The Mountaineer was a miniature cog train that ran from the Broadmoor Hotel to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The Mountaineer Zoo Train is long gone, but you can still find remnants of the historic equipment in the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s parking lot.

This station shown below was on the north end of the Broadmoor Lake, near where the hotel’s playground and outdoor swimming pool are today.  The second photo with the curved window is where the zoo’s gift shop is now. The train station was in the parking lot next to the building.

Originally the engine was built to resemble the Pikes Peak Cog train’s steam engines and the same type of cog track was used.

In the 1950’s, Cadillac built a modern custom engine just for this ride.    This engine has been refurbished and is on display on in the parking lot of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This display track is a piece of track in its original location.   Remnants of one of the four tunnels and the railroad bed near the water tank just below the zoo are still visible.

Until recently, the remnants of the two cars could have been seen at the Colorado Springs Trolley Museum near Fillmore Street and Interstate 25.  Their fiberglass vista-domes were still intact.   I have been unable to find record of what happened to the original steam-type engine. The remnants of the two passenger cars are no longer at the Trolley Museum. As you can see in the photo, they had deteriorated beyond repair and recently scrapped.

Explore!  The ride and track are gone but you can visit the restored Cadillac engine on display, still resting on the original rails.  Behind the engine display is the tunnel entrance, hidden in the bushes. The other end is still very visible across the street, covered by a chain link gate.  Yes, the 400′ tunnel that ran under the street is still there.

The raised railway bed can be seen running parallel to the road between the large water tank and the zoo’s parking lot.