It took half a century, but I finally made a return trip to The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway last week.

It was a very different experience than it was 50 years ago. It was also warmly familiar.

Renee and I were surprised to be able to get tickets for a Saturday trip on Friday. The last time I looked into riding the cog train was shortly after it reopened in May of 2021 after a more than 3-year closure. At that time, the train was booked for almost the entire summer.

The depot looked much like it had been captured in my memory. Charming and efficient but also honest to its vintage roots.

The commentary from the conductor was familiar — a mix of geology, history and make-you-groan dad jokes. The anecdotes varied from Zebulon Pike to frozen hikers to an exploding donkey.

The cars are sleek and modern, much like trains I’ve ridden in Europe. That’s not surprising, since they are manufactured in Switzerland.

Fifty years ago, the cog train ascended with an audible clickety-clack. Now, it’s reassuringly silent. That was also reminiscent of rail differences I experienced in Europe. During a visit to Ireland in the 1970s, we took a train from Dublin to Cork. The cars were vintage, even for that time, and there was a lot of play between the wheels and the rails. The train jostled side to side so much that it felt like being on an old roller coaster.

During that trip, a rotund Irish lady was trying to walk down the center aisle but was being bounced so badly that she quickly ended up in an unsuspecting man’s lap. Soon, all the passengers were helping by passing her, row by row, down the aisle. Her laughter was contagious and before she got halfway through, the entire car was roaring.

Fast forward about 40 years and the rail travel I experienced through Switzerland, Germany and Belgium was smooth, fast and comfortable.

While not fast, the cog train was smooth and comfortable. We arrived at the new Pikes Peak Summit House in about an hour.

That’s where the journey was really different. The new summit house is palatial. The old one was more like a big hunter’s cabin.

Renee was delighted by the plentiful bathrooms. She had memories of waiting a half hour at the old summit house. The restaurant is also well-designed and can process large numbers of patrons in a short span of time.

For all the changes, one thing was the same. Donuts made at over 14,000 feet are far better than those made at lower elevations. It’s good that the doughnuts remain unchanged. Some things just can’t be improved.

A quick look through the museumlike displays and a stop to top off our water containers and we reboarded for the return trip down the mountain.

During the descent, the conductor told us about the many safety features the train has. If all of those somehow failed, he said there were two giant springs at the bottom — Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs.

I remember hearing the same joke 50 years ago.