Pikes Peak
AA-2026-3C242D
On the image
A hanging sign, likely intended to inform visitors, details the specifications of a Pikes Peak Cog Railway engine. It lists the builder, Baldwin Locomotive Works, and the year of construction, 1893, implying that such engineering facts were once considered compelling tourist information. The overall design reflects a mid-century pride in industrial heritage.
The sign also notes the engine "ran continuously up to 1938," a detail presented with the solemnity of a significant historical marker. This suggests a time when 45 years of continuous operation was a remarkable achievement, worthy of public commemoration for a piece of machinery that moved people 14,109 feet up a mountain.
Visitors standing before this sign in the 1950s would have understood the subtext: this machine once conquered nature, and now you can too, on one of its successors. The entire display is a subtle reminder that even leisure activities often required an impressive amount of industrial effort.
The historian's note
The image depicts a historical sign from the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, located in Colorado, USA. This railway, also known as the Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, was established in 1891 and is one of the highest railways in the world, climbing to the summit of Pikes Peak.
Engine No. 1, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1893, was among the early steam locomotives utilised on the line. The sign's mention of continuous operation until 1938 refers to its active service life before being retired or replaced by newer equipment. This period was crucial for establishing tourism to Pikes Peak.
By the 1950s, when this photograph was taken, such signs served to educate tourists about the railway's pioneering history and the engineering feats involved in its construction and operation, enhancing the visitor experience at this popular Colorado attraction.
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Pikes Peak Cog Railway Engine History Sign, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-3C242D. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pikes-peak-cog-railway-engine-history-sign-1950s.
@misc{aaAA20263C242D,
title = {Pikes Peak Cog Railway Engine History Sign, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-3C242D},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pikes-peak-cog-railway-engine-history-sign-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Pikes Peak Cog Railway Engine History Sign, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-3C242D UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/pikes-peak-cog-railway-engine-history-sign-1950s ER -
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