May 28, 2005 was the first day of a new era on the Georgetown Loop. THE Georgetown Loop Railroad, Inc. was no longer on CHS/Loop property. Instead, Railstar, Inc. was the new operations vendor for the Georgetown Loop Railroad and Mining Park.

At Silver Plume that morning, diesel #21 was slowly moving through the yard, Railstar GM Pete Gores at the throttle. Getting his attention after the locomotive had stopped, we exchanged friendly greetings, then I wished good luck to him and his railroad for that day and for the season.

The Silver Plume carshop (aka "The Crystal Palace") was open. Taking advantage of the opportunity, several members of GLRR, Inc. and I went inside.

The carshop was clean and quiet. In front of the RPO, a table of various foods awaited VIPs invited by the Colorado Historical Society.

Three narrow-gauge cars rested as they apparently had for many months, if not years. Two looked almost like they could be run on the morning train, but the third definitely needed more work - if its paper-wheel construction would allow it to run at all.

From inside the carshop, steam locomotive #12 could be seen making her grand entry into the Silver Plume yard. Clean, shiny, and ready to go, she eased into the morning sunlight with just a hint of stack talk and the breathy thud-thump of compressing air.

Threading her way through the yard, the #12 coupled up to the diesel, then awaited the requisite, ceremonial speeches that would open the day.

Throughout the morning, familiar faces came and went, including several former employees of GLRR, Inc. Now employed by Railstar, it was noted with some concern that uniforms and badges of GLRR, Inc. were being worn by these same individuals.

CHS President Georgiana Contiguglia was the morning’s emcee, first introducing Ron Trottier of Railstar, Inc.

Mr. Trottier had no sooner begun his remarks when the safety valve lifted on the #12. Acknowledging the locomotive’s apparent eagerness to get under way, he resumed his presentation.

Other speakers followed, including Colorado Lt. Governor Jane Norton, State Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald, and CHS Board member Philip Karsh.

A note about Mr. Karsh’s remarks. Most people put aside the harsh and sometimes bitter emotions of the past eight months. However, Mr. Karsh included comments on the difficult negotiations between the Society and the Georgetown Loop Railroad, Inc., adding with great intensity that if the Society had signed the contract presented by GLRR, Inc., "the State (of Colorado) would have voided it!" His obvious distaste was an unfortunate inclusion in what was otherwise polite and courteous oratory.

Ms. Contiguglia asked Lt. Governor Norton and Ron Trottier to cut the red, white and blue ribbon to open the platform for the waiting dignitaries and passengers. This done, riders of the first train from Silver Plume stepped on board the train.

With the half-full train ready for departure, the diesel gave three blasts of its horn, #12 answered, and the 2005 season of the Georgetown Loop Historical Railroad was under way.

As the train disappeared around the first turn, CHS Attorney Rod Wolthoff, et al., popped the top on a pressurized beverage. Champagne? And if so, what happened to the tradition of breaking the bottle across the locomotive‘s coupler?

Wanting to view the train’s progress to Devil’s Gate, the Scenic Overlook was the next stop. The train was already past the High Fill and was ready to depart the Lebanon Mine station.

Things happened rather quickly. Difficult to tell from a distance, it seemed the downhill speed of the train was, well, speedy. As the train approached Hall Tunnel, comments from the GLRR alumni confirmed my thoughts, but the train gradually slowed between the Tunnel and the Devil’s Gate Viaduct.

However, on the approach to the Viaduct, the train again gained velocity, but again slowed before easing onto the three-hundred foot long, one-hundred foot high, four-percent grade of the High Bridge.

There was one more speed-up/slow-down event as the train arrived at the Devil’s Gate Terminal, but with the train finally spotted, the railroad crew prepared to move the double-headed power to the other end.

The turnaround at Devil’s Gate had a few ‘learning curve’ moments, including some difficulties getting the locomotives to the other end of the train and having to re-light the fire in the firebox. Still, it was the first operating day of new equipment on a new railroad, and some glitches were to be expected.

As the day progressed, the operation of the train got better and better. Subsequent trips had more passengers on board, and going downhill, the fast-slow-fast-slow ‘adventure’ of the first run became a thing of the past.

Also, the engine crews got better acquainted with the operation and capabilities of their respective locomotives. Wheel-slip on the #12 was much reduced, and using the diesel to provide power as needed resulted in a much improved operation of the train.

The morning’s crowds were small, and the only media seen were from KYGT Radio and one television camera from an unknown station.

There was no write-up of Opening Day in the Sunday Denver Post, and perhaps due to channel-surfing to find the event, Day One wasn’t seen on any of the Denver television stations;.

Locomotive #12 appears to have 4x4 staybolt spacing; even without a tape measure, first-hand inspection indicates a lot less than six inches between staybolts.

There is a paucity of advertising between Denver and Georgetown/Silver Plume. The only ‘billboard’ for the Georgetown Loop is one CDOT sign just east of the I-70 exit to Georgetown.

Banners with "RAILROAD OPEN" were strung under Silver Plume’s I-70 overpass, but as of Saturday afternoon, they were not visible from the interstate itself.

The massive crowds of last October 3rd were nowhere in sight, perhaps due to the finality of GLRR, Inc.‘s operation, and perhaps due to the minimal publicity for the opening of 2005 operations.

There is a steam train on the Georgetown Loop. Although assisted by a diesel, there was probably enough whistling and stack talk to satisfy the person who simply wanted to ride a train in Colorado.

The first train from Silver Plume was a little less than half full, but subsequent trains were much closer to capacity.

Departures and arrivals were somewhat delayed; the 2:20PM train left about fifteen minutes late, but if the riders had been informed that this was the first public operating day for Railstar, it was probably understood that a few glitches should be expected.

A nice touch in previous years was backing of the Plume-bound train under the viaduct so the passengers - as the PA announcer was quite pleased to say - would ride a complete loop on the Georgetown Loop.

While the steam locomotive is smaller than those of THE Georgetown Loop Railroad, it did perform close to expectations. Even before its arrival in Silver Plume, General Manager Pete Gores had stated that the engine needed to be tested on the Loop to determine its actual pulling capacity, and he estimated it to be capable of hauling three to six cars.

(Note: Witnessing the #12’s performance on the evening of May 27th, she did pull five passenger cars from Hall Tunnel up to beyond the High Fill. She worked hard to get there - very hard - so four cars might be a better estimate of her capability.)

(Also that evening, the train stopped twice on its way to Silver Plume. Each time, vast plumes of smoke came from the locomotive. I later found out the smoke was an indication that the fire had gone out and needed to be re-lit. A posting on Trainorders.com stated the diesel was sent down to help return the train to Silver Plume, and the #21 would work with the #12 on opening day.)

At the 2:20PM Devil’s Gate departure, the diesel revved up and the train started moving before the #12 made any kind of ‘train-moving’ sound. Was this a one-time occurrence, or is the #21 needed to start the train?

On a scale of one-to-ten, Opening Day should be rated a 5+. They did have steam, and the passenger cars were mostly full. However, with 100% of available motive power (not to mention two engine crews) required for a five-car train, and until the advertising campaign kicks in, ridership for this year is seriously in doubt.

However, Railstar has people in the trenches who truly want a successful steam operation, and they’re willing to work long and late hours to make it happen.