Train Ride

Enjoy an afternoon on the Georgetown Loop Railroad®- one of Colorado’s first visitor attractions! Completed in 1884, this spectacular stretch of three-foot narrow gauge railroad was considered an engineering marvel for its time. In 1973, the Colorado Historical Society began restoring the railroad at its 978-acre Georgetown Loop Historic Mining and Railroad Park.

For nearly 120 years, steam-powered locomotives were the backbone of commerce, hauling passengers and cargo throughout the United States. Today, two “iron horses” are preserved, maintained, and operated at the Georgetown Loop. History Colorado and Historic Rail Adventures are pleased to share these train treasures with the public and welcome your support as a rider and in their preservation efforts.

Tickets: www.GeorgetownLoopRR.com or call (888) 456-6777

Engine 9 is a three truck Shay locomotive built in 1923 by Lima Locomotive Works. All wheels are driven on this logging locomotive by three 12”x15” vertical engines through a flexible drive line and gear reduction on the right hand (engineer’s) side. To compensate for the engine weight the boiler sits off center to the left. This 80-ton locomotive is one of the three largest narrow gauge Shays ever built, producing 36,150 pounds of tractive effort. It carries 200-psi boiler pressure and is superheated. of work in order to make the locomotive operational for the Loop Railroad - officially entering into service in July of 2012.

Engine 111 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1926. Upon completion, It was delivered to the International Railway of Central America in El Salvador. It was subsequently returned to the U.S. to be used on the Sundown and Southern Railroad, which never ran it. After sitting on display in Breckenridge, Colorado, it was then moved to the Silver Plume station for rebuilding. It has been in service at the Loop since 2016.

Rocky Mountain Steel Mills (formerly Colorado Fuel & Iron) of Pueblo donated Diesel Engine No. 21, a 1940s-era, 44-ton General Electric diesel/electric locomotive to the Colorado Historical Society to use for backup operations and maintenance at the Loop. The railroad industry nicknamed this particular type of locomotive “Critter” or “Big Critter” as it pulled tons of steel ingots at the plant and operated in that capacity until the 1980s. The engine then sat idle and unnoticed in a field for many years. In 2004, staff at the plant recognized its historic value and donated it to the society as narrow gauge locomotives in this weight class are becoming very rare due to modernization and the switch to standard gauge equipment.

This is a partial article taken from “Marvelous Machinery: Steampowered Giants - Steam engines were the foundation of the Industrial Revolution” - Full article can be found at bit.ly/steam-powered-giants 16