Colorado Railroad Museum

The Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado, is the definitive institution for the history of railroading in the Rocky Mountain West, housing the most comprehensive collection of narrow gauge railroad equipment in the United States. Founded in 1959 and located in the shadow of the Front Range mountains near Denver, the museum’s 15-acre campus includes a remarkable collection of over 100 pieces of historic narrow gauge and standard gauge locomotives and rolling stock, displayed in an outdoor exhibit yard and the impressive main museum building modeled after an 1880 Colorado depot. Highlights include several operational steam locomotives, exquisite examples of Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge equipment, and the only surviving examples of many unique Colorado railroad vehicles. The museum’s Huck Finn miniature railroad carries visitors through the exhibit yard for a close-up look at the rolling stock collection. An extensive reference library and archive hold one of the most important collections of railroad records, photographs, maps, and documents in the Rocky Mountain region. Special events throughout the year include the popular Steam Up weekends when vintage locomotives are fired up and operated on the museum’s demonstration track. The Colorado Railroad Museum is a vital educational and preservation institution serving railroad historians, enthusiasts, and the general public.