PIKES PEAK, Colo. — The Broadmoor Pike’s Peak Cog Railway has begun rebuilding the famous 8.9-mile Colorado landmark railroad from the top down, with work remaining on schedule for a planned May 2021 reopening.
Trains News Wire was on hand to witness work on the railroad Wednesday. More than 200 feet of new track and ballast have been put down, and the majority of the track materials have already been distributed onto the mountain. Construction crews from contractor Stacy & Witbeck hauled track supplies up the right-of-way, cleared of tracks, from the bottom of the railroad at Manitou Springs. This worked well since the old track and gravel ballast had been removed.
Building from the top of the mountain downward avoids moving heavy equipment across the rail line as it is completed. Managers say that the economics did not support starting from the bottom.
The railroad shut down in 2018 after management said it needed a complete rebuild costing as much as $90 million, with some initial uncertainty whether it would be reopened [See “Pikes Peak cog’s owner asks for tax breaks for rebuild,” Trains News Wire, June 12, 2018.]
The railroad, the world’s highest cog railway, ascends to Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet. Its grades range up to 24% and average 12%.
