History of Streetcars in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs'
Copyright 2009 J. David Thorpe. Rendering depicts vision of streetcar service on Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs.
By 1888, a second line to the west was completed from the
In 1890, the rival El Paso Rapid Transit Company acquired the Colorado Springs & Manitou Railway Company, but the joint effort was unsuccessful and the company was sold to new owners who established the Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway. Soon after this purchase, the new owners began the process of replacing the horsecar lines with electric power.
The first electrified line to Manitou Springs was completed in October 1890. Lines were then extended to the Broadmoor and to Austin Bluffs along
In 1901, Winfield Scott Stratton acquired the company and renamed it Colorado Springs & Interurban Railway Company. At its peak, under Stratton's direction and that of his trustees (Stratton died in 1902), the system covered 41 miles. Ridership reached its peak in 1911, and by 1914, the company was running into financial trouble due to an increase in automobile usage. By 1931, buses began replacing streetcars.
Streetcar service ended on April 30, 1932, and many of the tracks were removed by the Work Progress Administration in the mid 1930s.
This history is courtesy of the Heritage Trolley System Feasibility Study for the
