![]() ![]() Here are our tips for making the most of your Pikes Peak visit. “Today we dedicate a building that complements the majesty of a great mountain, and we commence a new era in the history of Pikes Peak and of Colorado Springs.”Īll speeches aside, riding the Cog Railway to the new Visitor Center is a bucket-list worthy experience for Colorado Springs visitors and locals. “The City of Colorado Springs and many other stakeholders have long been committed to the task of building a new Pikes Peak Summit Visitor Center that is truly worthy of the majesty and magnificence of Pikes Peak and the luster of its history,” said Mayor John Suthers at the Pikes Peak Visitor Center Grand Opening. Photo courtesy of City of Colorado Springs. After three years of high-altitude construction, the $65-million Summit Complex achieves high marks for sustainability, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) Silver certification and the Living Building ChallengeSM (LBC), a two-year certification process, as a net-zero energy building. Now it will take you to a brand new, state-of-the-art Visitor Center that upgrades the visitor experience in every way. Originally built in 1891 and owned and operated by The Broadmoor since 1925, the historic railway is the highest railroad in America and the highest cog railway in the world. Summer 2021 marked two major grand openings on America’s Mountain, and if it’s been a while since you savored the scenery from the top of America’s Mountain, now is the time to go.Īfter being closed for three years, the iconic railway reopened after a $100-million renovation of its tracks, cogs, railcars and depot. Our powerful biodiesel locomotives use hydraulic pressure to bring the train down at the proper speed, so the coach brakes are only used to stop the coach in place.Īfter a quick introduction and safety orientation, our dispatcher will clear your train for departure.Riding the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway to the summit of Pikes Peak is a journey through the past and future. On steam trains, we use the coach brakes to help the engineer keep the train at a constant speed. On the return trip down the mountain, the brakeman will be at the brake wheels at the other end of the coach. On the way up the mountain we engage the Sprag clutch, a hydraulically powered safety mechanism that prevents the coach from rolling backwards.īut they are also knowledgable and entertaining guides, and will provide plenty of fascinating information about the railway, the mountain and the region. Their primary job is to act as the engineer’s eyes, paying close attention to the track ahead, signaling the engineer across the switches, and being ready to stop the train if an animal or a hiker gets a little too close. Your brakeman (or brakewoman) is stationed out on the front deck for the up- mountain trip to the summit. We’ll check your tickets and help you find your seats, so settle in- the fun’s about to start! You may have even already met your engineer and brakeman– we know you have lots of questions about the train and the mountain, and we try to answer as many of them as we can before departure time. 15 minutes before your scheduled departure, you’ll be lined up at your gate, ready to board.
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