Leadville, Colorado and Southern Railroad
Tourist railroad in Colorado, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Leadville Railroad is a tourist railroad based in Leadville, Colorado, United States. [1]
1918 EMD GP9 Built 1957
1889 EMD GP9 Built 1959
1729 EMD GP9 Built 1957Leadville, Colorado and Southern RR tourist train | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Fleet | 1714 EMD GP9 Buitl 1955
1918 EMD GP9 Built 1957 1889 EMD GP9 Built 1959 1729 EMD GP9 Built 1957 |
| Headquarters | 326 East 7th Street, Leadville, Colorado 80461, United States. |
| Dates of operation | 1988–current |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | pre-1934 narrow gauge 30 in |
| Length | 14 miles |
| Highest elevation | 10,200-10,800 |
| Other | |
| Website | http://www.leadville-train.com/ |
The Leadville Railroad has operated as a tourist Railroad in Leadville, Colorado since 1988. They operate year-round, offering both summer and winter train rides.[2][3]
The line was established in 1884 by the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad a subsidiary of the Union Pacific as a narrow-gauge passenger and freight line from the boom town of Leadville to Denver. After the bankruptcy in the late 1890s, the line was sold to the Leadville, Denver & Gunnison in 1898. It was later sold to the Colorado and Southern Railroad in 1909. It continued to operate from Leadville to Denver until 1934, when the line between Climax and Denver was abandoned, with only the Climax to Leadville section remaining. The line was converted to standard gauge in 1943 to allow for heavier freight service to Climax during WWII. During the 1980s recession, the Climax mine closed its doors, and the Burlington Northern Railroad sold the line to Ken Olsen for $10 in 1987, with the Leadville Colorado and Southern Railroad opening in 1988 as a tourist railroad.
