But it says, 'Don't do both on the same day.'"īedor and Presby's MWH Preservation Limited Partnership acquired the Mount Washington Hotel at auction in 1991, followed by Bretton Woods in 1997. And says it's okay to ski down the mountain. The Forest Service says we can ride to the top on the train. The United States Forest Service also opposed the service and even deployed rangers to the summit in the spring of 1988, informing cog skiers that they could either turn back or be arrested. As Presby told Ski magazine at the time, "the train has, for decades, taken people up with their skis, it was just never promoted before." The Appalachian Mountain Club, despite recently publishing a handbook that suggested skiers could take the cog, strongly opposed the ski train proposal.
In early 1987, the Cog Railway proposed operating a ski train to the summit during the months of April and May, providing easier access to the snowfields and Tuckerman Ravine. Wayne Presby later commented, "I've been thinking about skiing from the Cog since we purchased the railway." In 1983, Ellen Teague sold the Cog Railway to the Bedor and Presby families, whose investments in infrastructure and marketing doubled ridership in just a few years time. Apart from periods of war, the railway has remained in operation ever since. Washington, the Cog Railway Ski Trains operated for two seasons.ĭeveloped by Sylvester Marsh, the Cog Railway carried its first passengers some 3,500 vertical feet up Mt. At the Manitou Station, there is a gift shop and the Steamer Stop Shop, which specializes in unique railroad, Pikes Peak and Colorado-related items.Or grab a bite at the cafe.Thompson and Meserves Purchase, New Hampshire Once on the summit, passengers may refresh themselves in the brand-new and spacious Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center. Westward, as far as the eye can see, the snow-capped Continental Divide fills the horizon! Traveling at eight miles an hour, the trains give photographers and sightseers ample time to take in the magnificent panoramas. As the train winds its way above the timberline, an unparalleled view of Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs stretches eastward into the Great Plains.
The vistas slowly open to encompass seas of quaking aspen and towering mountains. The epic journey begins by climbing through steep canyons filled with cascading streams and gigantic boulders. These modern trains meet the rigid safety requirements of the Swiss Bureau of Transport. Since 1965, Swiss-made railcars, made exclusively for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, have been in use. Due to spring snows, the first passengers, a Denver church choir, reached the summit on June 30, 1891.įrom the opening of the line until the 1950s, steam locomotives were used to transport riders, but steam was gradually replaced by diesel between 19. Despite the difficult task of heavy labor in the thin atmosphere, the imposing terrain and harsh weather conditions, the railway was completed on October 20, 1890. Simmons (of Simmons Mattress fame and fortune) rode to the top of Pikes Peak on the back of a mule in the early 1880s, he declared the beauty awesome but the journey was awful, and he set about making the mountain accessible by rail.
The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is open for business after a three-year, $100 million rebuild.
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