More than any other undertaking, railroads have transformed Colorado from a wild, isolated, sparsely populated and geographically challenging territory into a booming state filled with agriculture, extractive industries, manufacturing and large cities filled with arts and culture. To recognize this fact, the Colorado Railroad Museum is spearheading efforts each year to declare the last week of June to be Colorado Railroad Heritage Week.

Why this week? The first train arrived in Denver on June 24, 1870, accompanied by great celebration. Within just a few decades more than 2,000 miles of railroad tracks had been constructed along gorges, across roaring rivers, through tunnels and over high mountain passes until they reached almost every corner of the state.

Colorado Railroad Heritage Week, June 16 – 22, 2024 celebrates the more than two dozen rail heritage sites in the state. It’s an ideal time for Coloradans to get out and experience some of the state’s railroads, many which will offer specials during the week-long commemoration.

“Colorado has four of the top 10 most scenic train rides in the nation, according to a recent poll by USA Today,” notes Paul Hammond, executive director of the Colorado Railroad Museum. In addition to placing first (Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad) and second (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad), Colorado’s Broadmoor, Pikes Peak & Manitou Cog Railway and the Georgetown Loop Railroad also placed in the top 10.

“Colorado has done a tremendous job of preserving railroad history for the enjoyment of residents and visitors, and Colorado Railroad Heritage Week is an opportunity to recognize that and encourage people to get out and ride a train,” Hammond says.

2024 Proclamation.

SOME COLORADO RAILROAD HERITAGE FACTS

Colorado currently boasts the following:
● 18 steam locomotives in operation, with five more undergoing restoration to operating condition, making it one of the top two states for steam locomotion in the U.S. today

● The highest and longest steam railroad in the Western Hemisphere (the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad)

● The highest cog railroad in the world (Broadmoor, Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway)

● The fourth longest railroad tunnel in North America (Moffat Tunnel, used by Amtrak’s California Zephyr and the Rocky Mountaineer’s “Rockies to the Red Rocks” train)

● Six out of the seven famed Galloping Geese, a rail fan favorite contraption that took early automobiles and fitted them with train wheels and room for passengers, mail and freight (Colorado Railroad Museum, Galloping Goose Historical Society, Ridgway Railroad Museum, Telluride Volunteer Fire Department)

● One of the largest model railroads by size in the U.S. (Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley)

● Trains that have appeared in many movies, including Around the World in 80 Days and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Durango & Silverton), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic), and A Ticket to Tomahawk (Colorado Railroad Museum)

● A wide variety of restored railroad stations, locomotives, cars, operating trains, model trains, and rails to trails options that capture the romance and history of railroads in Colorado

“We hope Colorado Railroad Heritage Week will be a time for Coloradans to reflect on all that railroads have meant to our state, and make plans to ride an historic train or visit a rail heritage site or museum,” Hammond said. He noted that rail heritage sites can be found just about everywhere in Colorado – from the eastern plains of Julesburg, Hugo and Limon, to the San Luis Valley in the south, to Western Slope communities from Durango to Grand Junction to Winter Park, and along the Front Range from Fort Collins to Pueblo. A number of Colorado railroads and attractions are “on board” for Colorado Railroad Heritage Week, and will offer special events and even discounts!

Offers, Events, Promotions and Exhibits Throughout Colorado:

Learn About the Various Railroads of the Month on Instagram:

ABOUT THE COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM:
Consistently ranked by Visit Denver as one of the top 10 attractions in the city, the Colorado Railroad Museum features the most comprehensive collection of railroad history in the state with more than 100 narrow- and standard-gauge steam and diesel locomotives, passenger cars, cabooses and freight cars. Located on a spectacular 15-acre site in Clear Creek Valley in Golden, CO, the museum has a half mile circle of operating track offering weekend train rides, along with a working roundhouse and turntable, railroad library, exhibition galleries, outdoor pavilion, and a huge indoor HO model railroad and outdoor G-scale garden railway. The Colorado Railroad Museum offers interactive family fun mixed with authentic Colorado railroad history.