![]() Over the years, gasoline, diesel and diesel-electric locomotives replaced the original steam engines. In 1926, Spencer Penrose, the owner of The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs, purchased the railway from Simmons. ![]() Construction began right away, and on June 30, 1891, a church choir from Denver became the first passengers to reach the summit of Pikes Peak by train. Simmons quickly set about doing just that, founding the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway Company in 1889. According to local legend, he was soaking in one of the mineral baths in Manitou Springs when the owner of his hotel mentioned the idea of building a railway to the top. He was in awe of the breathtaking views but worn out from the two-day trip. In the late 1880s, Zalman Simmons, inventor and owner of the Simmons Beautyrest Mattress Company, rode a mule to the top of Pikes Peak. The mountain also inspired the song “America the Beautiful,” which was written in 1893 by English professor and poet Katharine Lee Bates after she visited Pikes Peak during a trip across the country. They called the mountain Tava, meaning “Sun.” In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike wrote about the mountain in his journals, and although a blizzard kept him from reaching the 14,115-foot summit, his descriptions of “The Great Peak” ultimately led to it being named in his honor. Pikes Peak was home to the Tabeguache Ute long before European explorers arrived. To welcome back one of Colorado’s most unique experiences, here's a little history on the railway, a rundown of the recent renovations and what to expect during your next visit. “The Cog,” as locals call it, is recognized as the world’s highest and longest cog railroad, and it has carried passengers to the summit of Pikes Peak since 1891. Helen H.After more than three years of renovation, the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is ready to leave the station again! Conductors David Bolser, left, and Adam Clawson, right, check the time on their pocket watches as they helps get passengers aboard The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway train in May 2021. But that awe-inspiring experience, it's all the same," Johnston said. ![]() "The experience of going to the summit of a 14,000-foot mountain by rail has not changed. Three years later, the railroad is reopened, all year, in any weather conditions. Their rarity forced Colorado engineers to look overseas for help in Switzerland's Stadler Rail, whose trains traverse the alps. Three new trains and a snowblower ready to tackle the hardiest of conditions were also recently added.Īs train transportation has modernized, cog railways and their parts have become few and far between. The tracks were replaced for the first time since they were laid down. And we retrofitted some of our older equipment," Johnston said. The track, the trains, the depot facility that we're at right now. "We looked at everything when we did this project. In 2018, it was shut down for renovations totaling more than $100 million. But much of the railway's infrastructure remained in place for more than 125 years. "We believe that the Broadmoor is kind of the gateway to the American West," said Jack Damioli, president and CEO at The Broadmoor.Īs the years passed, the trains' technology evolved with 20th-century innovation. The nearby Broadmoor hotel owns the railway today. The cog railway was a groundbreaking system when it was constructed in 1891, as saloons dominated the local landscape. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway train heads towards the summit of Pikes Peak. A typical railway, they get all their traction and braking through the outside rails," Ted Johnston, assistant general manager of Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, said. ![]() "A cog railway is a railway just like any other railway, but we use a center third rail to get all our traction and braking.
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