Mountain Folk Tales: Conductor Brad Swartzwelter

Conductor Brad Swartzwelter’s primary interest has always been trains, even from before he can remember. When he was around two years old, his mother took him on a train ride from Denver to Ottumwa, Iowa. While he does not remember the trip, his mother says he enjoyed it greatly.

As a kid, Swartzwelter’s interest in trains only grew. As many kids do, he played with a train set and, further encouraging his interest, his parents would stop the car whenever they drove by a train so that he could watch it.

Swartzwelter’s family often vacationed at Sheriff Ranch in Granby, fishing with a lease on the Colorado River. During these vacations, he watched and waved at the Rio Grande Zephyr rolling through. For him, this fascination has been “a lifelong ailment, [for which] I’ve tried numerous remedies [and] there is no cure.”