West of Denver is a clever bit of railroad engineering.
The rise in vertical distance the railroad had to travel between Georgetown and Silver Plume was so great it exceeded what steam engines of the time could move uphill.
One clever railroad engineer found that if the railroad looped back upon itself it could take enough distance to keep the rise in grade reasonable (at least for mountain railroads) This loop in the rail line became known as the Georgetown Loop. It became quite a tourist destination in its day and it remains so today.
The track and bridges were all removed when the railroad was abandoned, but thru the efforts of the historical society they were replaced in 1984 and the historic section of railroad engineering was ready for riders once again.
We experience the railroad with my oldest daughter and her family in June.
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| This shows a map of the route the track takes to make the grade |
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| We enjoyed a picnic before our ride |
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| Looking down the train |
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| At the Silver Plume station |
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| View down from the High Bridge |
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| We were behind a Shay - fun to watch the gears move... |
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