Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railway
Encyclopedia
The Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railway was incorporated in 1880 with the goal of extending the Colorado Central Railroad
from Georgetown, Colorado
to Breckenridge, Colorado
and Leadville, Colorado
. Soon after the goal became to link the Colorado Central to the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
which already had trackage to Breckenridge and Leadville. By linking up with the DSP&P's Keystone branch it would provide both the DSP&P and the Colorado Central with a very direct route between Denver and Leadville and to compete with the much larger Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Construction began out of Georgetown in 1883 and problems started very soon. A six percent grade would be required between Georgetown and its neighbor Silver Plume, Colorado
. This would be the first step at reaching the DSP&P in Keystone. The towns were only 2 miles apart but due to the six percent grade the railroad was 4.5 miles long in order to decrease the grade to 3 percent. The only problem with this was that the valley was narrow so the route included two hairpin turns and a viaduct where the route looped 100ft over itself. This portion would become the famous Georgetown Loop
. Track was extended to quickly extended to Graymont, Colorado from Silver Plume. The next problem would be Loveland Pass. A tunnel was started under the pass but due to a lack of funds the line was never completed to the DSP&P. The GB&L was absorbed shortly after into the much larger Colorado Central and track between Graymont and Silver Plume was abandoned, but the Georgetown loop between Georgetown and Silver Plume became part of the Colorado Central. Later the Colorado Central became the Union Pacific Denver and Gulf Railroad which was later merged with the DSP&P to become the Colorado and Southern Railway
. The Georgetown loop survived until 1939. In the 1980s it was rebuilt as a tourist line and can be ridden today during the summer.
Colorado Central Railroad
The Colorado Central Railroad was a U.S. railroad company that operated in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 19th century. Originally founded in the Colorado Territory in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush to ship gold from the mountains, it eventually expanded from its initial...
from Georgetown, Colorado
Georgetown, Colorado
The historic town of Georgetown is a Territorial Charter Municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
to Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge, Colorado
Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...
and Leadville, Colorado
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
. Soon after the goal became to link the Colorado Central to the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad was a historic narrow gauge railway that operated in Colorado in the western United States in the late 19th century. The railroad opened up the first rail routes to a large section of the central Colorado mining district in the decades of the mineral boom...
which already had trackage to Breckenridge and Leadville. By linking up with the DSP&P's Keystone branch it would provide both the DSP&P and the Colorado Central with a very direct route between Denver and Leadville and to compete with the much larger Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Construction began out of Georgetown in 1883 and problems started very soon. A six percent grade would be required between Georgetown and its neighbor Silver Plume, Colorado
Silver Plume, Colorado
The historic Town of Silver Plume is a Statutory Town located in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. Silver Plume is a former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. This would be the first step at reaching the DSP&P in Keystone. The towns were only 2 miles apart but due to the six percent grade the railroad was 4.5 miles long in order to decrease the grade to 3 percent. The only problem with this was that the valley was narrow so the route included two hairpin turns and a viaduct where the route looped 100ft over itself. This portion would become the famous Georgetown Loop
Georgetown Loop
The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge heritage railroad located in the Rocky Mountains in Clear Creek County, Colorado, in the United States....
. Track was extended to quickly extended to Graymont, Colorado from Silver Plume. The next problem would be Loveland Pass. A tunnel was started under the pass but due to a lack of funds the line was never completed to the DSP&P. The GB&L was absorbed shortly after into the much larger Colorado Central and track between Graymont and Silver Plume was abandoned, but the Georgetown loop between Georgetown and Silver Plume became part of the Colorado Central. Later the Colorado Central became the Union Pacific Denver and Gulf Railroad which was later merged with the DSP&P to become the Colorado and Southern Railway
Colorado and Southern Railway
The Colorado and Southern Railway was a railroad company in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981.The railway began as the...
. The Georgetown loop survived until 1939. In the 1980s it was rebuilt as a tourist line and can be ridden today during the summer.