The Platte Valley Trolley is a project of the Denver Rail Heritage Society. Their station of origination is near the new REI flagship store in Denver which was formally the home of the Forney Transportation Museum and originally a power house for the Denver Trolley system. REI is a little hard to find but if you take the 221 exit off of I-25 and go east all the way under Speer Blvd. you will find it. From Downtown, go Northwest on 15th and turn left on Platte just before you get to I-25. The REI parking lot is posted for customers only but I don't think you will have a problem if you're there to ride the trolley.
The trolley itself is not native to Denver. The trucks and controls came from Australia and the body is a replica fabricated in the US. The trip first follows the Platte river past the Aquarium, the Children's Museum, Elitch Gardens and Mile Hi Stadium. They then turn west up Lakewood Gulch as far as Decatur Street. During the 11:30 trip, the ride continues farther west, but having forgotten my GPS I can't pin down the exact stopping place. This originally was the part of Route 84, the interurban to Golden. Within the next couple of years the local transit authority (RTD, see July 11th) will begin rebuilding that line to carry light rail back to Golden. At that time all trolley trips will terminate at Decatur Street but if the historical society's plan are met they will have a new trolley barn and museum at that location and may have extended the other end of the line all the way across the river to Union Station.
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