above and below: Two of the panels on the platform of the Olde Town Arvada station. They are pretty much self-explanatory, especially with respect to the more detailed information above. We now take brief looks at the N and A lines to finish our survey. After coming back from Wheat Ridge, where trains reverse on tail tracks, we rode back to Union Station and then sampled the N line. With a half hour headway and no particular station seeming to be exceptionally photogenic, we rode through the 5 way stations to the terminal at Eastlake-124th. Interestingly, the N is the only one of the four commuter lines that is officially operated by the RTD itself. The other three (A, B and G) are part of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that financed and built the lines, and include the carbuilder and various major construction and engineering companies. This is all transparent to the public, which deals only with the RTD. A three-quarter view of the two-car Hyundai Rotem train we rode laying up on a tail track of the Eastlake-124th terminal of the N line. RTD's Commuter Rail track occupies the original Union Pacific right-of-way as the line was purchased after freight service was discontinued. It was getting late when we returned to Union Station (again) so we called it a day and decided to go out on the A line on Wednesday. We chose to do it in the afternoon, but when we arrived at 38th-Blake for some photos (one stop out from Union Station), we were disappointed as the skies had clouded up. That station is an excellent spot for photos, so we finessed that opportunity and made plans to come back on Thursday to complete the job. The two photos below are from this second attempt. Above and below: Two photos looking northward at the 38th-Blake station of the A line to the Airport. This station is very photogenic if you like overhead views, as there are two pedestrian overpasses straddling the wide swath containing both the Commuter Rail and freight tracks at this point. The station is on a southwest to northeast trajectory, making it a good location for pictures at almost anytime of the day. It is also less than a mile from the northern end of light rail line L at 30th/Downing, so can be part of a circle trip (with a 20-minute walk in between). A three-car outbound train is shown in the upper photo, while the lower one features a four-car lashup. In the background the right-of-way shared with the Union Pacific line curves eastward. All in all we agreed that Denver's commuter rail system is a spit-and-polish operation, and hope that it thrives in the long run, once the pandemic is over and more people travel. Segment 09 begins our look at Denver's Light Rail System
daveklepperThe extra rail on CB&Q/C&S line through Arvada was lifted when the narrow gauge line to Georgetown was abandoned in 1938-39
While the NG line was cut back from Georgetown, it continued to run to Idaho Springs until the early war years. One of the plaques shows C&S 71 in Arvada circa 1942. Engine 71 didn't have the usual C&S NG "Beartrap" smokestack, as it was converted to oil so it didn't have to take on coal on the Clear Creek line.
What passenger load did you observe? Sparse, or Heavy?
Denver really blew it when they let the rail corridor south from Union Station be developed for buildings. Thus the two stub ended operations facing each other.
Electroliner, I'll ask Jack.
And the answer:
Continued from part 1. The final segment of our survey of Denver's light rail system covers our activities of Thursday, May 6, which mostly consisted of riding and photographing the newest portions of the R and E lines, specifically the R from Peoria to Nine Mile (2017) and the extension of the previously-built Southeast line from Lincoln to RidgeGate Parkway (2019). The forecast was for perfect weather (which turned out to be correct), so we moved ahead quickly after checking out and leaving our bags with the hotel's concierge. We had our usual breakfast along the 16th Street Mall and then continued on to Union Station, where we rode the A line to Peoria in order to connect to the LRVs on the R line (see map at https://www.rtd-denver.com/services/rail/rail-system-map). We were now only two, as Russ had left Bruce and me early in the morning to travel from Union Station to Salt Lake City on Amtrak's California Zephyr. I had ridden the R line (in the rain) after checking in at the hotel on the previous Monday afternoon, and had noted some locations that I felt were good for photos. Thus we rode to Aurora Metro Center, and then later continued southward to the Iliff stop. For the most part the R's trackage runs through relatively undeveloped territory until it reaches that area, although there is a long elevated structure where it crosses busy Colfax Avenue at the station of the same name. Metro Center is adjacent to a large shopping mall, but the east side of the line is almost totally devoid of structures (although one could argue that it is a residential neighborhood as the line runs south from there along a field that is home to many colonies of prairie dogs). We spent more time than we wanted here because of the 30-minute headways on the single route that operates over this trackage. The rear end of an R-line train entering the Aurora Metro Center stop. The surface of this plot of land is rather uneven, and when walking through it we had to be very careful of the mounds and holes left by the coteries of prairie dogs who call the area home. But our presence also drove the cute little rodents that we originally admired underground. A southbound train of LRVs approaches Exposition Avenue, where it will turn to the west and run in pavement. Metro Center is in the background. Above and below: Looking westward along Exposition Avenue. A low curb separates the light rail line from automobile traffic, while a fence prevents pedestrians from crossing the street at places other than intersections. Exposition Avenue ends at the I-225 freeway and at that point the line makes a 90-degree turn to the left to run alongside the multi-lane limited-access highway. As the line approaches the Florida stop its right-of-way widens to make provision for a center layup track that serves route H LRVs that terminate at the station's island platform. South of that point service is much more frequent with 3 trains every half hour in each direction (one on the R and two on the H). The line is placed on a curved elevated structure as it approaches Iliff station to allow motor traffic to reach the highway unimpeded via on and off ramps, but it soon regains its regular alignment at the side of the interstate.
Above and below: What goes up must come down. The right-of-way of the H and R lines provides a mild roller coaster ride as it passes over roadways that access I-225. In the upper view, the fact that an automobile has broken down in front of the camera raises the question of whether this incident adds to or detracts from the photo, but the players in the drama couldn't care less as they try to start the offending vehicle by jumping its battery. In the lower view a northbound train of LRVs approaches the pinnacle of the overpass. A southbound R train heading for Lincoln is shown arriving at the Iliff station. We boarded it. Now it was time to get to the former terminal of the Southeast line at Lincoln (built 2006) and explore the 2.3-mile three-station extension that opened in May, 2019. Like so many rail lines that are now planned to foster development (rather than to serve existing neighborhoods), this line was originally advanced by the City of Lone Tree, which is south of Denver, in order to enable growth in planned manner. Thus it was not surprising for us to see the outer reaches of the line consist of vast open spaces--with a big 1,300-space parking garage at the RidgeGate terminal. (Such planning for the future was also the case in the Salt Lake City area for the Red Line extension to Daybreak Parkway--see upcoming segment 12--where upon their construction, some stations served very little more than a population of rattlesnakes.) I suspect the developers of the planned communities that are now sprouting up along the Lone Tree extension, specifically the Coventry Development Corporation, may have ante'd up part of the funding or its equivalent in real estate that helped comprise the local share for this federal New Starts project. The plan is to run 3 lines to RidgeGate, the E, F and R, but for now only the E runs beyond Lincoln while, as mentioned earlier, the F has been suspended because of COVID. Above and below: Lincoln station, the former end of the southeast line. The parking garage shown on the left side of both views is an excellent vantage point for photos. The upper photo was taken from platform level, while the lower one is from the pedestrian overpass that stretches across the 10 lane-wide I-25 highway. Lincoln is actually at the northern edge of the City of Lone Tree. Sky Ridge is the first stop south of Lincoln. The TOD (transit-oriented development) at right is brand new. The Google street maps and satellite views currently on the internet (dated 2018) just show the stop surrounded by acres of brown sand and dirt. There was little more than scrub in the vicinity of the Lone Tree Town Center station and its approach. This reminded me of the first time I saw the Santee Town Center terminal of the San Diego Trolley. If development of that area is a precedent, there will soon be the makings of a city at this location. An E-line train of LRVs has just left its RidgeGate Parkway terminal and approaches an overpass spanning the thoroughfare of the same name here in the middle of nowhere. I'd noticed this reflection on many of my rides through this area over the years and finally remembered to ready my camera to record it as my LRV approached the I-25/Broadway stop on our return from Lone Tree. The E train is curving along a pair of office buildings at 900-990 South Broadway. The structure to the right carries Littleton-bound cars. Upon returning to our hotel to pick up our luggage, we rode the 16th Street Mall bus to Union Station and the A train to its penultimate stop, 61st & Pena, where we checked in at to our "Airport Hotel" after a short walk. Bruce would fly back home on Friday morning, while I'd make a one-day round trip to Salt Lake City on Delta Airlines. Segment 11 will begin the coverage of my visit to Salt Lake City
The east side of Denver, out on the prairie, is where there's developable land. I have been doing ski trips thru Denver for years. Since they built the new airport out in the prairie, every year there are developements sprouting up in the sagebrush. I thought the airport rail line would put a station at Tower Road where a dozen hotels had sprung up at the first exit from the airport. However, they put the station a little further away, but I see Mr. May found a new hotel built right near the station.
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