Georgetown Train
TIMELINE: THE RAILROAD
December 1872: The first railroad line up Clear Creek Canyon reaches Black Hawk. The construction, funded by bonds from Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties, was organized by William A.H. Loveland, a fifty-niner and proponent of the Colorado Central railroad.
1877: The railroad reaches Idaho Springs in June, thanks to financier Jay Gould who controlled the Union Pacific (UP) and supplied the necessary funds to complete both the route to Idaho Springs and the later route to Georgetown, completed in August 1877. The railroad makes access open for freight, ore, consumers and passengers to Georgetown. The Rocky Mountains are open for tourists.
1879: Georgetown becomes the "Silver Queen of Colorado" for only a short time that year when news of large silver strikes spread across the region from Leadville, one of the greatest strikes to date. Gould strives to have the Colorado Central be the first rail line to reach Leadville. The track to reach Leadville from Georgetown is an obstacle due to narrowing of the valley west of the city and an area where the average grade is over 6 percent (too steep for most trains). UP chief engineer, Jacob Blickensderfer, devises a system of curves and bridges, reducing the average grade to 3 percent. The plan includes three hairpin turns, four bridges and a 30-degree horseshoe curve from Georgetown to Silver Plume.
1884: The first trains arrive in Silver Plume. Another line, the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG), is completed into Leadville from the south. Gould's interest in pushing the Georgetown line over the mountains wanes. The Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railroad line ends permanently a few miles past Silver Plume.
1880s and into the early 1900s: The community and the Georgetown Loop become a tourist center for those who venture West to encounter the wild ruggedness and romance. Tourism in the West develops around railroad excursions. With seven trains a day running out of Denver at the height of its popularity, the Georgetown Loop is Colorado's scenic "must see" and a deal at only $3 round-trip. Guidebooks, pamphlets and postcards help send the images of the steep canyons and mountain peaks accessible by train across the nation.
Early 1900s: The advent of the automobile brings mountain tourists to Colorado, but dramatically reduces excursion train trip revenues for the railroad. The Georgetown Loop runs two trains a day from May through September only.
1938: The last of the trains run from Denver to Silver Plume. The line from Idaho Springs to Silver Plume is abandoned and the Georgetown Loop dismantled, ending a colorful era in railroad history.
1940s: The demand for manpower on the battlefields and in supply production during World War II prompts the final closing of Georgetown's gold and silver mines, compounding railroad losses.
1941: The final miles of track from Golden to Idaho Springs are closed.
Georgetown Train
TIMELINE: THE RAILROAD
December 1872: The first railroad line up Clear Creek Canyon reaches Black Hawk. The construction, funded by bonds from Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties, was organized by William A.H. Loveland, a fifty-niner and proponent of the Colorado Central railroad.
1877: The railroad reaches Idaho Springs in June, thanks to financier Jay Gould who controlled the Union Pacific (UP) and supplied the necessary funds to complete both the route to Idaho Springs and the later route to Georgetown, completed in August 1877. The railroad makes access open for freight, ore, consumers and passengers to Georgetown. The Rocky Mountains are open for tourists.
1879: Georgetown becomes the "Silver Queen of Colorado" for only a short time that year when news of large silver strikes spread across the region from Leadville, one of the greatest strikes to date. Gould strives to have the Colorado Central be the first rail line to reach Leadville. The track to reach Leadville from Georgetown is an obstacle due to narrowing of the valley west of the city and an area where the average grade is over 6 percent (too steep for most trains). UP chief engineer, Jacob Blickensderfer, devises a system of curves and bridges, reducing the average grade to 3 percent. The plan includes three hairpin turns, four bridges and a 30-degree horseshoe curve from Georgetown to Silver Plume.
1884: The first trains arrive in Silver Plume. Another line, the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG), is completed into Leadville from the south. Gould's interest in pushing the Georgetown line over the mountains wanes. The Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railroad line ends permanently a few miles past Silver Plume.
1880s and into the early 1900s: The community and the Georgetown Loop become a tourist center for those who venture West to encounter the wild ruggedness and romance. Tourism in the West develops around railroad excursions. With seven trains a day running out of Denver at the height of its popularity, the Georgetown Loop is Colorado's scenic "must see" and a deal at only $3 round-trip. Guidebooks, pamphlets and postcards help send the images of the steep canyons and mountain peaks accessible by train across the nation.
Early 1900s: The advent of the automobile brings mountain tourists to Colorado, but dramatically reduces excursion train trip revenues for the railroad. The Georgetown Loop runs two trains a day from May through September only.
1938: The last of the trains run from Denver to Silver Plume. The line from Idaho Springs to Silver Plume is abandoned and the Georgetown Loop dismantled, ending a colorful era in railroad history.
1940s: The demand for manpower on the battlefields and in supply production during World War II prompts the final closing of Georgetown's gold and silver mines, compounding railroad losses.
1941: The final miles of track from Golden to Idaho Springs are closed.