The Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad

Of the trains we did, I thought the Leadville, Colorado, and Southern was the best ride.

They have a Colorado & Southern Locomotive from 1906 on display, but...

they use a diesel to pull the actual train. It was a good ride anyway.

In 1980 the Burlington & Northern closed the Leadville line and sold, to the highest bidder this station, and the remaining track, locomotives, cars, spare parts, etc., etc. The highest bidder was a couple, 2 lawyers, who bought it all for $10. Considerable work was necessary to make a tourist train from Leadville essentially to nowhere, the end of the existing tracks. But it makes a nice 2-1/2 hour ride.

You can sit anywhere you want, and there are three kinds of cars, with roof and windows, with roof and no windows, and no roof. It was a beautiful, cool day in July, and I like to take pictures, so we chose the open car.

And the scenery was spectacular. You started at over 10,000 feet, so you could look up to the mountains, or down to the valleys and get a spectacular view either way.

You might want to see some of LEADVILLE itself.