Still more Thursday rail news in brief:
— The first rails have been laid in reconstruction of the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which remains on pace to reopen in 2021. KXRM-TV in Colorado Springs reports construction has begun near the summit and is working its way down toward the 8,000-foot level. The right-of-way is being completely relaid after being torn out after the railway closed in 2017. Assistant general manager Ted Johnston told the station there would be “learning curve” in building the track with grades as steep as 25%: “This has only been done once and that was 126 years ago,” he said. “They used mules and pickaxes … we have all this great equipment, but at the end of the day, it’s still just the manpower of getting the track on the ground that we rely on.”
— The city of Granby, Colo., has approved a 30-year lease for the community’s Moffat Road Railroad Museum, which has received a $1.6 million pledge for improvements from an anonymous donor. Ski-Hi News of Grand County, Colo., reports the new lease expands the land for the facility while leaving rent at $10 a year, with local government approving an ordinance clearing the way for the museum to use designated open space. The museum’s executive director, Dave Naples, says a newly renovated visitor center will open on July 4
— Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner has donated 50,000 snack packs to food banks and homeless shelters throughout Los Angeles County. The packages, normally served to Business Class customers include items like turkey jerky, crackers, cheese spread, and trail mix. With ridership down dramatically because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Surfliner’s parent agency, LOSSAN (the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency) donated the food, which is nearing its expiration date.
Glad to see the Pike’s Peak Cog coming back. There are many wonderful places to visit in Colorado, and that is one of them. We rode a sold out train a few years ago. I can’t imagine that any attraction that remote that draws sold out crowds would permanently cease to exist. Warning to riders who hail from sea level areas, be prepared to be a bit light headed when you step off the train at the summit station. The view is magnificent.
Sadly enough, I didn’t get to ride it on my trip to that area to ride all the trains out there. It shut down a few weeks before our trip was scheduled. That was very disapointing since I had heard about it all my adult life.
Re: Pikes Peak. So glad it’s reopening, so sad it had closed. From what I could see as a passenger on both, it seemed to be a more modern and more technologically robust system than New Hampshire’s Mount Washington cog railway, track and rolling stock as well. With all that investment its closure seemed a waste.
I too am glad the Pike’s Peak Cog will reopen. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Mt Washington Cog. If you ride Mt Washington, take the steam trip. The engines push the coaches and the rear window provides a great view of the hard-working steam engine.