The Colorado Midland Railway was the first standard gauge railroad to the mining districts of Colorado. It was built in the 1880s and eventually torn out in the 1930s. Severe winter weather, competition from other railroads, the collapse of the silver mining industry, and problems with government management during the First World War all contributed to its demise.
The route from the eastern prarie up into the mountains is particular steep just as you start, with a 7% grade for several miles. This required some daring engineering, including this bridge high over a residential area in Manitou Springs. You can't see any buildings in this picture, but there were some--one was crushed when an engine fell off the bridge.
This bridge is probably only famous among railway fans (at least fans of German railways). It was on the 'WCd-Linie', the first narrow-gauge railway built in Saxony. The line was closed by the communist government (against local opposition) decades ago, this bridge - in bad shape by then - was turned to scrap metal. Now a section rebuilt for tourists by a civilian initiative ends some distance from the bridgehead.
This US-style simple iron construction is rather rare in Europe (but, a bridge almost exactly like this survives on an Austrian narrow gauge museum railway). *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
