Dead stretch of Colorado railroad track repurposed as a gateway to history

ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) — A new Colorado attraction is probably one of the most ingenious, creative and “exercisey“ ways of preserving history. So put on your cycling cowboy boots and get on board.

If you are not looking for it, you could easily miss it. But it’s there: a historical railroad track that could have disappeared without anyone noticing — except for Jeff Rummer, that is.

The stretch of track was called the Boulder Valley Mine Route. Now it’s called Colorado Railbike Adventures.

“Built in 1871. It’s the second-oldest tracks in Colorado,” said Rummer, the owner of Colorado Railbike Adventures.

Entrepreneur Rummer has leased a section of the route from RTD, which owns the track. He had a few custom railbikes built — actually, more than a few, and now you can ride this historic steel ribbon, just like a hobo from the olden days.

The history of railbikes goes back a couple of hundred years.

The railroad made them for practical reasons. Originally, they were service vehicles for the maintenance crews on the tracks.

Rummer said he wanted to have fun with these because people took them out for fun back in the day. The railbikes Rummer uses now are brand new and state-of-the-art. They are designed for function — and fun.

The entire length of the track is 2.1 miles one way. At the end of the track, there is a turnaround station to physically turn the railbike around and head back home.

Each railbike holds up to four people, so the more the merrier. Either way, prepare yourself for an amazing ride through history, beauty and even friendship.

All aboard.