Golden, Colorado

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Well, you would think Bill would have seen his share of Railroad Museums by now, but he could not pass by the Golden Railroad Museum. It is one of the most famous Railroad Museums in the country. A replica of an 1880's-style depot, the museum building houses thousands of rare old photographs, artifacts and documents illustrating the colorful histories of the railroads which have served the state for over 125 years. An outstanding book and gift shop features hundreds of railroad books and videos, as well as magazines, posters, jewelry and other memorabilia.

The museum is located just east of Golden at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains. Display tracks, complete with rare three-way stub switches and century-old switch stands, hold many historic narrow and standard gauge locomotives and cars. The museum building, based in exterior design on standard station construction of the 1880's, houses the largest known collection of historic records, mementos, artifacts, and pictures of Colorado railroads.

The museum grounds contain three buildings: the actual museum and gift shop, the Robert Richardson Library, and the Cornelius W. Hauck Restoration Facility, better known as the Roundhouse. There is approximately 15 acres of track, buildings, engines and cars, including three of the Galloping Goose cars that saved the Rio Grande Southern railroad in the early 1900's when snow covered the tracks and made it impossible for trains to get through. You will read more about the Galloping Goose when you read about the Ridgway , Colorado Museum.

Golden is a fun town to visit. Clear Creek runs through the center of town. It looks like an old western town in many ways but a few modern buildings are creeping onto the scene.

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Photos

He just can't stay off the trains !
This guy is hooked big time on trains! He is like a kid in a candy store when he is around trains!

Passenger Car 208
Patti actually has a replica of this car at the Riverbend and Southwest Florida Raiload.

Inside Passenger Car 208
These cars were very luxuriously accommodated on the inside. This car was completely restored to its original condition.

The Galloping goose
There were 7 of these made to keep the mail routes open throughout Colorado when the trains could not run due to the snow that covered the tracks. The construction consisted of an old Pierce Arrow truck engine, a school bus body or truck bed on the back, with a snow plow on the front. This machine would go with U. S. mail into the mountains and clear the tracks so that the mail could get through to the mountain communities in Colorado.
Golden Museum has 3 of these here at the museum. No. 7, No. 6 and NO. 2.

The Galloping Goose # 6
Galloping Goose $6 was a flatbed vehicle used for working on the railroad line while other "Motors" were rail buses used in passenger service. It was built in 1936 using a 1926 Pierce Arrow body. Pierce Arrow was a very expensive limosine in it's day. It carried mail and other cargo and of it's many jobs it would sometimes run ahead of a freight train towing a section car outfitted to burn weeds to keep the track clear.

The mail car
Each train always had a mail car when the trains could run and didn't need the Galloping Goose to make the trip.

The Snowblower
This car was built to blow snow from the tracks to try and keep the railroad open.

The Mail Hook
Every little town had a Mail Hook by the station where the train would hang the mail bag as it went through town. My how time has changed things!

One of the many trestles
Here is a replica of one on the many trestles in the Colorado Rocky Mountains