The historic Pikes Peak Railroad is the highest railway in the United States, and one of only two cog railways in the country. The project was to rehabilitate the alignment to ensure the 125-year-old track could continue safely operating in this difficult landscape for decades to come.
Need
The aging alignment was seeing a significant increase in upkeep and maintenance costs. This, alongside the use of more modern train cars, made reconstruction a necessity.
Work
Equipment Innovations
The steep grades and harsh climate made equipment flexibility a must. The initial speed to move the loaded equipment uphill was half what was anticipated. To offset this, the team studied existing bridges and determined that, with reinforcements, a loaded articulated truck could safely operate across them. The team chose two out of the three tested brands of articulated haul trucks to expedite ballast placement.
The team also =worked with a local engineer and steel fabricator to design and install a roof rack system on aTerrace tracked dump truck, allowing full-length pieces of rail to be loaded up and transported up the mountain
Once snow fell, crews plowed via a dozer equipped with ice cleats to keep paths clear. Water was supplied to drillers working through frozen ground via a tracked truck with custom cleats.
Manitou Springs, CO
Specialty Rail
Bid-Build
2020
Broadmoor Manitou Springs and Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Mountain
"The Stacy Witbeck team was professional in all manners, very collaborative, offered a solution-minded approach to all obstacles, and came to work each day with a can-do attitude irrespective of the daily weather conditions."
Project Manager, The Oklahoma Publishing Company