Denver Trolley

A streetcar trolley system used to be the main transportation system in Denver. Known as the Denver Tramway, at its height there were over 160 miles (260 km) of tracks and over 250 streetcars in operation. The big red brick building which now houses the giant outdoor store REI, was once the power generating facility for the electric trolley system. Eventually with the increased use of the more flexible motorbus system as well as the popularity of the automobile, the trolley system went into decline and in 1950 with only 64 streetcars still in use, the trolley system ceased operations.

Today there is now a volunteer run heritage streetcar line in operation on a short section of the original rails. I had meant to ride on the Denver Trolley during the weeks I was staying in Denver, but never did, so today I decided to head down to Confluence Park once again and go for a ride before it finishes for the summer season. Confluence Park is where the Cherry Creek and South Platte River meet and it’s there that the city of Denver first developed when gold prospectors set up their camps. I often end up there after walking along the popular Cherry Creek Trail.

The line runs from the REI building down past the Bronco Stadium, with stops at the Denver Aquarium, the Children’s Museum and the Stadium itself. The round trip takes 25 minutes. Although it mainly runs in the summer, they also run shuttle services to the stadium on Bronco game days and during other special events. I do like to ride on heritage train and trolley lines and it was a short but fun little outing, with beautiful views of the Denver skyline, history of the area given by the trolley operators, and a few bad jokes thrown in for free.