At the heart of my darling husband is a little boy of seven or eight (surprise, surprise), full of wonder when it comes to trains. That little boy grew up in Chicago, the undisputed railroad center of the U.S for the last century. More lines of track radiate in more directions from Chicago than from any other city. Trains maybe not be part of Jimmy's DNA, but they've always been in his sights.
I’m convinced in his next life (should that be an option) that Jimmy will return, preferably one hundred years earlier than his first go around if he has anything to say about the matter, to spend his second chance as an engineer blazing a trail across the wild, Wild West with his own steam locomotive pulling a long line of rail cars.
For now, the little boy likes tinkering with trains, and riding trains, the older the better. I’m definitely beginning to appreciate antiques more and more, train or otherwise, as I find myself getting closer and closer to the station.
I’m convinced in his next life (should that be an option) that Jimmy will return, preferably one hundred years earlier than his first go around if he has anything to say about the matter, to spend his second chance as an engineer blazing a trail across the wild, Wild West with his own steam locomotive pulling a long line of rail cars.
For now, the little boy likes tinkering with trains, and riding trains, the older the better. I’m definitely beginning to appreciate antiques more and more, train or otherwise, as I find myself getting closer and closer to the station.
Engine #1918, a diesel electric, sits ready to take us back in time.
I don’t share Jimmy’s lifelong fascination for trains, but sharing the experience with Jimmy time and time again (Colorado's historic Georgetown Railroad was so charming!) during our travels has become fascinating; so much so that after our latest train ride via Leadville’s Colorado Southern Railroad, I'm ready to share my 7 REASONS I LOVE OLD TRAINS.
#1. THE NOSTALGIA
Maybe it’s the rhythm of those wheels running over those tracks; maybe it’s the scenery, or simply the fact it’s a piece of the past I’ll never really know firsthand. On one occasion, while riding Georgetown’s Historic Loop Railroad, the Silver Queen, it was the First Class Parlor Car that brought out the best in this early staple of mass transit.
Whatever it is, each ride makes me (and apparently my brother Chris) feel sentimental for a time and place when romance and adventure ruled the road of rails.
Maybe it’s the rhythm of those wheels running over those tracks; maybe it’s the scenery, or simply the fact it’s a piece of the past I’ll never really know firsthand. On one occasion, while riding Georgetown’s Historic Loop Railroad, the Silver Queen, it was the First Class Parlor Car that brought out the best in this early staple of mass transit.
Whatever it is, each ride makes me (and apparently my brother Chris) feel sentimental for a time and place when romance and adventure ruled the road of rails.
Didn't take much time at all for my brother Chris to travel back about 100 years.
#2. THE HISTORY
Trains helped transport America from a civilized wilderness during the 1800’s to an emerging economic powerhouse in the 20th century. Where those iron horses roamed, people followed, feeding wanderlust and Manifest Destiny. Sometimes the trains followed the people, especially in the case of Colorado’s Gold Rush.
The mule pack trains that initially carried the heavy bullion of those Gold Rush days across the mountains and through the canyons to the plains and eastern markets involved slow, labor intensive trips back and forth on narrow, rutted roads.
The summer day Jimmy and I, along with my brother Chris, spent two hours riding the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad with about seventy other enthusiasts, we became part of the fascinating history of this boom town that went bust during the feverish Gold Rush years of the mid-1800’s. Those Gold Rush years played a key role in the establishment of the state of Colorado.
That history, according to our amicable and knowledgeable conductor,
Trains helped transport America from a civilized wilderness during the 1800’s to an emerging economic powerhouse in the 20th century. Where those iron horses roamed, people followed, feeding wanderlust and Manifest Destiny. Sometimes the trains followed the people, especially in the case of Colorado’s Gold Rush.
The mule pack trains that initially carried the heavy bullion of those Gold Rush days across the mountains and through the canyons to the plains and eastern markets involved slow, labor intensive trips back and forth on narrow, rutted roads.
The summer day Jimmy and I, along with my brother Chris, spent two hours riding the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad with about seventy other enthusiasts, we became part of the fascinating history of this boom town that went bust during the feverish Gold Rush years of the mid-1800’s. Those Gold Rush years played a key role in the establishment of the state of Colorado.
That history, according to our amicable and knowledgeable conductor,
Our conductor had a big job keeping our rowdy group contained.
had seen the then small town of Oro, nestled near the headwaters of the Arkansas River in the heart of the Rocky Mountains swell to 30,000 prospectors hoping to strike it rich in 1860. All told, Leadville mines gave up ten tons of gold, although ironically, that gold was mostly a byproduct of the rich silver deposits discovered in 1877.
For a time, this historic mining town, tucked away in a magnificent alpine valley at the base of Colorado’s highest mountain, Mt. Elbert, was the second most populous city in the Colorado Territory, right behind the city of Denver. Today, the highest incorporated city in the U.S. has a population of approximately 2,600.
For a time, this historic mining town, tucked away in a magnificent alpine valley at the base of Colorado’s highest mountain, Mt. Elbert, was the second most populous city in the Colorado Territory, right behind the city of Denver. Today, the highest incorporated city in the U.S. has a population of approximately 2,600.
America's highest incorporated city sits at an elevation of 10,000 feet, making our time travel that much easier.
The total cost of building the narrow gauge (3-foot-wide rails versus the standard 4’ 8.5 “ wide were cheaper to build and allowed smaller engines and cars to go around the sometimes sharp curves) High Line extension from Como to Leadville in order to transport the riches coming from Leadville mines was $1,134,399.59, or $18,000 per mile. That 63-mile stretch of progress, funded by the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad (DSP&P), was completed in February, 1888. Ironically, those costs were never recovered by DSP&P when the mining boom in Leadville peaked in 1883. By May of 1888, DSP&P was in receivership.
It wasn't the Polar Express, but it still felt like Christmas riding the LC&S Railroad.
The High Line route sold to Kenneth and Stephanie Olsen in December 1987 after time and financial woes had reduced the web of rail lines snaking through these mountains from almost every direction to just a handful of historic narrow gauge tracks that were neglected and sometimes simply abandoned. The Olsens intended to operate a scenic railroad that would run from Leadville’s Depot to the old mining town of Climax approximately 13 miles away. The end of the line is currently at Talus slope, a distance of 11 miles from Leadville’s Depot.
#3. THE VIEWS
Like a giant red ribbon the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad (an 1898 consolidation of the Colorado Central and the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad) winds through the colorful tapestry of the majestic San Isabel National Forest right up to the Continental Divide.
The views were as stunning as they were plentiful. No tiny airplane windows, clouds and 25,000 feet obscuring the best this green earth had to offer that day.
#3. THE VIEWS
Like a giant red ribbon the Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad (an 1898 consolidation of the Colorado Central and the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad) winds through the colorful tapestry of the majestic San Isabel National Forest right up to the Continental Divide.
The views were as stunning as they were plentiful. No tiny airplane windows, clouds and 25,000 feet obscuring the best this green earth had to offer that day.
 Mt. Zion keeps company with the clouds.  Highway 91 cuts through the upper Arkansas River Valley.  The subalpine terrain boosts a handful of wild flowers. |  High majestic peaks of the Mosquito Range.  Panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains were plentiful.  Colorado Blue Spruce & slender Engleman. |
#4. THE OLD DEPOTS
I love old buildings, especially ones that have been lovingly cared for or restored. They often exude warmth and character, pinpoint a time and place when the history in which these old relics are steeped is beautifully preserved. Leadville’s century old C&S Depot was all that and then some.
I love old buildings, especially ones that have been lovingly cared for or restored. They often exude warmth and character, pinpoint a time and place when the history in which these old relics are steeped is beautifully preserved. Leadville’s century old C&S Depot was all that and then some.
It doesn't get more Americana than Leadville's Depot.
Completed in January, 1893, the new depot had an office, separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s waiting rooms and a baggage room. The original floors and wainscoting were Texas pine, the walls and ceilings finished in kalsomine over several heavy coats of plaster.
The pot belly stove was my favorite piece of memorabilia.
Rich in artifacts (loved the old pot belly stove) and memorabilia, Leadville’s Depot was reopened in 1988 after the Olsens purchased the High Line railroad from Burlington Northern for $10 in 1987 and set to work buying a locomotive and railcars to ride the eleven-miles stretch of history they’d gotten for a steal.
It still had the charm of those early days when Colorado’s “Cloud City” represented a dream come true for so many hoping to strike it rich on their wits and determination. Apparently Ken and Stephanie’s children, Kirsten and Derrick, run the family business now, Kirsten handling the marketing and sales, Derrick now the Road Master, managing all the mechanical and structural responsibilities involved in maintaining rail cars and line having passed the century mile marker a number of years back.
#5. BECAUSE JIMMY LOVES OLD TRAINS
Look at Jimmy’s smile! I don’t see that kind of smile when we’re flying, from Jimmy or from most other passengers, although I could really care less about the other passengers aside from the hope we can all get along while our luggage and bodies are crammed and sealed tight like sardines for a minimum of several hours at best. That smile was contagious!
It still had the charm of those early days when Colorado’s “Cloud City” represented a dream come true for so many hoping to strike it rich on their wits and determination. Apparently Ken and Stephanie’s children, Kirsten and Derrick, run the family business now, Kirsten handling the marketing and sales, Derrick now the Road Master, managing all the mechanical and structural responsibilities involved in maintaining rail cars and line having passed the century mile marker a number of years back.
#5. BECAUSE JIMMY LOVES OLD TRAINS
Look at Jimmy’s smile! I don’t see that kind of smile when we’re flying, from Jimmy or from most other passengers, although I could really care less about the other passengers aside from the hope we can all get along while our luggage and bodies are crammed and sealed tight like sardines for a minimum of several hours at best. That smile was contagious!
Doesn't he look happy; and mellow!
Even that little guy inside Jimmy was celebrating the journey! He's terribly cute!
The little boy inside is really excited.
We were all having fun;
My wild child hasn't debuted yet.
my brother Chris was apparently ecstatic! He's adorable, too!
Look, ma! No cavities!
Both boys were obviously having very little trouble staying in touch with their inner child. Then again, maybe it was just the high altitude combined with all that fresh air. It was all glorious!
#6. THE INCREDIBLY MASSIVE LOCOMOTIVES
#6. THE INCREDIBLY MASSIVE LOCOMOTIVES
I think Leadville's Steam Locomotive 641 could qualify for the Polar Express during the winter months.
I like my trains like I like my guys – with a bit of meat on their bones. No Slim Jims for me. Old locomotives are massive, full of more mysterious moving parts than a Ninja warrior recovering from too much caffeine. They have the charm that the modern, sleeker versions lack; most of today’s high speed trains are all about the destination rather than the journey.
This mixture of menace and mystery, like the bad-boy I went out with just once as an inexperienced sixteen-year-old before realizing I was in over my head, always leaves we slightly breathless and frightened of this truly macho machine when it comes to all that steam driving the engine.
Needless to say, riding the rails with my Jimmy is always pure joy.
#7 IT’S POETRY IN MOTION
This mixture of menace and mystery, like the bad-boy I went out with just once as an inexperienced sixteen-year-old before realizing I was in over my head, always leaves we slightly breathless and frightened of this truly macho machine when it comes to all that steam driving the engine.
Needless to say, riding the rails with my Jimmy is always pure joy.
#7 IT’S POETRY IN MOTION
There is poetry in all those parallel lines, this bedrock of our railroads and our dreams. Those parallel lines reach to infinity and suddenly come together someplace inside the wilderness of our dreams.
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