Railroad History

Passenger and Commuter Rail

Railroading Today

Rolling Stock

Infrastructure and Terms

Museums and Tourism

Miscellaneous

About The Site

[?] Subscribe To American-Rails.com

Colorado Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads

(Please note the photos below are of general interurban photos, not those found in Colorado.)

Considering the state's several sizeable population centers such as Pueblo, Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and others its not surprising that there were a large number of Colorado interurbans and streetcars serving the state. The state's systems also witnessed a fair amount of freight traffic considering that many were built later than eastern lines and took a great interest in such (planning ahead to do so). In fact, many of the companies like the Denver & Intermountain Railroad, Denver & Interurban, and Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek were either partially or heavily connected with the state's significant silver and gold mining industry during the late 19th century and early 20th.

Unfortunately, the Sherman Act (which capped the amount of silver mines able to operate believing that so much of the mineral was being mined that it was saturating the market and losing its value) resulted in the industry missing the major boom of mining operations considering that the first big construction period was not until the early 20th century. Still, they were able to reap some profits of related freight traffic. Just as in California, a number of Colorado's interurbans were controlled by the large freight railroads, notably the Colorado & Southern Railway who operated the state's largest, the D&I and CS&CCD. In any event, the information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Colorado interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Boulder Street Railway: The Boulder Street Railway was built and operated by Western Power & Light. It began operations in 1899 operating a three-mile stretch of track, which mostly served Colorado University. It operated until June of 1931 when it was abandoned in favor of buses.

Cripple Creek District Railway: The Cripple Creek District Railway was incorporated in 1897 to serve Cripple Creek, Poverty Gulch, Midway and Portland Mine. Just two years later in 1899 it became part of the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway. The railroad eventually operated 12 miles of track and became part of the Colorado & Southern Railway 1904. All operations were abandoned in 1920.

Denver & Intermountain Railroad: The Denver & Intermountain Railroad opened in 1893 connecting Denver and Golden, a distance of 23 miles. It was originally steam powered but switched to electric in 1909. While the railroad was mostly an interurban operation it also had some freight service. Interestingly, the railroad lasted until March 15, 1953 when all services were suspended (passenger service had ended in 1950).

Denver & Interurban Railroad: The Denver & Interurban Railroad was a Colorado & Southern subsidiary and connected Denver to Boulder, a distance of 51 miles. It began electric operation in 1908 employing 11,000-volt AC system for power. Being the only service between the two cities the railroad saw heavy traffic but unfortunately few profits. It was no longer profitable after 1923 and ended operations on December 15, 1926.

Durango Railway & Realty Company: The Durango Railway & Realty Company was one of the smallest interurbans ever operated connecting Durango and Las Animas, a distance of just two miles. It ceased operations in 1921.

Southern Denver Light & Power Company: The Southern Denver Light & Power Company operated a short electric interurban operation through the town of Pueblo. It operated until the early 1940s.

Grand River Valley Railroad: The Grand River Valley Railroad, the "Fruit Belt Route". It served Grand Junction and Fruita and also operated freight service to the nearby fruit and vegetable farming in the area. It was completed in 1910 as the Grand Junction & Grand River Valley but the name was shortened in 1914. It was unable to remain profitable after the Great Depression and was shutdown in 1935.

Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway: The CS&CCD was a successor of the Cripple Creek District Railway mentioned above and its earliest history dates back to 1897. It operated some extremely steep lines, as high as 7.5% and began further expansions around 1899. At its peak the interurban served Cripple Creek, Poverty Gulch, Midway, Battle Mountain, Elkton, and other small mining communities. Given that it was located in the hear of the state's mining region it offered both extensive freight and passenger service although its extremely steep main line, which crossed Hoosier Pass (making it the highest altitude interurban ever operated), made for difficult operations. In 1904 the system came under the control of the C&S. On November 21, 1919 a fire severely crippled operations when the carbarn was destroyed and much of the equipment. Profits already been very thin it was abandoned in 1920.

Trinidad Electric Transmission Railway & Gas Company: This interurban dated back to its opening on April 28, 1904 serving Trinidad, Sopris, and Starkville. Later, operations were extended to Cokedale. While just over ten miles in length it featured grades surpassing 7%, which made operations difficult. With only small communities served passenger service was abandoned in 1923 while freight service remained until after World War II.

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Colorado interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Interurbans Section

For more reading on Colorado interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurbans and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

Share Your Thoughts

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Please note that while I strive to present the information as accurately as possible I am aware that there may be errors. If you have potential corrections the help is greatly appreciated.