Happy May! In honor of our upcoming Colorado Crossings event, happening Saturday May 17th, and Sunday May 18th, we are featuring the history of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. To accompany this history, we are featuring a recipe that was served on one of the excursions taken on by the club—a roast beef sandwich.
The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club (RMRRC) was founded in 1938 in Denver, Colorado. Rail enthusiasts wanted to get together and discuss the history of railroads in the Rocky Mountains. The early members “started out merely as a widely assorted group of individuals drawn together by the fact that, regardless of age, we had never outgrown our childhood fascination for “choo-choo trains.” The 1942 RMRRC newsletter, which the quote came from, continued to talk about how the group morphed over the first four years to establish important friendships and connections, with a particular interest in steam locomotives. Over time, the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club came to play a prominent role in the railroading community. The club not only brought together members to share their passion for trains, but also organized chartered trips to explore historic rail lines and landmarks, and undertook vital preservation work to protect the Rocky Mountain region’s railroad heritage.
Figure 1 1942 Rocky Mountain Railroad Club Newsletter
The early excursions taken by the club in 1939 included tours of Denver & Rio Grande Western’s (D&RGW) Burnham shops and Union Pacific’s Pullman shops, both located in Denver. Members also toured the Moffat Tunnel and took a ride on the Pike’s Peak cog railway, with the fare costing just $3.50. Through these excursions, the RMRRC helped spark interest in Colorado and Rocky Mountain railroads. The trips included journeys over the Rio Grande Southern (RGS) lines as well as other now-defunct railroads.
Figure 2 Cornelius Hauck, co-founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum, on a RMRRC excursion, 1961.
In addition to their excursions, the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club was instrumental in preserving locomotives and cars including RGS steam locomotive No. 20, RGS business car “Rico,” and Denver & Rio Grande Western “short” caboose No. 0578. The club donated these three rail vehicles to the Colorado Railroad Museum in 2006 where they are proudly on display. Before that, however, the business car “Rico” was housed at the Museum during its early days, where club members worked on restoring it.
Figure 3 Rio Grande Southern business car Rico at the Colorado Railroad Museum, 1958.
Our recipe today is inspired by The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club’s Winter Excursion of 1982 aboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The program included information for photo stops that members could partake in, historic images from the line, and dining options on the concession car, including roast beef sandwiches. Roast beef sandwiches have been served aboard other railroads, including Union Pacific. The recipe today comes from Caroline Trask Norton’s Rocky Mountain Cook Book.
Figure 4 RMRRC Durango & Silverton excursion program dining page, 1982.
So where did roast beef sandwiches originate? Sandwiches, as they are known today, are said to originate from John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich, who asked a cook to prepare a meal that could be consumed with one hand so that his other hand would be free for a 24-hour gambling streak he participated in in 1762. There were regional differences in what types of meat were put on sandwiches, with the British preferring beef and Americans preferring ham. Roast beef sandwiches themselves seem to have gained popularity in the United States in the 20th century. We hope you enjoyed our brief history of the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club and its excursions. In 2025, the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club is joining forces with the Colorado Railroad Museum, which will carry forward the Club’s legacy of rail preservation, publishing, and promoting rail history in Colorado. The Colorado Railroad Museum’s 2025 Colorado Crossings event will celebrate the theme of “Fanning the Future” by focusing on the railroad clubs instrumental in preserving Colorado’s rail history. If you try the recipe, please let us know in the comments below, or on our social media channels!
Rocky Mountain Cook Book Meat Sandwiches
Spread the bread with butter or mayonnaise, or mix the meat with mayonnaise…Thinly sliced meat of any kind (roast beef in this case), seasoned with salt and pepper; spread over with mayonnaise or French dressing, if liked.
Bread for sandwiches should be fine grained and a day old. Rolls used for sandwiches should be fresh and small.
