GOLDEN, Colo. — The Colorado Railroad Museum is bringing back Denver’s largest and most colorful festival of operating trains on May 14-15, 2022. Called “Colorado Crossings: Intersections of History,” the event will feature two coal-fired narrow-gauge locomotives under steam plus three “Galloping Geese” in operation. These beloved self-propelled rail cars once carried mail over Lizard Head Pass in southwest Colorado.
“Railroads helped transform Colorado from a mountain wilderness into a booming state, and at this event we will feature a variety of operating locomotives, cars and equipment so that visitors can experience the sights, sounds, smells and thrills of early railroading in the Centennial State,” says Paul Hammond, executive director of the Colorado Railroad Museum.
The weekend’s activities include:
- Rides on a steam train pulled by Rio Grande Southern No. 20 (a vintage 1899 locomotive that just completed a $2 million, 14-year restoration in 2020) or in Rio Grande Southern “Galloping Goose” railcar No. 7.
- A “Parade of Geese and Steam” that will include three Rio Grande Southern “Galloping Geese” railcars, Nos. 2, 6, and 7, all built in Colorado in the 1930s (only seven Galloping Geese were ever built), plus 1899-vintage Rio Grande Southern steam locomotive No. 20 and 1928-vintage Denver & Rio Grande Western steam locomotive No. 491. For rail photo buffs, this will be the very first time in the museum’s history that such an impressive parade of vintage railroad equipment has been offered.
- Indoor and outdoor model railroads to marvel at, including a giant G-gauge outdoor garden railroad complete with buildings, tunnels, trestles, and miniature live trees.
- Opportunities for kids and adults to step aboard rail cars and cabooses, ring locomotive bells, and see more than 100 locomotives and cars on display.
- Turntable demonstrations will be ongoing each day, allowing visitors the chance to push a full-sized railroad turntable by hand.
- Roundhouse tours will allow visitors to see Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 491 up close and under steam. This is the largest operating coal-fired, narrow-gauge steam locomotive in Colorado.
- Two new exhibits, one focusing on the Pullman Company and its legacy, the other highlighting how communications on the railroad were done “Without Words.”
- Demonstrations by a blacksmith forging tools and trinkets from railroad spikes.
- A “Big Boy of a Used Book Sale” with hundreds of used railroad books available at bargain-basement prices.
- And speaking of Spike — the museum’s mascot, Spike the dog, will also be on hand this weekend for photos and selfies.
Additional information, including operating schedules and ticket availability, is available at the museum’s website: www.ColoradoRailroadMuseum.org or by calling (303) 279- 4591.
