I have put together an article for The Fence Post magazine about the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. It should run in the upcoming May 13, 2019 edition, as well as on their website.
The following are a number of photos taken during my visit to the museum. It is a great place to experience authentic Colorado history of the narrow gauge railroads.
The historic Engine 346 at the Colorado Railroad Museum takes visitors on a loop around the museum’s 15-acre property. The 1881 steam locomotive is a way for visitors to reach back in time and experience a bit of Colorado in the late 1800’s.The Denver & Rio Grande diesel engine 5771 sits on the grounds at the Colorad Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. The bright yellow engine is recognizable from its days powering the Rio Grande Zephyr passenger train between Denver and Salt Lake City from 1971 to 1983. It also powered the famous “ski train” for a number of years.The bright red Caboose 49 from the Denver& Rio Grande Railroad beckons visitors to take a look inside. Quite a few of the rail cars on the 15-acre property of the Colorado Railroad Museum are open for visitors to examine.William Henry Jackson is one of the most respected landscape photographers of the American Wes. In 1869 Jackson won a commission from the Union Pacific to document the scenery along the various railroad routes for promotional purposes. The Colorado Railroad Museum currently has an exhibit about William Henry Jackson that ncludes quite a few of his stunning photographs. The exhibit is scheduled to run through the rest of 2019.The interior of an 1881 Jackson and Sharp coach car which is pulled behind the Colorado Railroad Museum’s 1881 steam locomotive for visitors riding the loop around the 15-acre property. The experience brings the late 1800’s to life for those riding the train.The Colorado Railroad Museum’s store is located inside the Depot Museum, where railroad related items, gifts, clothing, and toys can be purchased to help support the mission of the museum.A 1930’s rail car (built by Cadillac) that was part of the Manitou & Pike’s Peak Railway is part of the 15-acre display of historic Colorado railroad items at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO.A “Garden Scale Model” of the popular Thomas the Tank Engine rolls over the rails within the detailed grounds laid out and hand built over several decades by the Denver Garden Railroad Society. “G Scale” railroad trains are built to represent real trains and the Colorado Railroad Museum’s garden railroad features tunnels, bridges, plants, trees, houses, churches, businesses, etc. It is a popular location inside the grounds of the railroad museum located in Golden., CO.
Lincoln photographing a historic locomotive engine at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. Photo courtesy of Donald Tallman, Executive Director of the Colorado Railroad Museum.
Well… a railroad story, actually!
I am currently working on a story and photos regarding the Colorado Railroad Museum, and Donald Tallman (the Executive Director of the museum) generously sent me this photo he took of me photographing one of the engines on the 15-acre property in Golden, CO.
What a great place to visit! I had an enjoyable time talking with the people there, as well as touring the expansive grounds and photographing all kinds of railroad engines and railroad cars from different eras. I even had a chance to ride in an 1881 coach, while an 1881 steam engine pulled us around the loop on the property. Really cool. The hands-on, experiential history of the state and of the railroad industry that was so crucial to Colorado in those days (especially the narrow gauge railroads), is on full display for all to see there at the museum. I highly recommend it, if you are in the area.
I hope to have the story and photos finished within the next couple of weeks and published in The Fence Post magazine. Thanks for the photo Donald Tallman!
(Fort Mackinac and the front of Mackinac Island in a photograph taken by a tourist in 1918)
My wife and I enjoy history, especially when it is alive and well. Visiting old American frontier forts in Colorado (Bents Old Fort) and Wyoming (Fort Laramie, Fort Casper) is a real treat, but one of our very favorites is the historic Fort Mackinac located on Mackinac Island between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The location is amazing and has such an authentic feel to it, since the island does not allow motorized transportation and keeps its Victorian atmosphere fresh and energetic. Visiting this fort that saw action during the War of 1812 with the British was great fun for us. If you ever get a chance to visit beautiful Mackinac Island, take it. You won’t be sorry.
