Getting your player ready...
CANON CITY — Less than a year after a summer wildfire took a big bite out of Canon City’s tourism business, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad reopened Saturday, and its owner believes that upgrades in service, strong advertising and an improving economy will bring visitors back to pre-fire levels.
Neither the rail line nor railcars sustained damage, but the number of riders dropped by nearly 50 percent last summer, leading owner Mark Greksa to take action.
He hired a production crew, spent about $100,000 on production and air time, and ran a commercial saying his railroad and the town of Canon City were open for business. Within 72 hours, many tourists showed up to ride the train, he said.
