By Photo: Milan Suvajac, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Zalmon Simmons, the mattress manufacturer, rode a mule to the top of Pikes Peak in the 1880s and decided there should be an easier way up. The Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway opened in 1891, using a toothed rail between the tracks to pull trains up grades too steep for regular railroads. It runs about nine miles from Manitou Springs to the 14,115-foot summit.
It became one of the most popular attractions in Colorado. Generations of visitors made the trip.
The shutdown
By 2017 the track, equipment and infrastructure needed major repairs, and the railway shut down. Its owner, the Broadmoor, part of Philip Anschutz’s company, decided to rebuild rather than abandon it. The project replaced the track, rebuilt the depot and added new trains from Stadler, the Swiss manufacturer.
The railway reopened in 2021. The same year, the City of Colorado Springs opened a new summit visitor center on Pikes Peak, replacing the old summit house.
Why it matters
The railway’s return helped Manitou Springs, where the depot sits. It brings visitors who also eat and shop in town. The Pikes Peak region competes with Rocky Mountain National Park and other mountain destinations for tourists, and the summit is one of its key draws, along with the Pikes Peak Highway and the Barr Trail for hikers.
Ticket prices are high compared to the old railway, and seats sell out on summer days, which shows strong demand.
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