GOLDEN, Colo. — The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club will merge with the Colorado Railroad Museum, the two organizations have announced, allowing the efforts of the club to continue even as it disbands after 87 years.
“This merger will formally end the work of the Rocky Club, but our goal is to nurture the continuation of its spirit,” Colorado Railroad Museum Executive Director Paul Hammond said in a press release. “We intend to continue this Colorado railroading institution’s extraordinary work and celebrate its legacy well into the future. The club’s invaluable contributions toward preserving Colorado’s rail history will endure through the Museum’s ongoing preservation, publication, live rail excursion and public engagement efforts, ensuring that future generations can continue to learn from and appreciate the rich rail heritage of the Rocky Mountain region.”
The transition to place over the next several months will include the transfer of club assets, historical archives, and selected financial resources to the museum. The club and museum have had a close relationship since the museum relocated to Golden in 1959.
“The merger will also provide RMRRC’s cherished collections with the resources necessary for future preservation, while continuing to engage and inspire rail enthusiasts, young and old,” Hammond said. “Current club members will become museum members, providing them with regular e-newsletters, print magazines, and access to extensive in-person and online programming.”
The club, founded in 1938, was well-known for its special excursions, including many on now-vanished railroads including the Rio Grande Southern. Its pioneering preservation efforts helped save RGS steam locomotive No. 20, a 4-6-0 built in 1899, and business car Rico, as well as Denver & Rio Grande Western short caboose No. 0578. All three are now displayed at the museum after their donation in 2006. No. 20, after a 14-year restoration costing more than $2 million, was returned to operation in 2020. The club has also awarded more than $52,000 to preservation efforts elsewhere in the country.
The club’s contributions, as well as those of other rail enthusiast organizations, during its “Colorado Crossings” event May 17-18. The event will feature operation of No. 20, as well as a recreation of a 1940s Rocky Mountain Railroad Club excursion, tours of the Rico and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy business car No. 96, preserved by the Intermountain Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The event will also feature a parade of all three of the museum’s Galloping Geese.
For more information on the museum, and the Colorado Crossings event, visit the museum website.
I’ve been to Golden several times. Alas, never when trains were running!. This museum is one of those deserving of a side trip and a full day!
Unity is strength! Best of good luck to both RMRRC and CRRM teams!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
My wife and I visited the Colorado Railroad Museum last week while we were in Denver for a convention. They have a very nice collection of both narrow gauge and standard gauge equipment. They employees and volunteers were all very friendly and knowledgeable about their collection. Unfortunately the trains weren’t running that day but it was still definitely worth the trip from Denver.
FWIW Coors is just down the street …… if one family member is into trains (me) and the rest of the family is into beer (not me) it’s the perfect day.
It’s been a long while (about 20 years), so my memory is hazy (no, I didn’t drink any beer, I’m much more into wine) — I seem to remember being awed by the machine shop. Not all rail museums give this much of the life-cycle experience of railroading. What I’m trying to say is that there’s much more to heritage railroading than riding a train.