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Royal Gorge Route Railroad (USA) - Driver's Eye View

The ‘Royal Gorge Route’ train in the USA carries tourists through one of Colorado’s most amazing natural features, the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas River, known as the ‘Royal Gorge’. In some places the canyon is only thirty feet wide, requiring the railway to be suspended above the river on an engineering masterpiece known as the ‘hanging bridge’. Trains used to stop on the bridge to offer a good look at the raging river below and the canyon walls rising 2600 feet above. During the heyday of the line in the 1890’s, four transcontinental passenger trains a day passed through the Royal Gorge. Eventually the service was reduced to one train daily between Denver and Salida, which was discontinued in 1967. After that, freight services continued riding through the gorge until 1989. In 1997 the Tennessee Pass line, including the gorge segment, closed down.

Today’s ‘Royal Gorge Route Railroad’ began running trains over a 12 miles section in 1998 and became a major tourist destination attracting over 100 000 visitors a year. The railway offers a variety of packages from a simple train ride to a delicious full dining option. It’s also to book a ride in the locomotive alongside the engineer.

Credits: Timsvideochannel1