Photo: RTD
With Colorado Railroad Heritage Week coming up later this month (June 24-30, 2025), we’re taking a look back at Denver’s streetcar system and the traces that still remain today.
Recently, original rails from the Denver Tramway Company were uncovered along West Colfax Avenue. These tracks once carried electric streetcars across the city, connecting neighborhoods with Downtown, and even reaching further out to cities like Arvada and Golden. At its peak, the network spanned over 160 miles of track and operated more than 250 streetcars.
The system began with cable cars around 1888 (horse cars were used by other, earlier companies too), then fully switched to electric trolleys by 1900 using overhead wires. Buses started replacing streetcars in the 1940s, and the final streetcar ran on June 3, 1950. Many of the old rails were simply paved over, and when they resurface today, they bring a visible piece of Denver’s history back into view.
Photo: Bill Bondie
Discoveries like this are a powerful reminder of how the past continues to shape our everyday lives. This is just one aspect of Colorado’s rich rail heritage, which the Museum will be officially celebrating during Colorado Railroad Heritage Week. Railroads have helped shape communities across the state, and that legacy is still all around us—sometimes even beneath our streets. As we approach Colorado Railroad Heritage Week, we hope Coloradans will continue to celebrate and experience this history, and help keep its stories alive for generations to come.
