At the end of June 2015 I had the pleasure of riding the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad – a small out and back tourist railroad that departs daily (summer 10pm and 2pm) from Leadville, CO and travels north for an hour or so toward the now abandoned town of Climax, CO. It’s a pleasant jaunt and ample views of the valley below abound. The conductor, a knowledgable 36 year resident of Leadville emparts historic facts at various times during the trip. The railroad and surrounding area is steeped in history and she does a great job of telling interesting tales of the railroad and Leadville area.
The main engine is a diesel electric so no steam engine goodness here but the rickety old carriages that constantly squeal and bob from side to side (see the video below and it will explain why :)) are fun to travel in and imagine that the cost of maintence is high although the net income that I calculated looking at how full the train was and with some GB fuzzy math was about $80k per month – not too bad but I’m sure the diesel engine is not getting a hybrid like 40mpg.
URL: http://www.leadville-train.com/
Times: 10pm & 2pm (Summer)
Address: 326 E 7th St, Leadville, CO 80461
Cost: aprox $37 per person (kids under 4 free)
Some Video from the trip:
Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad from Jacana Productions on Vimeo.