Interesting article about a buncha kids that went into an abandoned missile silo and got more than they bargained for. Whats interesting to me is this part:
Old railway, you say? I’m wondering if thats simply some sort of short range rail system for transporting parts from silo1 to silo2, or something a bit more elaborate.
Honestly, if I knew there was an abandoned missile silo nearby I’d probably be eager to explore it too….mostly as a precursor to buying it. I need to test my Google skills and see if I can learn more about this facility……..
beau coup dinero amigo.
Looks like it’s a Titan-1 site, 725-B.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/725th_Strategic_Missile_Squadron
https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B040'06.0%22N+104%C2%B001'41.0%22W/@39.6676767,-104.0283599,367m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d39.668333!4d-104.028056?hl=en&entry=ttu
I suspect we have more subterranean rail transport systems now than above ground ones. Most of our critical infrastructure is connected by underground transport systems since the 1800s.
I was stationed in the general area of this silo for a while, and had family and friends in the area of the “Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range” Air Force site, so spent a lot of time doing stupid “youngster with a truck and money for beer” stuff out in the boondocks of the former range.
I’ve been inside this silo (and others in the field) on a couple of occasions. Long after it had been deactivated and abandoned. You would NOT want to buy it. Very deteriorated, the missile silos are filled with 100+ feet of water, there is lots of mold, PCB contamination, etc.
Unlivable; and not restorable for a multitude of financial, legal and practical reasons.
It’s an ancient — by ICBM standards — Titan I silo that was one of six 3-missile launch sites to the southeast of Denver, HQ’d out of the former Lowry AFB.
There is NO ‘railroad’ on site. I don’t know where the local fire chief got the idea there was any such in the silo complex. There isn’t. The Titan silos are pretty large, but not that large. Everything is within easy walking distance, and all of the barracks, mess facilities, maintenance shops, etc, were in rather ordinary buildings on the surface. They’re all long gone at this site. At a couple of the others in the field there are still some of the aboveground buildings, perimeter fences, etc. A couple have been turned into land-fill sites for local cities and are completely inaccessible now.
My wife and I considered buying one of the sites that was for sale – I don’t recall which site it was, but it was about 25 miles east of Denver. This was about 20 years ago
We didn’t, ultimately because of PCB groundwater contamination, asbestos insulation, and a huge amount of other contaminants. We’d have spent five years watching guys in moon suits clean it up. For only about twice what we would have paid for it.
And then, Denver….
Back in the 80’s they were discussing putting the MX missile on an underground rail system
Above ground with armored shelters (my father was involved in the process of selecting sites).
Earnan: there ARE rails inside spanning the pods. Fact. At least remaining in THIS complex……this is one of a half dozen or so of this design per the vintage. Info is current.
Soapweed