attraction is well-patronized, and a round-trip costs just $2.00. In a nod to the past, riders receive a replica token fashioned like the originals used on the line and place them in the fare box. While the line is short, photo locations abound. Trips start on the edge of City Park at Sheldon Drive and West Oak Street, heading north on Roosevelt before turning east on West Mountain. The terminus of the line is on West Mountain near South Howes Street. West Mountain is lined with well- kept Victorian and Arts & Crafts-style homes. The manicured, grassy median is reminiscent of New Orleans, with the rails set deep into the sod. In late spring, irises and other flowers of all colors are in full bloom in many of the residential curbside gardens. Trips run every 30 minutes between
noon and 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and during special events from May through September. The original 1907 brick carbarn at
Cherry and North Howes streets still stands, complete with its “THE FT. COLLINS MUNICIPAL RAILWAY” embossed marker above four sets of green wooden doors. The building still has some tracks in the concrete, but is disconnected from active rails. It is, however, home to the ongoing restoration of Birney car 25. The work is nearly complete, with volunteers planning to finish the majority of electrical and mechanical work over the next year. When completed, Car 25 will wear the later red-and-silver paint scheme that lasted until the end of service. A $200,000 expansion of the Mountain Avenue carbarn is planned to house both 21 and 25, for which volunteers are seeking grants and donations. While the Howes Street carbarn would make a great home for the streetcars, the city is currently soliciting proposals for the historic structure’s rebuilding and redevelopment, which may or may not include the trolley. Connecting the old carbarn to the exiting trolley line would also require the construction of nearly 1,500 feet of new track and overhead.
Visit Fort Collins Two blocks away, BNSF’s busy Front
Range Subdivision runs down the median of North Mason Street. The old Great Western Railway was purchased by OmniTRAX and now extends to Greeley and Longmont. Also home to Colorado State University, the town has numerous shops, restaurants, pubs and craft breweries to visit. On your next trip to Colorado, head
north out of Denver on I-25 for a visit to Fort Collins. It won’t disappoint.
60 JANUARY 2017 •
RAILFAN.COM
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