Blackhawk & Central City Narrow Gauge RR Depot, Central City CO, 1988
Located at 222 Spring Street.
By the late 1870's, rails finally reached the towns of Idaho Springs, Blackhawk, Central City and Georgetown via a rail line built through Clear Creek Canyon. When the rails finally reached these towns, business boomed until the great depression. The railroad, by then known as the Colorado & Southern (C&S), held on until 1938 when the company started to abandon sections of the narrow gauge.
In 1968, a section of this original narrow gauge was restored into the town of Central City. The line was only a few hundred feet long and ran on the original C&S roadbed to Packard Gulch. This became a tourist operation and was somewhat successful. In 1973, the same owner rebuilt another section of the line, this time just above the town of Georgetown. This line is now known as the Georgetown Loop Railroad.The loop became a more successful operation and the Central City line was again abandoned in 1981.
In 1987, the line was again rebuilt. The new owners operated an original C&S locomotive #71 (1986 Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation) that was left there in 1941 for display. This engine was restored and ran between 1987 and 1989. It was a very small operation and only lasted for two of three sessions and was for a third time abandoned.
If you go to street view in Google maps you can still see that these two station buildings exist, although somewhat altered in their appearance, and a portion of the elevated platform also remains, but the rails along the right-of-way have been removed. C&S #71 is also still in Central City on display outside Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino..
Blackhawk & Central City Narrow Gauge RR Depot, Central City CO, 1988
Located at 222 Spring Street.
By the late 1870's, rails finally reached the towns of Idaho Springs, Blackhawk, Central City and Georgetown via a rail line built through Clear Creek Canyon. When the rails finally reached these towns, business boomed until the great depression. The railroad, by then known as the Colorado & Southern (C&S), held on until 1938 when the company started to abandon sections of the narrow gauge.
In 1968, a section of this original narrow gauge was restored into the town of Central City. The line was only a few hundred feet long and ran on the original C&S roadbed to Packard Gulch. This became a tourist operation and was somewhat successful. In 1973, the same owner rebuilt another section of the line, this time just above the town of Georgetown. This line is now known as the Georgetown Loop Railroad.The loop became a more successful operation and the Central City line was again abandoned in 1981.
In 1987, the line was again rebuilt. The new owners operated an original C&S locomotive #71 (1986 Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation) that was left there in 1941 for display. This engine was restored and ran between 1987 and 1989. It was a very small operation and only lasted for two of three sessions and was for a third time abandoned.
If you go to street view in Google maps you can still see that these two station buildings exist, although somewhat altered in their appearance, and a portion of the elevated platform also remains, but the rails along the right-of-way have been removed. C&S #71 is also still in Central City on display outside Harvey's Wagon Wheel Casino..