There are a few (actually its a pretty long list...) must-see/do things if you’re lucky enough to spend any amount of time in Colorado. One of those just reopened, though three years ago we were wondering if it was gone forever. I’m talking about the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway which just started operating on May 21st after a three year hiatus.
Now, after a complete rebuild, this Colorado treasure is back hauling passengers from its depot in Manitou Springs to the top of Pikes Peak in the type of comfort one might expect from the company that owns and operates it, the Broadmoor.
The railway began in 1889 with the first train reaching the 14,115’ summit in June 1891. For those not familiar with trains, a cog railway adds a third toothed rack rail that allows the train to climb grades in excess of 10 percent, steeper than normal trains could dream of tackling. And there are some steep climbs on the hour and ten minute journey to the summit so you likely won’t be tempted to hop off and jog alongside the train as it huffs and puffs upward at a steady 8 mph.
My wife and I rode the train this last Monday. I had booked seats as soon as I was able as I knew this would be a very popular excursion for Coloradans as well as tourists from around the world. Trains run every 40 minutes and our 9:20 a.m. train was completely full as were the other trains we passed during our trip.
There is still snow on top but it won’t last too much longer. The old visitors center is being demolished and replaced by a new one. Change is good and I’m sure the old one was past it’s prime but having been to the summit three times now (twice by train, once driving up on the 19 mile road) since the 1970’s I’m sorry to see the old building go. Of course the new visitors center, set to open in a month or so, gives me the perfect excuse to make at least one more trip to the top in the future.
Not that you need a gleaming steel and glass building - all the views are outside and the 360 degree panorama on a clear and sunny Colorado day is spectacular and the main reason so many people set their sights on getting to the top of our State’s fifty four fourteeners. Just bring a jacket - the temp when we left the depot in Manitou Springs was a balmy 80 degrees but at the summit it was in the low forties and the wind chill was in the thirties.
There is not a bad seat on the train (seats are reserved when you buy tickets) but the best seats, if you can get them, are the three seats at the front or back of the train adjacent to the engineer as he or she drives the train. We were in the front seats going up (as you’ll see in the video below) but since the train simply backs down on the return trip the folks at the ‘back’ of the train got the best view going down. Either way, just make plans to get on board at some point, sooner rather than later, as this is one special trip. As they say in the train business - “All Aboard!”
Great trip!
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