The Georgetown Loop Railroad, An Engineering Marvel

While the Georgetown Loop Railroad was initially constructed as a subsidiary of the Union Pacific by 1893 it had become part of the Colorado & Southern Railway’s subsidiary, the Colorado Central Railroad. While the railroad continued to operate as a functioning freight railroad under the C&S, by the 1930s all of the mines and freight traffic between Georgetown and Silver Plume had dried up and by 1938 it was shutdown.

However, the railroad proved to be a scrappy survivor and in the late 1950s efforts were in place to restore the entire railroad and its engineering marvels. Here is more information on the railroad courtesy of the Colorado Historical Society:

“ The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie two miles apart in a steep, narrow mountain canyon. To connect them, the railroad’s builders designed a “corkscrew” route that traveled twice the distance, slowly gaining more than 600 feet in elevation. It included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four 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, over time, negotiated a donation of mining claims and mills, and 978 acres of land. Rail line construction began in 1973 with track and ties donated by the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Loop takes you between Georgetown and Silver Plume, over 2 miles apart, the tracks scale an elevation of 640 feet over mountainous terrain, requiring trestles, cuts, fills, loops, and curves totaling 3.1 miles of narrow gauge track. Today the Loop is once again a popular tourist attraction and an exceptional way to see the Clear Creek Valley. Along the route visitors may stop for a guided tour of the historic Lebanon Silver Mine, and view wildlife in its natural habitat. The train park includes an 1884 depot, two 1860s mines, an 1871 mill building, four reconstructed mine buildings, a locomotive maintenance building, the 1874 Pohle House, and a new rolling stock shelter.”

For power the Georgetown Loop Railroad currently employs two steam locomotives and one diesel. More information about their locomotives can be found below:

· #9 - An ex-Colorado & Southern 2-6-2 Prairie steam locomotive.

· #12 – An ex-Kahului Railroad Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-2 Prairie steam locomotive.

· #21 – An ex-Rocky Mountain Steel Mills General Electric 44-ton diesel switcher.

Along with the Georgetown Loop Railroad’s motive power they also have several cars (from coaches to open gondolas) either in use or on display (several of which are either of Denver & Rio Grande Western or Colorado & Southern lineage). All in all, a trip aboard the railroad to see the beautiful scenery and magnificent engineering feats of this little 4-mile railroad is well worth the time and drive to Georgetown, Colorado. If you are perhaps interested in riding aboard the Georgetown Loop Railroad or would like to learn more about it please click here to visit their website.

For more information on tourist trains like the Georgetown Loop Railroad you might want to consider the book Empire State Railway Museum's Tourist Trains 2006 from the Empire State Railway Museum. Given excellent reviews this guidebook covers nearly all of the tourist railroads and museums operating in the country in fine detail. So, if you’re interested in locating a tourist train or railroad near you, or simply want to know more about a particular one, you will certainly not be disappointed in Empire State Railway Museum’s guidebook to tourist railroads and museums. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".