Denver Mountains Region
Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden, CO

"Hear that lonesome whistle blow" as it echoes down the valley or across the plains!

This haunting, romantic sound stirs up old memories and sparks desire for adventures to far away places. Watch the excitement of young ones as they wait to hear it, then jump when the loud whistle reverberates in competition with the exuberance of steam hissing from the engine or the rhythmic clickity-clack of metal on metal.

Rail fans across the country and the world will enjoy the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. From an early age, it seems as though all children go through a phase where the train obsession takes over. For some, that love of train stays with them for life. Some rail fans tour the world for the chance to ride, either in the engine or as a passenger, every train still running today.

To get a feel of the evolution of the train and for an opportunity to learn about the business of the train, this museum, at the base of the foothills in the Colorado Rockies, is a must see. For families with young children, the Thomas the Train Days make a wonderful memorable outing.

Just a thumbnail of what you see there:

The Roundhouse

The five stall roundhouse, with its working “Armstrong” turntable, houses the machine shop, welding and woodshop tools. In stall #1, you can see the D&RGW locomotive No. 318, drivers with rods. In this stall, you can also see a drop pit and inspection pit. One man, by pushing the long turning pole, can rotate a locomotive on the half-draw lead track that centers narrow gauge equipment on a 4-rail turntable.

The Trains - from narrow gauge to standard gauge, steam to diesel engines, boxcar to caboose, over 93 pieces of equipment line the yard.

The oldest authentic Colorado locomotive is the D&RGW 318 2-8-0 Baldwin 1/1896, Builder’s No. 14769. Originally the Florence & Cripple Creek “Goldfield,” it was used later by the Denver and Rio Grand out of Salida, Durango and Montrose. During the last runs, it worked out of Pagosa Springs and Ouray.

The self-advertising Adolph Coors Company billboard refrigerator car #5400 is on display as one of the original fleet of 30 “billboard reefers” put into use with the repeal of Prohibition in 1934. In the summer, large cakes of ice were put in bunkers in the ends of each car and throughout the trip, the ice was refurbished through roof hatches. Winter housed heaters in the bunkers to keep the beer from freezing. Even today, three trains pulling 50 cars or so depart the Golden station daily with 172,000 cans of beer each to all parts of the United States.

The museum has a large picnic area. Guests are encouraged to bring their own food and nonalcoholic drinks.

Special days:

• Narrow Gauge Train Rides (Call for dates)
  On these days, train runs every 20 minutes between 10 am – 4 pm.
• Take your family on these special weekends, and ride the historic narrow gauge passenger train
  pulled by a steam locomotive as part of the museum admission (Thomas the Train that cost extra).
  March: Bunny Express - One day
  April: One weekend
  May: One weekend
  June: Father's Day - One day
  July: One weekend
  Sept: Day Out With Thomas the Train - two weekends
  Dec: Santa Claus Special – one weekend