New Year, New Offerings!
Happy 2023! It’s definitely winter here in Golden, but there’s plenty going on at the Colorado Railroad Museum. This is a great time for a family visit—starting January 14 we’ve got Saturday Train Rides, Story Time & Craft, and special guided tours taking place selected dates. We’re also launching Galloping Goose Train Rides on selected Tuesdays this winter and spring (more about that in this issue!). Here’s a preview of what’s heading our way at the Museum in January 2023:
- The Museum’s popular Galloping Goose self-propelled rail cars are featured in three new “Big Train Tours” episodes! If you visited the Museum prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, chances are that you took a Train Ride aboard Galloping Goose No. 7. You may have seen the other two—Nos. 2 and 6—operating during special events. Here’s your chance to learn more about these unique cars and their role in keeping southwestern Colorado’s Rio Grande Southern railroad operating through the 1930s and 1940s.
- The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday. While winter weather can be challenging, weekdays this time of year can also be quiet and relaxing. There are great photo opportunities, and the chance to “commune” with your favorite rail vehicles without distraction.
- Saturday Train Rides are Back! Comfortable closed and open cars are available for seating, depending on the weather. All Aboard for a fun and relaxing Saturday experience! Advance ticket purchase is recommended, if you have a specific time you wish to ride. Members, you can reserve a train time free of charge online as well. If you’re looking for somewhere to take the family, make the Museum part of your plans!
- Galloping Goose Train Rides will operate selected Tuesdays Mid-January-early May! The Museum was forced to stop offering these popular rides during the Pandemic, and in the meantime our regular weekend Train Rides have grown in popularity. Galloping Goose No. 7—while offering a very unique ride opportunity—has only limited seating capacity, so we will be offering these on selected Tuesdays, coinciding with other popular family programming.
- Work is under way on Colorado’s oldest operating steam locomotive, Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 346! This locomotive was last overhauled some 15 years ago, and is now in need of major repairs to running gear, plus a thorough inspection of its pressure surfaces (boiler and firebox) and any necessary work that is indicated. This will likely be a two-year process for the full overhaul to be completed. Read about this and more 2023 projects, as well as a recap of 2022’s accomplishments!
In this issue of the Telegrapher, you’ll find all of these topics—and more—covered for your review. We appreciate your interest in the Museum, and thank you for your continued support. Please stay warm and safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon in Golden!
Paul Hammond
Executive Director
IN THIS ISSUE:
Galloping Goose Train Rides are Back!
Galloping Goose YouTube Videos Available
Saturday Train Rides Resume January 14!
Read Across America – Thursday, March 2
2022 Accomplishments and 2023 Plans
Tuesday Storybook Tours Continue
New Online Content
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Galloping Goose Train Rides are Back!
Selected Tuesdays mid-January-early May
The Colorado Railroad Museum is pleased to announce the return of Galloping Goose Train Rides in early 2023. These will operate selected Tuesdays from mid-January through early May! These unique Train Rides will be offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on selected Tuesdays, coinciding with family programming at the Museum. Train Tickets (in addition to regular admission) are $4 adults, $2 ages 2-17 and seniors.
The Museum was forced to stop offering these popular Galloping Goose Train Rides during the Pandemic, due to the close and cozy passenger quarters that are their hallmark. And since we reopened in May 2020, our regular weekend Train Rides have grown in popularity, so much so that the Galloping Goose could no longer be used on Saturdays. Galloping Goose No. 7 offers a unique ride experience; All Aboard!
Click Here to view our Train Ride calendar and see when the Galloping Goose will be operating next!
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Museum’s “Galloping Goose” Motor Cars Featured!
New YouTube Videos Profile the Museum’s Three “Geese”
Have you ever taken a ride aboard Galloping Goose motor car No. 7 at the Museum? Or looked at the three Geese displayed at the Museum, wondering why they look so curious? If so, you may also have wondered: Who operated these cars, why were they built, and what sort of work did they do for the railroad?
Three all-new Big Train Tours videos, recently released, are now available to showcase the interesting story of these cars! The short version is that these cars were built to help this hand-to-mouth southwestern Colorado railroad save money during the Great Depression, but there’s more to the story of course.
In these new videos you’ll learn not only the history of the Museum’s Galloping Goose rail cars, but also how they helped keep their host railroad (the Rio Grande Southern) in operation for two decades longer than it otherwise might have lasted. And, you’ll learn how all three ended up here in Golden!
These new videos part of the Museum’s “Still Working on the Railroad” virtual programming series, and are available free of charge (just like all of our YouTube videos!). Just follow this link to the Museum’s YouTube page (scroll to “Big Train Tours and Small Wonders”) and you’ll be all set to enjoy the show!
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Saturday Train Rides Resume January 14
(Museum Open Tuesday-Sunday)
Saturday Train Rides resume in mid-January, and throughout February and until mid-May they will continue! (Thereafter, frequency increases for the summer with Train Rides available Thursday-Sunday mid-May through mid-August.) Trains depart every half-hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break for the crew at 12:30 p.m. (no departure at that time).
The 2023 operating season features trains pulled by one of our trusty diesel-electric locomotives, and featuring both open-air and enclosed coaches for your enjoyment (weather-dependent). We recommend advance ticket purchase; on busy days selected departures often sell out. Members, don’t forget that you can also book your tickets in advance, at no charge, for regular train rides!
Train Tickets (in addition to regular admission) are $4 adults, $2 ages 2-17 and seniors. Remember, Museum Membership provides free admission and regular train rides year-round! Not a member? Visit www.ColoradoRailroadMuseum.org/membership to learn more, or call us at (303) 279-4591 during business hours.
As always, the Museum will be open Tuesday-Sunday (closed Mondays) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On days where winter weather is especially challenging, call us at (303) 279-4591 to make sure we’re open. There are occasional days when the snow is so deep, or the ice so slick, that it’s simply not safe for us to open the Museum. But most of the time we’re here like clockwork, so you can enjoy your visit. All Aboard!
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Read Across America: Join Us!
Nationwide Literacy Event is Thursday, March 2
On Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., grab your passports and join us for a storybook adventure as we celebrate our first Read Across America day at the Colorado Railroad Museum! Train Rides will be available aboard our own legendary “Galloping Goose” railcar this day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (train rides are an additional $4/adult ages 18 and older, $2 youths/children ages 2-17).
Immerse yourselves in the rich history of railroads by exploring classic train stories during your train ride and inside our historic rail cars throughout the museum’s grounds. Make sure to meet our friends, Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and the museum’s own mascot, Spike! You and your family can also visit our upper gallery, where you can create your own storybook to bring home!
Featured books will likely include Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, stories from the Thomas the Tank Engine collection, Donald Crews’ Freight Train, Marian Potter’s The Little Red Caboose, even excerpts from the Harry Potter series featuring the “Hogwarts Express” will be enjoyed. Watch for Updates!
Regular admission fees apply. To learn more and to reserve tickets in advance (recommended particularly for Train Rides), please visit our website!
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2022 Accomplishments and 2023 Plans:
The Colorado Railroad Museum has a busy year ahead!
Sharing Colorado’s rich railroad heritage with guests and audiences of all ages and backgrounds is what the Colorado Railroad Museum exists to do. We’re proud of the many improvements made to our programs and facilities over the past decade. We’re also proud of the fact that we responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with resolve, welcoming audiences to enjoy the Museum safely while launching online programming for those who were unable to visit.
But we couldn’t do all of this without your support. The Museum relies on the generosity of its members and donors throughout the year. As we continue taking steps to prepare for an even brighter future, we hope that you’ll join with us. Your contributions help preserve railroading’s incredible history, and also the sharing of this history through engaging programs and actual train rides. Younger guests often experience their first railroad journey at the Colorado Railroad Museum!
The Museum recaps its accomplishments near the end of each year, while announcing plans for the coming year. Click Here for the latest update, for your review. We hope you’ll agree that the Colorado Railroad Museum has a track record of carefully stewarding its resources to maximize impact, while also achieving notable results. Your support makes a difference!
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Tuesday Storybook Tours Continue!
The first Tuesday of every month in 2023, join us for a unique Storybook Tour! Intended for young children and their parents, the tour starts at 10 a.m. and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Cost is $3 per person, plus Museum admission. Join us for the next Storybook Tour on Tuesday, January 3!
This one of a kind tour takes you on a trip throughout the Museum’s railyard, inspired by some of the best of children’s literature—railroad themed, of course! The Little Engine That Could, the Little Red Caboose and of course, Donald Crews’ Freight Train provide the suitable inspiration for this adventure at the Colorado Railroad Museum.
Our ongoing Friday Tours continue every week, of course, each with a different theme. For the latest updates, please visit our website. And thank you for your continued interest and support!.
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New Online Content
Virtual Programs Available Online!
During the month of December 2022, the Colorado Railroad Museum’s staff team created a full lineup of new programs that YOU can experience in the comfort of your own home. All Aboard, Online!
Our newest Big Train Tours (as noted earlier in this issue) focus on Galloping Goose railcars, and provide a history of the Museum’s three unique Galloping Geese, No. 2, 6 and 7, in the process. And, the Museum’s most recent Small Wonders episode looks at Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Archival Maps, sharing what these maps cover and the Museum’s collection of them!
Also available are new episodes of all our popular, ongoing series, including the latest Storytime & Craft episode. And, if you’re still craving delicious food, you won’t want to miss our latest show-stopper of a recipe— Harvey Girl Special Little Thin Orange Pancakes—featured in our Dining on the Rails post. Click Here to search the latest offerings on our website!
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