1. Take the train from Cripple Creek
Our list of 10 must-see Colorado railroad attractions starts with a trip back in time. Railroads arrived in the mining town of Cripple Creek in 1893, and today the best way to see the “World’s Greatest Gold Camp” is aboard Colorado’s only 2-foot narrow-gauge steam railroad, the Cripple Creek & Victor. Its colorful coal-fired locomotives take visitors on a 45-minute, 4-mile round trip along the original roadbed of the Florence & Cripple Creek, past abandoned gold mines and mining claims that are part of the Cripple Creek Historic District. The locomotive roster includes engines of both American and German manufacture, including a rare 0-4-4-0 compound Mallet that once worked in Mexico. May to October (seven trips daily); admission fee; cripplecreekrailroad.com
2. Ride a vintage streetcar in Fort Collins
Car No. 21 of the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society is a fully restored Birney Safety car that operated until 1951 on one of the last streetcar lines in Colorado. Built in 1919, it was extensively restored by volunteers over a seven-year period. On summer weekends, passengers may climb aboard No. 21 at Fort Collins City Park for a 3-mile trip along a segment of the original railway that traverses tree-lined Mountain Avenue through the city. May to September (weekends); Noon to 5 p.m.; admission fee; fortcollinstrolley.org
3. Discover Space Age railroading at Pueblo
Pueblo, location of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Transportation Technology Center, is also the home of the Pueblo Railroad Museum. There are dozens of locomotives and cars on exhibit, including a Santa Fe 4-8-4 and one of the last remaining General Electric U30C U-boats. Not to be missed are three experimental rocket-powered railroad vehicles once put through their paces at the TTC test track. Hours vary; free admission; pueblorailway.org
4. Stroll through the Old West at Fairplay
History buffs will find much to like at South Park City, a restored 1880s mining town located in Fairplay, 85 miles southwest of Denver. Among the collection of restored pioneer buildings is a depot with exhibits related to the Denver, South Park & Pacific. A Porter 2-6-0 locomotive similar to those of the DSP&P is on static display, along with several wooden freight cars from the Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge. May 15 to October 15; admission fee; southparkcity.org
5. Photograph a “Dinky” at Fort Morgan
The Great Western Sugar Co. operated a fleet of industrial 0-4-0T locomotives — workers called them “Dinkies” — at its Colorado sugar factories into the early 1980s, making them among the last U.S. standard-gauge steam locomotives to operate in freight service. The last one to be fired up, 0-4-0T No. 2148, is exhibited in a small park located in front of the former GW sugar factory in Fort Morgan, now owned by Western Sugar Cooperative. At nearby Riverside Park is 0-4-0T No. 2176, and there are also Dinkies on display in Sterling and Ovid. Daily; free admission
6. See a Big Boy up close in Denver
The largest steam locomotives to operate in Colorado were Union Pacific’s legendary 4-8-8-4 Big Boys. No. 4005, built in 1941, is displayed at Denver’s Forney Museum of Transportation along with three additional steam locomotives, a railroad crane, a rotary snow plow, and several passenger cars. The Forney collection includes rare vehicles, tractors, and motorcycles, all of which are exhibited indoors, making Forney a great year-round tourist destination. Daily; admission fee; forneymuseum.org
7. Learn about a Galloping Goose in Dolores
In Dolores, the nonprofit Galloping Goose Historical Society has preserved Rio Grande Southern No. 5, a Depression-era motorcar featuring a Wayne bus body; it was restored in 1998. The society museum, in a replica of the Dolores depot, features displays. May to October (closed Sunday); limited off-season hours; free admission; gallopinggoose5.com
8. Visit the railroad park in Breckenridge
In the mountains above Denver, the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance operates the High Line Railroad Park. Its main attraction on display is Colorado & Southern 2-6-0 No. 9, which dates to 1884, and a rotary snowplow similar to those once used by the Denver, Leadville & Gunnison. Several wooden freight cars and a caboose are open. Seasonal hours; free admission; breckhistory.org/museums/high-line-railroad-park
9. Bike the Gold Camp Road to Victor
The right-of-way of the abandoned Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Railway, which linked Colorado Springs and the gold camps at Victor in the 1890s, is now an 8 1/2-mile unpaved scenic highway, the Gold Camp Road, maintained by the National Park Service. Closed to vehicular traffic, the roadbed is perfect for hikers and bikers, with impressive rock cuts, fills, tunnels, and abandoned mining claims to discover. Seasonal; free admission; cospringstrails.com/hikes/goldcamproad.html
10. Celebrate the RGS at Ridgway
The birthplace of the narrow-gauge Rio Grande Southern in 1890 was in the tiny town of Ridgway, at the gateway to the San Juan Mountains 90 miles southeast of Grand Junction. Although Rio Grande Southern abandoned operations in December 1951, its spirit lives on at the Ridgway Railroad Museum. An exhibit building features photo-graphs and models, and outside are several historic narrow-gauge cars along with a faithful replica of Rio Grande Southern No. 1, the first of the railroad’s famous “Galloping Goose” motorcars. There is also a loop of track and short train rides are available on summer weekends. April to October; free admission; ridgwayrailroadmuseum.org
Well now, you can’t put everything but also ya”ll can’t leave our C&T and D&S railroads!