The Denver Trolley, formerly known as the Platte Valley Trolley, is a

heritage streetcar Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a part of the efforts to preserve rail transit heritage. In addition to preserving street-running rail vehicles, heritage streetcar operations can include upkeep of historic rail infrastructure. Working ...

line in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, operated by the Denver Tramway Heritage Society. It began service on July 1, 1989.

Route and operation

The trolley line originates in Confluence Park, the historic location where the city of

was founded, at the confluence of the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sou ...

and Cherry Creek River. The trolley is located at approximately 1400 Platte Street in Denver, behind

REI Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, clim ...

's flagship store. Visitors can reach the trolley from Platte Street or from 15th Street in downtown Denver. The line lacks overhead trolley wires, and the streetcar serving it is equipped with diesel-electric power. In 2022, the trolley operated Saturdays and Sundays from May 28 through August 14, with the first run leaving Confluence Park at 10:00 AM and the last run of the day leaving at 1:30 PM. Tickets were priced at $7 for adults and $3 for children for a round trip with on/off privileges, available for purchase from the trolley operating crew at any of the trolley's stops (REI/Confluence Park, Downtown Aquarium, or Children's Museum of Denver). The trolley also operates a football fans' shuttle between Confluence Park and

Empower Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. T ...

for

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

home games. Fare is $10 round trip, or $7 one way. The line runs south (upriver) on the west side of the Platte River to

Lakewood Gulch Lakewood Gulch drains a section of Lakewood and west Denver, Colorado into the South Platte River. It is the historic location of the old Interurban Shortline Railway and, in 2008, is a greenbelt that includes Rude Park, Sanchez Park and ...

. Prior to 2007, the line continued west along Lakewood Gulch (approximately West 13th Avenue) and ran on the old

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

shortline tracks of the

Denver and Intermountain Railroad The Denver and Intermountain Railroad was an interurban railway that operated between Denver and Golden, Colorado. Originating as a steam railroad, the ''Denver, Lakewood and Golden'', the line was opened in 1891 and had built an electrified spu ...

to Sheridan Boulevard. The line currently stops near where RTD built their new west corridor of the

FasTracks FasTracks is a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan under construction in metropolitan Denver, Colorado, United States. Developed by the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the plan consists of new commuter rail, light r ...

light rail project, which opened on April 26, 2013. The line passes a number of historic and tourist attractions, including the Children's Museum, the Downtown Aquarium, Empower Field at Mile High (home of the Denver Broncos) and

Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and Botanical garden, botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street. For m ...

. Views of the Denver skyline are visible all through the 25-minute narrated historical tour. The Denver Trolley recalls the open car streetcars of an earlier era in Denver, which at one point in the history of Denver was the primary means of transportation throughout the city. In circa 1920, there were a group of six "Seeing Denver" streetcars that traversed the rails. A number of buildings in Denver, though currently re-purposed, were once key structures in the trolley system, and many retain their original signage. Today, in addition to regular operations, the Denver Trolley is available for charters and special tours. More information can be found at the Denver Trolley website.

Rolling stock

The Denver Trolley operates a 1986 replica of a 1903

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

open streetcar. The frame and steel components of the car used in the construction are from a 1924

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

. Numbered 1977, the car was made by the

Gomaco Trolley Company The Gomaco Trolley Company is a manufacturer of Heritage streetcar, vintage-style tram, streetcars (alternatively called ''trolleys'' in the US, or ''trams'' in much of the world), located in Ida Grove, Iowa, Ida Grove, Iowa, United States. The ...

in Ida Grove, Iowa. An on-board

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, electric vehicle components, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipmen ...

6BT

diesel electric Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

generator provides the 600 volts d.c. for the four

Metropolitan-Vickers Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...

traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, or electric multiple unit trains. Traction (engineering), Traction motors are used in electrically powe ...

s and other accessories.

References

External links

Denver Trolley
official site {{Heritage Streetcars Heritage streetcar systems Transportation in Denver Heritage railroads in Colorado Tourist attractions in Denver 1989 establishments in Colorado

Route and operation

Rolling stock

See also

References

External links