Royal Gorge Bridge/Page 2

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The Arkansas Valley Flywheelers put on a big tractor show in August of 2009. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Southwest cable anchorage. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The 1983 rehab was done by Wilolamb International of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Royal Gorge postcard.

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The station in Cañon City for the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The railway line has always been intertwined with the success of the bridge. This relationship created quite a bit of drama in the late 1990s when a mining businessman bought the air rights above the rail line and decided to raise the annual fee the park would have to pay to have the bridge cross over the line. Writer Eric Dexheimer wrote an engrossing and colorful article on the fight that ensued between the Cañon City council and the new property owner. Read it Here: The Royal Grudge Bridge

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Rafters pass beneath the famous Hanging bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Part of the 1983 rehab included the addition of wind cables beneath the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The northeast wind cable anchor required a truss tower support. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The northwest wind cable anchor. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The southwest wind cable anchor. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Rafters float 955 feet (291 meters) below the bridge deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

The famous incline railway was installed in 1931. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Only a small section in the middle has 4 rails to allow the two carriages to pass. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Early Royal Gorge postcard.

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

A sightseeing helicopter plunges into the gorge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com

Image by Donnie Shackleford.

The Royal Gorge train is a separate attraction a mile west of the bridge. The 3 mile round trip excursion goes to a lookout platform at the edge of the gorge with a spectacular view of the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com