It is not what we usually think of as preservation, but the transformation of Denver, Colorado's 1914 Union Station from a relic of a bygone era to the centerpiece of a 21st century public transportation system has most likely saved it from the wrecking ball. "New Life for an Old Station," today on The Trackside Photographer.

http://thetracksidephotographer.com/201 ... d-station/

Thanks
Edd Fuller

Very Nice!

As a Colorado native (5th generation), I have spent time at Denver Union Station (DUS) and traveled on many of the trains you mentioned from the past. In addition, with my job, I worked with the Denver Union Terminal folks as they were taken over by Denver RTD and watched the transformation of the building to what it is today. Contractors for RTD found many of the long hidden details in the interior, such as stair case railings, and restored them. In addition, the chandeliers in the main hall are close replicas of what was in the building years ago.

The use of DUS as the transportation hub has turned lower down town into a place people want to be. Just sitting around DUS today and watching the crowds getting on and off the commuter trains as well as the light rail (located at the opposite end of the underground bus concourse) reminds me of the busy days with the arrival of the Portland Rose, Texas Zephyr, Royal Gorge or any of the other great trains that operated to/from Denver.

I am proud to have been able to play a small part with the RTD Commuter Rail project and the revitalization if DUS....it is a great place to still Travel By Train!

Photos taken by my Grandfather in 1916.

Mike Ramsey

Thanks Mike!

Those are great photos of the station shortly after it was built. Things certainly have changed in the last 100 years.

Edd

As info, the east and west wings of today's depot date from the construction of the original station in 1881. A fire destroyed the original main section of the building in 1894 and damaged the wings, but the wings remained during the 1894 and 1914 rebuild in some form. It is interesting to note that DUS was the base for Denver's original commuter trains in the teens and twenties. The DRGW ran daily commuter service (known as the "Uncle Sam") from Denver, Fort Logan, Littleton and return. The electrified interurban line, Denver & Interurban also operated out of DUS for a time with daily service to Boulder.

Mike

Would it possible to run trains south of the station to connect with the Joint Line south, or would running south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo require a complicated backup move? I lived in Denver from 1994 to 2005, and used to ride my bike on the Cherry Creek trail that ends where Cherry Creeks dumps into the Platte just south of the station, and remember that there were around half a dozen railroad bridges across the concrete trench that Cherry Creek is contained in. One of these is the joint line, I believe some of them are old streetcar bridges, and one is the light rail to downtown, but a few don't have tracks. I always wondered if it would be possible for Amtrak or commuter trains to run south.

Yes, it would be possible, but not like in the old days via the DRGW line and Burnham. Today, a variation of the same move ATK makes today when entering DUS can get a train pointing south on the joint line. In addition, RTD has maintained some property near Prospect Jct. so that track could be built to connect to the joint line for moves south. Time will tell if that will ever be needed...............

MDR