Georgetown Loop Railroad
| Georgetown Loop Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Georgetown, Colorado |
| Terminus | Silver Plume, Colorado |
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Colorado Historical Society |
| Operated by | Historic Rail Adventures, LLC |
| Reporting mark | GLRX |
| Length | 4.5 mi (7.2 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1884 |
| Closed | 1939 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1984 | Reopened |
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Georgetown Loop Railroad
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| Nearest city | Silver Plume, Colorado |
| Built | 1877 |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000909 |
| CSRHP # | 5CC.9 |
| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1970 |
| {{{events1}}} | |
The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge United States heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, adjacent to Interstate 70 in Colorado.
This tourist train runs between the communities of Georgetown and Silver Plume, a distance of 2 miles (3.2 km). The route is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and ascends an elevation of 640 feet (195.1 m) through mountainous terrain along with trestles, cuts, fills, and a grand loop.
The railroad is conveniently situated near I-70, with Silver Plume Depot sitting adjacent to the eastbound on-ramp. Just east of Silver Plume on I-70 there is a parking area named Georgetown Loop Overlook providing scenic views to motorists. The Clear Creek Greenway Trail access road connects Silver Plume Depot, Georgetown Loop Overlook, and the Devil's Gate Station near Georgetown. This trail is accessible to bicyclists and hikers.
The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions. This spectacular stretch of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad was completed in 1884 and considered an engineering marvel for its time. The thriving mining towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume lie 2 miles (3.2 km) apart in the steep, narrow canyon of Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver. Engineers designed a corkscrew route that traveled nearly twice that distance to connect them, slowly gaining more than 600 feet (183 m) in elevation. The route included horseshoe curves, grades of up to 4%, and four bridges across Clear Creek, including the massive Devil’s Gate High Bridge.
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