Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville Railway was incorporated in 1880
to merge with Colorado Central Railroad, build west to the mining camps
in the Colorado mountains, connect with Denver, South Park and Pacific,
and compete with the larger Denver & Rio Grande. Built in 1883, the
Loop was an engineering marvel of the day, solving the problem of
linking the towns of Silver Plume and Georgetown (only two miles apart),
but with more than 600 feet in elevation difference. The Loop was more
than 4.6 miles of track, including two hairpin turns and a viaduct where
the route looped 100 feet over itself within the narrow mountain
valley. This allowed the railroad grade to be traversed by conventional
trains. In addition to serving the mines, the line proved a popular
tourist destination. Indeed, the rebuilt Loop has hosted tens of
thousands of riders each year since 1974. This new book details the
history of the line until its abandonment in 1938.
