In the late 1870’s Lead and Silver were discovered around the upper reaches of the Arkansas River. Mining fever soon attracted the attention of both the “Denver and Rio Grande” and “Santa Fe” railroad companies who saw a profit in establishing a railroad to service the burgeoning mining operations.

Normally both railroad companies would build and operate separate rail tracks however the valley of the Arkansas River, sometimes called “The Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River”, is 6 miles long, 1000 feet deep and so narrow that it could not accommodate 2 sets of tracks.

In fact at one point the gorge is so narrow that the train tracks today are actually cantilevered over the river in a steel trough hung from a frame anchored into the sides of the Granite gorge.

The two railroad companies could not agree to share the route and the so-called “War of the Royal Gorge” ensued. Following a lengthy physical and legal battle the right to drive the railroad was eventually awarded to the Santa Fe company.

Today, this engineering marvel runs as a ‘heritage’ tourist attraction. RPC40 and EMD P7 diesel locos haul a variety of restored conventional, club class and double-decker Vista observation carriages, plus, if the weather is suitable completely open flatbed observation trucks. Good food and a decent selection of local Colorado beers make for a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours.

In 1929 a suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge was constructed. The 1260 foot long bridge is suspended 1000 feet above the river, and for many years held the record as the worlds highest bridge (only surpassed in 2001 by the Linguanghe Bridge in China). The bridge deck is comprised of timber planks but can still carry small-scale vehicular traffic, by arrangement.

The Bridge area is now run as a theme park, with the bridge drawing crowds who peer into the gorge to watch the trains, which obligingly pause their journey on the Hanging Bridge.