75 Years Ago
The June 8, 1950 Colorado Transcript announced two monumental changes in Golden’s transportation history–the end of the 84 trolley and the beginning of the 84 bus line. The 84 trolley began as the Denver, Lakewood, & Golden Railroad in 1892. It ran through the Lakewood area and provided convenient hourly transportation between Denver and Golden for many years.
In 1950, the Denver Tramway Company decided to replace all metro-area streetcars and interurbans with diesel buses. Buses provided more flexibility than fixed-route rail lines, and the individual vehicles were more easily interchangeable. The “84” bus line, which ran chiefly along Colfax, eventually became today's routes 16 and 17.
Fifty-four years later, in 2004, Denver area voters approved the FasTracks program, which was intended to bring back commuter rail service. The line from Denver to Golden (the “W Line”) was the first one built, largely because much of the old 1950 right of way through Lakewood was still open.
