I don’t venture to downtown Denver very often – urban settings just aren’t my thing. However, a couple of weekends ago I was down there for family pictures and while I wasn’t taking those images, I took along my camera in case anything interesting came along.

While my wife and kids were taking their turn in front of the portrait photographer’s lens, I found myself captivated by this old railroad bridge.

Found at the south end of Wynkoop Street where it meets Cherry Creek, the bridge was constructed in 1908 for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Now it serves as a pedestrian bridge over the creek with access to the regional trail system.

The weathered, cold steel look really brought back memories of a bygone era when the iron horse was king. This image looks almost black and white due to the bridge struts’ coloring and the drab skies but is in fact a color image. I cranked up the clarity to add some ‘grit’ to it.