This week, the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge features a guest host. Beth, of Wandering Dawgs Blog, asks us to share images that fit the theme “Change of Scenery.”  She writes about getting out and finding a change of scenery, and goes on to note, “If you are unable to get out right now, we’d love for you to browse through your archives to feature images from places you have visited in the past when you needed a change of scenery.” You can read her entire challenge post here.

In last week’s challenge, I could have easily copied those images of a cruise through the Panama Canal in the “Special Moments” theme to be placed in this week’s “Change of Scenery” theme. Instead of using a cruise ship to bring about the change of scenery, this week, I’ll feature images of a scenic train trip we took in June 2017. The opening photo features a trestle bridge that we would soon find ourselves using to cross Clear Creek at Georgetown, Colorado. We would soon be boarding the train being pulled by steam engine 111 for our ride through the Colorado Rockies.

After boarding the train at Georgetown, the train takes the long way through the mountains between Georgetown and Silver Plume. These two towns are both parallel to I-70 about 2 miles (3.2 km) apart. The train, however, goes through the mountains on the narrow gauge track taking an hour or more with one stop along the way. The image above features our engineer repositioning the engine from the front to the rear of the train. The engine pulls the train in one direction, then “swaps ends” and pushes in the other direction.

Clear Creek presents plenty of scenic opportunities as it winds along I-70 and the old train tracks that opened in 1884 with the express purpose of taking tourists from Denver on an excursion into the mountains for the princely sum of $3 USD. Those connecting tracks to Denver have long since disappeared, and the crowds now have to go to Georgetown or Silver Plume for their Rocky Mountain excursion by rail.

Train aficionados will enjoy riding over the trestle bridges needed to cross the valleys along the way. I would imagine the conductor in the image above probably never tires of standing on the platform at the end of a car to enjoy the beautiful mountain views.

Near Clear Creek is a mining museum. It’s the only stop along the way. If you purchase tickets to the museum, you can stopover at the mine and spend some time at the museum. When your visit to the mine is complete, you can board another train to continue your journey. On this trip, we elected not to stop but we’ll put it on our agenda for the next trip.

On our trip, we chose to ride in a parlor car but riders can step between cars to an open-air platform car for photos. People who purchase open-air tickets, however, do not have seating in the parlor cars. In reviewing the company’s online information for 2021, they are open for the 2021 summer season, but will have open-air cars only and have added extra cars to allow for plenty of physical spacing between families for Covid mitigation.

Plenty of fresh mountain air awaits the train traveler on this change of scenery. For more about the Georgetown Loop Railroad and more photos, check out my original post here. Thanks again to Beth of Wandering Dawgs for reminding me of my first train trip through the Colorado Rockies. The Georgetown Loop Railroad is truly a change of scenery for this Great Plains flatlander.

John Steiner

Georgetown, Colorado.

Last week we visited the small community of Georgetown, about an hour out of Denver and one of the departure points for the Georgetown Loop Railroad. It’s only a seven-minute drive along I-70 between Georgetown and the next westerly town at Silver Plume, the other departure point for the railroad. The train, however, uses tracks that travel past two historic mines, the Everett and Lebanon underground mines. You can ride the train alone, or buy an excursion stopover and visit the mines as well. You cannot, however, visit the mines without riding the train as the railroad is the only way to get there. In the opening shot, engine 11 is coming into Georgetown over the large trestle bridge just outside of the Georgetown Loop Station. As there are no turnaround tracks, the engine is connected “backward” and pulls the cars from Silver Plume to Georgetown in reverse. Upon arriving at Georgetown, the engine uses a side track to move to the other end of the train to pull it forward toward Silver Plume.

Our friendly agent waited for the train to arrive so that he could help guests board the open cars. Guests who wish to ride in the enclosed parlor cars must board at Silver Plume. Boarding at either station is for a round-trip tour. If you opt for the mine tours, you’ll get off at the mining camp, then board a later train. As our time in Colorado was short and we were anxious to get on to Albuquerque, we decided to save the mine tour for another visit.

As we pulled into Silver Plume, we passed an available parlor car. Guests that boarded at this station departed prior to new guests boarding. While the passengers were transiting, the engine was being refilled with fresh water. Once that was done, the engine moved from the front of the train to the back. As you can see by the photos below, the siding track is quite close to the main track.

One of the conductors stayed on board the engine during the transit, waving as the engine went by. Below, the engineer in deep concentration powered the steam engine by our open car.

Though the railroad tries to use steam engines whenever possible, maintenance schedules may find your trip being propelled by a newer technology. Though that might take a bit of charm away from the trip, the countryside is no less beautiful.

While the mine tour passengers departed and the previous visitors reboarded, we sat in the open car we’d chosen and enjoyed the mountain scenery. When the tracks were first laid in the 1870s, the railroad brought freight, raw minerals and tourists into and out of the Rocky Mountains. By 1884, the tracks extended to Silver Plume, and eventually was supposed to go all the way to Leadville.

Building the railroad was an engineering feat. A system of curves, bridges and spectacular engineering reduced the average grade to 3 percent, a necessity as the 6 percent grade of the terrain was too steep for the trains of the day. Leadville was easier to reach from the south and the Denver & Rio Grande railroad completed that route. The Georgetown Loop tracks end only a few miles west of Silver Plume. No matter, a strong tourist trade rode the line from the 1880s to the early 1900s. By 1938, the excursion trains from Denver to Georgetown were discontinued as the automobile became the preferred mode of tourism. One of Colorado’s first tourist attractions was finally closed.

Thanks to  the Colorado Historical Society, work began in 1959 to reopen the mines for tourists and reconstruct the narrow-gauge railroad. It took until 1984 for the entire loop to be completed and to open again to tourists who must now drive from Denver to Georgetown for the 75-minute ride through the Rocky Mountains. You can find more information about the railroad and order tickets in advance on their website here. Tickets ordered online will be at a Will Call window when you arrive. It’s best to order early as the train frequently sells out. The gallery of images below features the beautiful scenery along the route. In most browsers, you can click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.

John Steiner

Georgetown, Colorado.

Last week, we visited a small town in Colorado that is the home of the Georgetown Loop Railroad, a narrow gauge steam railroad that provides excursions into the Colorado Rockies and makes a stopover at a mining exhibit. In a short while, I’ll be publishing a Travel Tuesday that features our ride on that train. In the meantime, this image is a teaser for that post.

About the photo: This image was captured from the waiting area as we awaited the arrival of the steam train. It would first appear at the upper right along the tressle bridge, then come around a short loop and end up on the tracks at the right side of the stream.

John Steiner