The Royal Gorge Route
Railroad offers train rides through the Royal Gorge, the "Grand Canyon of
the Arkansas". The train departs from the Santa Fe Depot for
a 24-mile, 2-hour journey into the depths of the Royal Gorge, from Canon City
to Parkdale and return. Passengers will experience the famous Hanging Bridge,
which clings precariously to the steep granite walls of the Royal
Gorge, with the rim towering 1,000 feet above. This spectacular
section of track runs alongside the raging waters of the Arkansas
River. Dinner trains operate every Friday and Saturday evening and
on select Thursdays and Sundays through the summer.
Schedule: Dates of summer
Dinner Trains are:
June 3rd,
4th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th,
23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th.
July 1st, 2nd,
3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th,
15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd,
28th, 29th, 30th.
August 4th,
5th, 6th, 11th, 12th, 13th,
19th, 20th, 26th, 27th.
September 2nd, 3rd,
4th,
Sept. 10th
through Dec. 31st, 2005 the Dinner Train will depart on Saturday
evenings only.
Rates: The Four-Course
Dinner Train is $79.95 per person
Twilight Train: Adult: $28.95 Children: $18.50 (3-12)
Group Rates are available
for 20 people or more
Dinner and Twilight Trains:
Friday and Saturday evenings beginning June 3rd – September 3, 2005, trains
will depart the Santa Fe Depot at 7:00 PM and return at 9:30 PM You may choose
to ride in coach seating or ride in the Theodore Roosevelt Dining Car and enjoy
a 4-course dinner. Dinner train cost is
$79.95 per person and coach seating is $28.95 for adults and $18.50 for children (3-12).
Concession Car: Food and beverages are available on the train
Santa
Fe Depot Grill: BBQ lunch
available at our outdoor patio
Location: 401
Water Street, Santa Fe
Depot, Canon City, Colorado. Turn south on 3rd St. from Highway 50. Railroad is located 45 miles
southwest of Colorado Springs.
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Spring-
The last Denver
"Rio Grande passenger train ran through the
Royal Gorge on July 27th 1967,
signaling the end of an era. The Royal
Gorge Route was once called "the most arresting
scenic site in all of American railroading."
We were very excited to
bring passenger service back through the Royal Gorge,
beginning on May 15th of 1999. It has been a long journey for us not only
finding passenger coaches and motive power, but also securing a site to board
passengers in Canon
City. The efforts havepaid off in what we believe has become one of the
finest guest attractions in Colorado
and the world. We invite you to enjoy a trip through the Royal Gorge-the Grand
Canyon ofthe Arkansas!
For more information, please
visit us on the web at:
Royal Gorge Route
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When the current Royal Gorge Route
railway was opened in 1999, a part of Colorado's
colorful past was once again brought to life. For over three decades, no trains
had run through the "Grand Canyon of the Arkansas",
a stretch of track through the Royal Gorge west of Canon City, Colorado.
This portion of the canyon with vertical walls rising over 1000 ft. above the
river and narrowing to just 30 feet across at its narrowest point provides one
of the most scenic train rides in America. In May, 1999, 12 miles of
the historic route were reopened through the most spectacular part of the
canyon, traveling over the same tracks that were first laid in the 1870's in an
effort to reach the Silver Mining town of Leadville,
in the upper Arkansas
valley. The Royal Gorge War between the Denver & Rio Grande and the Santa
Fe Railroads provides a vivid backdrop to the unbelievable accomplishment of
completing a railroad in such a hostile environment. Today, each passenger
travels back in time enjoying the history of this famous railway that has been
part of Colorado
history since the silver rush of the 1880's. The Hanging Bridge,
which provides the only means to support railroad track in a canyon too steep
for a rail bed, is still useful after 120 years.
After an absence of 32
years, passenger service was resumed through the gorge in 1999. Passengers
board the Royal Gorge Route Railroad at the historic Santa Fe Depot in Canon City
and enjoy a two-hour journey through the Royal Gorge of the Colorado. Abundant wildlife, spectacular
scenery and the entertainment of rafters and kayakers make for an exciting
trip. The train follows the most famous portion of the old Denver & Rio
Grande Western line on the 24-mile route known as the nation's "Premier
Railroad Adventure." The train features climate-controlled passenger cars
with 2 open-air observation cars, a café/bar car and concession car.
Trains depart daily, May
28th-October 9th, 2005
Boarding area is located at
the Santa Fe Depot - 401 Water
Street in Canon City
(south on 3rd Street
from Highway 50). Reservations recommended. Pick-up reserved tickets at least
one hour prior to your departure time.
Summer Departure Times
9:30 a.m.,
12:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.
24-mile
round-trip ride from Canon
City to Parkdale and
return (approximately 2 hours round-trip).
Ticket office opens at 8:00
a.m. for walk-up ticket sales.
2005 Fall
and Winter Schedule
October 15th, 2005-December
31st, 2005
Trains depart every Saturday
and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. from the Santa Fe Depot. Ticket Office opens at 10:30
a.m. for walk-up ticket sales.
Rates
Adult $28.95 Child (3-12) $18.50
Advanced reservations are
recommended.
Call: 1-888-724-5748.
Children 2 years and under are free when sitting on a parent lap.
Group
rates available for 20 or more. The train is accessible to people with disabilities.
History
of the Royal Gorge Route
When silver and lead were
discovered at the head of the Arkansas
Valley near Leadville in
the 1870's, the race was on to see who could build the first railroad line to
reach the new mining district. Both the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and
the Santa Fe Railroad had lines in Southern Colorado.
Although the D&RG had a line in Canon
City, 35 miles closer than the Santa Fe line in Pueblo,
there still remained 100 challenging miles to conquer.
West of Canon City the Arkansas River cuts through a high plateau of igneous
rocks forming a spectacular steep-walled gorge over a thousand feet deep. At
its narrowest point, about 30 feet, shear walls on both sides plunge into the
river creating an impassible barrier. Beginning in 1878 and lasting for 2
years, the two railroads tried to become the dominant force, leapfrogging each
other in an attempt to complete the section of track through the gorge and be
the first to reach Leadville. The crews would lay track during the day and
dynamite the competitions efforts at night. Forts sprung up through the canyon,
and shots were fired. Although the Santa
Fe railroad completed most of the construction, a U.S.
Supreme Court decision awarded the D&RG the primary right to build in the
gorge. The Santa Fe Railroad fought back and threatened to open a competing
route. The D&RG was forced to lease the railroad to the Santa Fe in order to avoid financial ruin.
After maneuverings took business away from Denver
shippers in favor of shippers from Kansas
City, the D&RG was forced to break their lease and
stage an old-west armed take-over of the railroad. "Robber baron" Jay
Gould loaned the D&RG $400,000 and announced intentions to build a rail
line from St. Louis to Pueblo.
The "Treaty of
Boston" settled the two-year Royal Gorge War and rails reached Leadville
on July 20, 1880. By 1882 the Royal Gorge route became a transcontinental rail
link between Denver and Salt Lake
City. The Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River, known as
the Royal Gorge, was one of the highlights on the route through the Rockies. The Denver & Rio Grande was then known as
the Scenic Line of the World.
As more lines were added
through the mountains over the years, passengers still had the option to take
the trip through the gorge and join up with the other trains in Grand Junction.
In July 1967, the D&RG
was forced to shutdown rail service when even the mail service cancelled its
daily route to Salida, a town west of the gorge that
had sprung up in 1880 with the completion of the railroad. The last round-trip
service left Denver
for Salida on July 26, 1967 and returned the
following day. Many people made that final nostalgic trip realizing the end of
an era.
In 1998, the railroad was
purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad and once again people are able to
experience the "Grand Canyon of the Arkansas".
Embarking from the Santa Fe Depot, built in 1914 in Canon
City, visitors may again travel the
24-mile round-trip journey through history, experiencing the awesome beauty of
one of America's
treasures.
###
Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Address: 401 Water Street,
Canon City, Colorado
81212
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 859,
Georgetown, CO
80444
Phone: 888-RAILS-4U or 303-569-2403
Fax: 303-569-2894
Website: www.royalgorgeroute.com
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A Brief History of the Royal Gorge Route
Silver! In the late 1870s
miners descended on the upper Arkansas valley of Colorado in search of carbonate ores
rich in lead and silver. The feverish mining activity in what would become the
Leadville district attracted the attention of the Denver & Rio Grande and
the Santa Fe railroads, each already having
tracks in the Arkansas
valley. The Santa
Fe was at Pueblo, and the
D&RG near Canon
City some 35 miles west.
Leadville was over 100 miles away. For two railroads to occupy a river valley
ordinarily was not a problem, but west of Canon City
was an incredible obstacle - an obstacle that would result in a war between the
railroads in the race to the new bonanza.
West of Canon City the Arkansas River cuts through a high plateau of igneous
rocks forming a spectacular steep-walled gorge over a thousand feet deep. At
its narrowest point shear walls on both sides plunge into the river creating an
impassible barrier. On April 19, 1878, a hastily assembled construction crew
from the Santa Fe began grading for a railroad
just west of Canon
City in the mouth of the
gorge. The D&RG whose end of track was only _ of a mile from Canon City
raced crews to the same area, but were blocked by the Santa Fe graders in the narrow canyon. By a
few hours they had lost the irst round in what became
a two-year struggle between the two railroads that would be nown
as the Royal Gorge War.
The D&RG crews tried
leapfrogging the Santa Fe grading crews, but
were met with court injunctions from the Santa
Fe in the contest for the right-of-way. The D&RG
built several stone "forts" (such as Fort
DeRemer at
Texas Creek) upstream in an attempt to block the Santa Fe. Grading crews were harassed by
rocks rolled down on them, tools thrown in the river and other acts of
sabotage. Both sides hired armed guards for their crews. Rifles and pistols
accompanied picks and shovels as tools. The railroads
went to court with each trying to establish their primacy to the right of way.
After a long legal battle that ended in
the U.S. Supreme Court, on
April 21, 1879, the D&RG was granted the primary right to build through the
gorge that in places was wide enough at best for only one railroad.
The Santa Fe resorted to its larger corporate
power and announced it would build tracks parallel to and in competition with
the existing D&RG lines. The bondholders of the D&RG, fearing financial
ruin from this threat, pressured the management of the D&RG to lease the
existing railroad to the Santa Fe
for a 30-year period. This created a short-
lived truce in the struggle. The Santa Fe soon manipulated freight rates south of Denver to favor shippers from Kansas
City (over its lines to the east) to the detriment of Denver merchants and
traffic over the leased D&RG lines. During this period
the Santa Fe onstructed the railroad through the gorge itself.
The D&RG, however, continued
construction in areas west of the gorge
still trying to block the Santa Fe.
After months of shrinking earnings from their
leased railroad, the D&RG management went to court to break the lease. An
injunction from a local court restraining the Santa Fe from operating the D&RG on June
10, 1879, sparked an armed retaking of their railroad by D&RG crews - war
in earnest in the old west.
Trains were commandeered, depots and engine
houses put under siege, bullets flew and a few men died. A final peace in the
war came after the intervention of the Federal courts, and the railroad
"robber baron" Jay Gould who loaned the D&RG $400,000 and announced
the intention to complete a rail line in competition to the Santa
Fe from St. Louis to Pueblo.
On March 27, 1880, the two
railroads signed what was called the "Treaty of Boston" which settled
all litigation, and gave the D&RG back its railroad. The D&RG paid the Santa Fe $1.8 million for
the railroad it had built in the gorge, the grading it had completed, materials
on hand and interest. The Royal Gorge War was over. D&RG construction resumed, and rails
reached Leadville on July 20, 1880.
Hanging Bridge
An interesting part of the Santa Fe construction
through the gorge is the hanging bridge at a point where the gorge narrows to
30 feet. Here the railroad had to be suspended over the river along the north
side of the gorge as shear rock walls go right down into the river on both
sides. C. Shallor Smith, a Kansas engineer, designed a 175-ft plate
girder suspended on one side by "A" frame girders spanning the river
and anchored to the rock walls. The bridge cost $11,759 in 1879, a princely sum
in those days. Although it has been strengthened over the years, this unique
structure has served on a main rail line for
over 118 years.
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Passenger Service Ends Through the Royal Gorge
Taken from the Green Light
Vol. 28, No. 5
Published monthly by the Denver
& Rio Grande Western Railroad
August, 1967
The Colorado Public
Utilities Commission (PUC) granted the Rio Grande
railroad authority to discontinue trains No. 1 and No. 2, the daily passenger
trains between Denver
and Salida, on July 28. This authority meant the last
run of the two trains would be on July 27.
The first passenger train
arrived at Salida in 1880. In 1882 the Royal Gorge
route became a transcontinental rail link between Denver
and Salt Lake. The first rails laid were
"slim gauge," 36" between rails; later it was standard gauged to
4'8-1/2" between rails to facilitate the movement of foreign line cars.
The Grand Canyon of the
Arkansas River, known as the Royal Gorge, was one of the highlights on the
route through the Rockies. The Denver &
Rio Grande was then known as the Scenic Line of the World.
When surveying parties first
examined the route, it seemed impossible to construct a railway through the
rugged canyon. The perpendicular granite walls scarcely left room for the
river.
Blasting away the
obstructions, a roadbed was constructed hugging the canyon walls. As the
railway progressed, the rugged canyon walls grew higher and higher, the river became
a raging torrent to the sea, and areas the sun could not penetrate.
At the narrowest point,
which is 30 feet wide, a long, iron bridge was suspended from the smooth canyon
walls. This became the famed hanging bridge. Passenger trains have stopped at
this point for decades to allow passenger to alight and marvel at the sights
and sounds of nature and see how man had conquered one of nature's obstacles.
The walls of
the canyon at this point rise
2,600 feet above the track.
During the 90's, four
transcontinental passenger trains a day passed through the Royal
Gorge. The original route between Denver
and Salt Lake
went over Marshall Pass, through Gunnison, Montrose, and Grand Junction. Later,
the main line was constructed over Tennessee
Pass through Glenwood Springs and into
Grand Junction.
With the opening of the
Moffat Tunnel in 1928, passengers could go either way to Salt Lake.
If they chose the Royal Gorge route, they would leave early in the morning
arriving at Grand Junction in time for their
train to be combined with the overnight Prospector for the run into Salt Lake.
Planes, with their faster
schedules, automobiles, for the independent traveler, and buses, were the
downfall of the Royal Gorge, as passengers
took to other forms of transportation. The last segment of this famous train
was between Denver
and Salida.
April 1 was the crowning
blow, when the U.S. Post Office Department cancelled the mail contract on this
train, leaving the Rio Grande
with empty head-end cars and coaches. The handwriting was on the wall.
Authority was soon forthcoming for discontinuance of the Royal
Gorge trains No. 1 and No.2.
On July 26, 56 passengers
and 34 Head Start children boarded train No. 1 at Denver. The children, many
having their first train ride, detrained at Littleton.
Passengers boarded the train
at every station along the way that day. Arriving at Canon
City, 104 passengers got on the train
for the ride through the Royal Gorge, getting
off at Parkdale, the first stop beyond the hanging
bridge.
Over 300 passengers had
ridden the train the day before it was to be discontinued. Arrival at Salida saw 171 passengers still on board. To many at the
depot, the alighting mass brought back memories of days of long ago.
For the final run of No.2
out of Salida, 120 persons found their seats in the
three coaches. The trip was uneventful except for the feeling of nostalgia that
prevailed at a time like this. Each one on the train knew they were part of Rio Grande history, being
made on the last trip through the Gorge from the west.
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Reproduced, with permission, from TravelBank.com Systems.
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