February 23
In November 2021, we took a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We enjoyed it so much, we thought we’d try the Royal Gorge Route Railroad from Canon City.
After our morning walk with Ash, getting ready and kenneling him, we headed off to the train depot, a few short blocks from the AirBnB where we’d spent the week. Our train was scheduled to depart at 12:30 pm, and they asked that we arrive 45 to 60 minutes prior to departure to pick up tickets and board.
We arrived at 11:45, headed to the ticket will-call window and were given five tickets: two for the ride, two for the meals I’d pre-purchased, and one for a free pint glass from the gift shop.
We did our cursory sweep through the gift shop before heading out to the platform to board.
Train History
The first rails to run through the Royal Gorge area started in 1880, running to Leadville. Canon City has had several trains servicing the routh through Royal Gorge, including the EMD GP-40 platform, and the 402-403, which were built from the EMD F7 model.
As I am not a train historian, nor do I retain any knowledge of trains, the copy and paste job from above is to guide you, gentle reader, into a more in depth look at the trains used on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.
All I know is that the train was decked out in bright orange livery.
Boarding and Departure
We took our tickets to the platform where we were guided aboard by a pair of conductors who gave us directions to our specific car, the Vista Dome car that has windows that stretch and curve up toward the roof of the car. This was somewhat similar to the Knight Sky car we rode in on the D&SNGRR, but the Durango train car’s windows extended all the way up and over the roof of the car.
The Royal Gorge train car’s windows stopped at the roof so we didn’t have 360 degree views.
We found our seats on the car. We were seated on one side of a booth. We were quickly greeted by our server, Angie, who took our order for an iced tea for Brandy and a Pepsi for me, and an order of nachos to start.
The appetizer was delivered promptly and was rather delicious, covered in nacho cheese sauce, seasoned ground beef, beans, salsa, and jalapenos. Sour cream and guacamole were delivered on the side.
Soon after ordering our appetizer, another couple was seated across from us and not long after that, a group of four apparent Instagram “influencers” were seated almost directly across from us. Yes, they were as obnoxious as we thought they’d be. But that’s the last of the attention I’m giving to them.
We then ordered our entrees, Brandy ordering a turkey bacon sandwich, and me ordering a burger. Again, the food was brought out quickly, just after departure, and was fairly reasonable in taste, but a tad overpriced.
Soon after ordering, we sensed the car moving and we were under way.
Royal Gorge
The train heads west through the last remnants of Canon City, past the museums I’d just visited the day before, and past some hiking, biking and OHV trails. We traveled alongside the Arkansas River that we’d walked alongside three times during our week in Canon City and soon, we were plunged into the shadows of the deep, narrow Royal Gorge.
The Arkansas River rushes past in the floor of the canyon with the railroad tracks seemingly perched on a narrow ledge on the banks. Across the river could be seen decrepit catwalks that had previously been used by the prisoners from the nearby correctional facility when they built a water line along the river. There were some sections of the catwalk that appears to be intact but other sections were collapsed and dangling from the rock face across the river from us.
Before long, we traveled under the Royal Gorge Bridge which is situated 956 feet above the canyon floor. There is a significant cost to be able to walk across the bridge but that also includes other attractions, such as the gondolas and a theater experience at the visitor’s center. Other attractions are available for an upcharge, but the $25 per person fee will be enough for us when we do make it to the bridge.
It was at this point that we decided to head out to the open air observation car, which was six cars from where we were seated. We made the long, narrow walk to the last car of the train where we had full panoramic views of the gorge and river.
We took some pictures and enjoyed the scenery for a bit then made our way back to our seats for the remainder of the trip.
We continued on through the gorge for a bit longer until we reached a town called Parkdale where we stopped and the train was reversed and we headed back toward the depot.
We stopped for a moment right underneath the aforementioned bridge, then picked up the journey again, arriving back in Canon City right around 2:30.
After disembarking, we headed back into the gift shop and picked up the souvenirs we’d picked out prior to the ride, including my free pint glass, and headed back to the AirBnB to start packing up and getting ready for the second part of our trip, to Crested Butte!
Conclusion
While I didn’t necessarily think there was anything wrong with this adventure, I liked the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad better, specifically the unimpeded overhead views we were afforded by the car. I will, however, give the win to Royal Gorge route Railroad for the food that was offered. The Durango train offered cold cut sandwiches and chips, while the Gorge train has an on-board kitchen and we were served hot, made-to-order food.
The Royal Gorge Train offers a first class dinner train experience which includes a three course meal and a glass of sparkling wine, but that’s pretty pricey and I don’t know if we’d want to spend the money on that.
I would, however, spend the money we spent on this excursion and do it again.
As I’m sure you know, pics from this outing are up on my Photo Diary page, and make sure you follow along the rest of the trip on the main hub for the winter 2024 edition of our visit to Colorado.
Until next time!
-Phil