A 45 ton 'Critter' (no road number visible) holds down the west end of the Georgetown Loop Railroad, which happens to be in Silver Plume, Colorado. Riders can depart the train near Silver Plume and tour two mines, the Everett or Lebanon mines. The Georgetown Loop Railroad was one of Colorado's first visitor attractions. Completed in 1884, this scenic stretch of three-foot narrow gauge railroad was considered an engineering marvel for its time by incorporating trestles and loops to get the trains up the steep 6% mountain grade. The line connected Denver, Golden, Blackhawk, Idaho Springs, Georgetown and Silver Plume. From 1884 through the early 1900's, seven trains a day would depart Denver's Union Station and make the journey into the Rocky Mountains. In the 1920's and 30's the development of better roads and the automobile meant fewer people took the train, and in 1938 the last train departed Denver for Silver Plume.
