Brought my 2 and 4 year old here and they loved it! Took advantage of their story time with the 2 year old while the 4 year old got to discover all about trains. We all had a blast. read more

Been wanting to see the Co RR Museum since relocating back to Denver. Huge, Huge, Disappointment: Way overpriced admittance charge; and could not actually get it to some of the train exhibits since access was blocked. Saw their marvelous HO Train Layout. It is very impressive, but it would have been nice if any of the trains were moving. read more

This was a trip. Lots of cool trains to look at, that's about it. The train set up in the basement didn't work, there is a coin slot to make it run and yet, it didn't. The employees were aware but that didn't stop them from preventing you from putting money in it. We had a very unfriendly encounter when purchasing tickets and I'm not really sure why. We purchased our tickets and then the employee walked away. The two people in front of us were given a full explanation of the museum, what was open and a map. We were seemly left in the dark. I'm sure this place is cool for someone. At least we were able to pass some time before our actual scheduled event. Any more than $10 a person though, I wouldn't visit. read more

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Railroad museum about 20 minutes west of Denver featuring numerous steam engines, locomotives, rolling stock and cabooses. Most are local road names and feature both standard and narrow gauges. While some pieces have been restored, most are probably similar to when they arrived. Need to knows: This museum is outdoors so subject to weather. Most walking is done on gravel. It is fairly level but maybe a 20 foot elevation difference from end to end. Elevation is at approximately 5600 feet so allow time for relaxing (benches available). There are signs warning of rattlesnakes so walk with caution. Check website for daily activities. read more

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Wow! What a magical experience The Polar Express was from the show, to the hot chocolate and snickerdoodle, the theatrics on the plane, to Santa's welcoming. He even smelt like candy. It is quite the memorable experience for children and adults. The tickets are definitely play worthy prices, and a holiday experience to at least try once with the children. It will be a memory they won't forget. read more

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Great Visit! Very surprised about several of the negative reviews. This place waa larger than expected and lots of train cars outside to look at and around. Some nicely restored. A very nice selection! Some ypu coukd go inside. It is definitely a great place to bring kids. Nice outside display of a model railroad (not running today). Plenty of picnic tables around. Fun HO Model Railroad set up in the basement. Very extensive layout with lots of details including mines! Bring quarters to feed (run).the trains! This would be a perfect place for a kid's bday party. Even an adult party. We read they have cocktails and trains! read more

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Worthwhile spot to go to with kids! We went for the Harvest Haunt before Halloween and our little one loved it. It felt like a small space when I initially arrived but you can easily spend an entire day there with kids, between the special exhibits/activities, the kids caboose, the museum, the model train inside, etc. Highly recommend a visit, especially for the specials! read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - Harvest Haunt - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

We're here as part of our tour. We walked in the museum which begins from the Gift Shop. Watched a movie about the railroads and trains of the area. It was quite informative, and I learned from it. We walked outside, we follow the path, it took us by many vintage trains. There were signs in front of each train describing its significance. Some we were able to go inside. At this point, all I could think was: Our grandson who was into Thomas, SHOULD have been here. He's been to three Holiday Express birthday parties in Portland, and he'll be 7. read more

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We came specifically for the Day Out with Thomas train ride. Parking was fairly easy. Lots of people were navigating you through. Overall, a great experience. Everything is outdoors. The train ride was 20 minutes. We skipped the show that was after because toddlers, and we knew they wouldn't sit for it. But we walked around. The kids played with different train sets. Then we walked around the different trains and went into a few of them. A cool place. They told us about the different events they have throughout the year. So I think we'll have to check them out. read more

Great museum for train lovers! This was not far out of the way for us while staying near Golden. There was a bus load of kids but we didn't feel crowded here. There's lots of interactive things to play with, and I liked seeing the snowplow train up close. The model train was running and very impressive. The staff are helpful and friendly. Great for a half day or more if you want to read through everything. read more

Very interesting with lots of historical information. Maverick, the young volunteer, can answer all your questions It was a memorable experience for sure. read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

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Place was very well put together had good exhibits. Bring your walking shoes it's up and down. read more

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I came specifically for the Galloping Goose. Very unique experience to be able to ride on one of the only rail buses ever built. The operator was very knowledgeable about the railroad and had personally worked on and operated most of the Geese. Their other trains outside, and the HO layout downstairs is also very impressive. I inquired about Galloping Goose 100% Cotton T-Shirts in the gift store and the younger lady at the register wasn't able to help me. read more

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We came here for our friends little ones second birthday party. It was one of the Thomas the train weekends, so that was fun to see though our little one has no idea who Thomas is! We really enjoyed all the fun activities they had going on special to the event as well as chatting with the employees about the engines that are there and other fun things about the locomotive shop. read more

I enjoyed a beautiful December Sunday afternoon at the Colorado Railroad Museum. The model train in the basement is incredible. The exterior of the trains are in great shape. The outdoor train garden is amazing and decorated for the Christmas season. Possibly because it's the off season, we couldn't go inside many trains. That's really what kept this from a 5-star review. I think we were able to enter four or five trains. I could see that there were stairs to enter others trains, but the doors were locked. I'm guessing during warmer months, more stuff is open. I would definitely like to come back another time to see if I can't get this review up to 5 stars. read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

This was a fantastic museum to visit as I've always loved trains and railroads. I'm surprised I've been in Colorado for a decade of more and never been there. This museum is about 80 percent outdoors so pick a nice day to attend. They have all kinds of trains from more modern diesel electric engines all the way back to steam engines from the 1800's. They have an incredible scale train set up in the basement this must have taken years to build. You simply have to see it to believe it. This would be an incredible place to take children for a picnic and spend a warm afternoon. The staff was pleasant and easy going. The price to get in was very inexpensive and worth every cent. read more

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Took some Girl scouts and went to the Polar Express train ride. Was not sure what to expect as it was everyones first time. When you arrive you check in and they take you back to where a pre-show cabaret style show is happening. At the show time they start up with some of the songs from Polar Express and also bring you hot cocoa and cookies. If you are gluten free, you get a granola bar. They have papers and crayons out to fill out the letter to santa if you are coming with younger children. And also a box to put the letters into. After that you get escorted out towards the train. The paper inside your lanyard will indicate which car you will go on to. They continue the show on the train. You get a ride to the "north pole" You dont get out there however, you just watch from the window santa and some elves doing some singing and dancing. And then you ride back to "golden" where you get off. As you are exiting you have the option of going to another car to see santa and get pictures with him and also get your present. We did not really get to see any of the trains that are normally in the yard as it was dark out when we got there. The show was enjoyable. If you have young kids especially. They do encourage you to show up in your PJs. We did not do that. I have teenagers. Too cool for that ;) 4 stars only because it seems it may have been a little bit overpriced. But it is a big fundraiser for them so if you look at it that way then its not bad. Its like a donation (kind of). However if you have little kids it would probably be 5 stars for sure. read more

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Great time touring this museum with my parents this summer. Great open yard and lots to see. I like the circular layout and many locomotives scattered. They have a nice indoors with a lot to see as well, like a history walk through and model train area. Nice gift shop and air conditioning which was nice on hot days. Enthusiasts will see many different types of locomotive and train bits. They have a large round table, really neat to see one up close! Great work and not very expensive. I think just $3 for a train ride too. Very nice staff and learned a lot! read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

Bottom Line: Many acres of land with a variety of locomotives and rolling stock. I love trains and train museums but after reading so many bad reviews about the Colorado Railroad Museum I was really on the fence if I wanted to to rent a car and make the drive from downtown Denver to Golden just for this museum. After seeing the museum's content on YouTube I decided that I did want to visit, provided it was good weather since most things to see are outside. With my husband on board we headed out to the Colorado Railroad Museum on a sunny day in early October. Something that I really enjoyed about this museum is that I got to see very different stuff than what I am accustomed to seeing at East Coast train museums. I was excited to see the Galloping Goose since I hadn't seen one before and I also enjoyed seeing the cog railway locomotive and the Shay locomotive. (Although we do have Shays on the east coast in operation and at a museum.) I always love a Railroad Post Office car and the RPO at the Colorado Railroad Museum was no exception. I also enjoyed checking out the little kitchen car and the Pullman exhibit inside and on the lower level. As a long time G-scale (LGB) model railroader I did take a few moments to check out the G-scale train garden. A highlight of the museum was talking to volunteer Ed at the turntable. Whether it be at a train show, on a scenic train ride or at a railroad museum I often get a very condescending vibe from older gentlemen but that certainly wasn't the case with Ed. He was very engaging and we had a lovely and natural conversation about steam locos, diesel switchers, bobber cabooses (or is it cabeese? - just kidding), round houses, turntables and such. Without the fun discussion with Ed this would probably just be a four star museum. We did not get to go for a train ride but that was fine with us. We had just done two scenic train rides earlier in the week so we enjoyed just strolling along the variety of locomotives and rolling stocks. We made a quick pass through the gift shop before departing. Because much of the museum is outside I definitely recommend going when the weather is more favorable if possible. read more

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Service is very friendly and informative. Lots of fun stuff to see. Riding the train is fun. But all of the information shared during the ride falls on mostly deaf ears when you see the number of little ones on the ride. The man who came through our car offered to take our picture, but it would have been more helpful if he offered and did try to answer any questions the riders had. I had several. We had a 5 yo and a 2.5 yo who enjoyed the train ride and the Brio set on the lower level. The HO train layout might also benefit from the installation of some ceiling mirrors to help see the display easier. read more

This is a great outdoor train museum with a plethora of different trains that you can climb up on or in from standard locomotives to mail cars. It's set up almost randomly with the ability to wander and see what varieties of trains have traversed this country and the globe. There is also a model train set up inside which is also fascinating as well. There are wonders both adults and kids will appreciate and the ability to touch and feel the trains is a marvelous experience. It never gets old. read more

Wonderful museum! The timing of our visit last weekend was unintentionally perfect as we were able to see the Polar Express being prepped for the evening and moved from the roundhouse. Great place for kids! read more

From the moment we walked in through the doors, we were greeted with happy smiles and friendly faces. After walking through the gift shop, we went to buy our tickets for the museum and we were asked if we would like to ride the train. Of course we did not hesitate. Train rides are every hour and worth every penny. we sat in the last coach that was from the 1800s wow so amazing. I can't believe that people complain about the condition of some of the trains. They are from the 1800s of course they are not going to be brand new and I appreciate that they're all original. The volunteers that were working were so nice and helpful and very proud of what they do there at the museum, we spent a couple of a couple of hours walking through the trains and loved every single minute. I was pleasantly surprised with pricing in the gift shop. Everything is affordable even the sodas are only $.95 where do you find a soda for under a dollar anymore especially at a museum? I highly recommend for any age to see the beautiful views and also witness a piece of history. read more

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We took the younger kids to our local train museum, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. And omg, I can't believe we didn't go sooner. This place is a train lover's dream. Their 15 acre railyard of over 100 locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and cabooses. We even did the train ride, which my train-loving son was super excited about. Museum admission is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 2-17. The train ride is an additional $4 for adults and $2 for ages 2-17. We were there for two hours and didn't even see everything! We all had a great time and can't wait to go back with our older two. We went during a weekday so they were in school. We were sure to get them something from the gift shop, which had so many cute things. read more

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We had a great experience. Beautiful show. I cannot wait to take my children on more train rides! We did the polar express for the 1st time this year and it was the most stunning and beautiful show I have ever seen. It was amazing. My husband and I had many discussions after, over the last few days, and we are making this a tradition. Growing up my parents took me to the nutcracker, which I found boring. The polar express was just an absolute stunner. The costumes were beautiful and the play was so so so cute and fun. read more

Great place to visit with people who love trains. The people are absolutely some of the nicest and friendliest people I have met in Colorado. The number of engine types they have is amazing. Definitely worth a visit with train enthusiasts. read more

This is really a 3.5 star review and the .5 is explicitly for reminding what it was like to be a kid with my father. My father listed hitting a museum as one of the top two events that he wanted to partake in during my visit to Denver. Unfortunately neither of us was smart enough to know that in April 2021, museums were requiring reservation. After failing to find 2 free tickets at either Denver Art Museum or the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, he asked me to look into the Colorado Railroad Museum. Suprise suprise, there was availability. During our visit we were able to check multiple model train exhibits, actual trains from every era (wooden to present day locomotives), and to ride on a train that loops around the museum grounds while dropping awesome factoids. In April 2021 they also had two exhibits that were perfectly made for my interests one on the role of blacks in the growth of railroads and the railroad labor rights history. So, though this is obviously a museum that children can enjoy on a level that adults cannot, there is still plenty that an adult who still loves to learn and still has imagination can enjoy. This is especially true if that adult is there with someone they love and missed terribly during COVID. read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - All aboard - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

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This place is a must for train enthusiasts - lots of old trains here that you can climb into and explore. Train themed gift shop. My only disappointment was the train ride. We climbed aboard and circled the grounds of the museum 3 times. Not exactly what I was expecting. This train trip would be exciting and fun for a child under 3 or 4. Older kids probably not so much. read more

Well done museum with some inside exhibits including a huge HO scale model. Most of the museum is outside, so many engines, train cars, caboose and especially a couple Galloping Goose. Turntable was cool to see in action... My favorite was seeing the Midland Terminal Passenger Car being restored in the shop read more

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If you are looking for an amazing family friendly environment - full of interactive, walk through exhibits, new and exciting trains, that you'd like to walk into and tour, an amazing gift shop and restaurant, friendly tour guides that are knowledgeable about everything on the grounds and clean non-muddy walking paths - then this museum is not for you. We parked in what could best be described as a mud hole swamp, by the time we left the mud filled parking lot, our stroller wheels could barely turn because they were so caked with mud. It's called rock- try putting some down so your patrons aren't slugging through mud. You enter through an underwhelming gift shop and then go onto the grounds full of trains that you can't even walk into or tour. They might have closed the trains down because it was muddy but if that's the case, close the entire museum so people aren't wasting their money. I could have gotten the exact same experience by walking through a train yard with Wikipedia. If there were 100 train cars here, you can only walk through 3 of them, which are basically old 2 X 4 wooden shells. None of the passenger cars were available to tour. There was no restaurant - so we left early because people were hungry. There was mud everywhere. There was no audio tour or tour guide so you're left reading ancient placards. This museum is clearly ran voluntarily by train enthusiasts that know absolutely nothing about running an interactive exhibit filled train museum. Do yourself a favor and watch a train documentary on YouTube for free before spending a penny going here. If they happen to have all of the exhibits open in the summer, and we just got the short end of the stick, then the operator of this museum needs to close this museum down during the winter because we and the people we talked to in the parking lot, agree... This train museum can blow its own whistle! read more

I had a great time because I was able to come on a Thursday when they were running the train rides. Several Knowledgeable older railroad types were available to discuss things and answer questions, so that was cool. My grandfather worked on the Great Northeast so whenever that comes the conversation usually gets pretty involved. This place is a history museum that shows aspects of Colorado that are from the mid 1800s when steam powered rail started supporting mining that predated that. They talk about the strike and massacre in the mine just north of Trinidad, so it's not all about railroad and they don't shy from the uncomfortable nuances of Colorado history, which I like. Tell it how it was. There are lots of steam engines and one small gaige workhorse type that I've never seen, so thst should say a lot from someone who grew up with steam railroad in the family. There are several several diesel electric engines and cars. Unfortunately, whe I stuck my head into the carriages works to look at the electric motors on the wheel sets I could only see that they were removed. Not an uncommon phenomenon but a tad disappointing since I am an electrical engineer and like that stuff. If you want to see the heavy industry of rail this is a good stop as it had a roundhouse and a pretty extensive shop. The turntable is interesting as it's manually operated. Talk to the guys working in the engine rework area for a minute or two if they look like they are taking a break. If you lime what you in the round house I would encourage you to stop into Durango and see the roundhouse tour. You can see the recording of a boiler there and see what an engine looks like without the insulation and outer cladding. Plus the ride to Silverton is a great follow-up from thos stop. Like many of these places the people here are exceptionally friendly and conversant with additional information. But try to come on days they are running the train of its at all possible. read more

we drove out of our way 3 hours on a trip through Colorado to see the HO trains and other things at the museum. none of it was being run or availabl. if we had know ( updated website or something) we would have skipped it and saved us the time and money to get there. plenty of employees walking around, but most displays not available, neither inside or outside model trains were running. This is probably a great place in summer but not this time of year. very disappointin. read more

I enjoyed visiting the railroad museum, a lot of the trains are roped off so you can't go inside them but it's still a good day trip-something different and not too expensive. read more

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I've been going to the museum since i was 2 or 3, it has always been a great place i recommend it (note bring good shoes). i have had such a good experience that i have made a youtube channel based mostly around the place ( https://www.youtube.com/@TomTheTrainGuy ) anyways it is worth the money if you would like to ride behind one of their historic steam locomotives check their website anyways its a great place to visit if your kid likes trains or just likes history make sure to visit if you are near golden for the weekend. read more

I came on a slow day so there wasn't much activity. The garden railway wasn't operating and there weren't any train rides available. It was nice for about a 1 hour visit. read more

I was visiting a cousin in Denver and we decided to take a trip to the museum. We both enjoyed the experience very much! It was so interesting to travel through history on the railroad. We watched some interesting movies as well in the museum theater. It's a nice experience for a few hours while exploring the area. read more

The Dinosaur Express Train: Ride behind a steam locomotive and follow the dinosaur tracks around the Museum's 15-acre rail yard and enjoy dinosaur themed activities hosted by Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Dinosaur Ridge and Morrison Natural History Museum. Danielle treated me well as she told me all about this event on Saturday & Sunday, August 17th & 18th, 2019 read more

Colorado Railroad Museum - Danielle in the spirit for The Dinosaur Express Train - Bookstores Near Me - Golden, Colorado

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Had a wonderful time visiting this railroad museum. It was filled with surprises and delights. I appreciated deeply the collection of steam and diesel locomotives, the rail cars for passengers and freight. Their tableaus featuring different work areas at a rail yard and rail depot were deeply interesting as well. I had a thrill as I explored different time frames from American history. It was really neat to find the large gauge model railroads and small gauge setups. Their collection of memorabilia and equipment is something to enjoy for sure. From a historical perspective this museum is great because not only can you see the actual devices and activities but everything is documented! It's a great visit all around whether you are a hardcore railroad buff or having a day or two out for a family outing. read more

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The museum is dilapidated. Creaky stairs and steps. Must be extremely careful with kids. It does not give me the impression of a railroad museum, but rather a hobby shop turned into a museum at best. Getting into some of the rail car exhibits is a chore. Slippery surfaces in the junk yard . Yes, the place looks like a rail junkyard. One of the Union Pacific cars smells like mould. Signboard shows a simulation for Coors switcher - we make our way all the way to it through the snow and mud puddles only to realize it doesn't work . They also get a one star for attitude towards American Express customers . If they don't take AMEX - they should say so clearly outside on the DOOR AND THE WEBSITE . If they got funding and support to display their museum prominently on the highway exits , it means they must be considerate to all customers . What's more irritating is the cashier at the counter telling me that "nobody accepts American Express ". That kind of statement by is hyperbolic and a total lie. American Express is one of the most widely accepted credit cards and its clientele tend to be those who spend way more than the average customer . How do I know ? I run several businesses as well. Blocking Amex customers just because their merchant fees are 0.25 % high is nothing but a "penny wise pound foolish decision ". So that they are aware : the Denver Aquarium accepts AMEX, the Denver Zoo accepts AMEX - and I can go on an on . I am glad their coin machines accepts American currency in quarters. Furthermore- there is nothing more irritating to show up at a place and realize nothing can be bought from their store because of this . So, I didn't even bother checking their store out . Took my kid to the Lego store after visiting the museum and got a lot of fun train stuff - oh, they accept American Express. funding/ donation is an important aspect of running this particular business- there are donation boxes everywhere. So now that is not going to come from me either . I am a model railroad enthusiast and own an extensive collection of models from LGB, Marklin, Aster, OS Live steam ( when they used to be in business ) and have supported many clubs over the years for live steam. This unfortunately did not make the cut. Also - you have read more

I've embarked on a "tourist in my own town" mission lately and gave the Colorado Railroad Museum a try this past weekend. I think this museum is probably *way* more fun with kiddos and has a ton of potential for a rad "after hours" event space. It's in Golden and only about a 20-25 minute drive from Denver, which isn't bad at all. We also used it as an excuse to check out downtown Golden and make a pit stop a Red Rocks, so I'd say the day was well spent! Here's what you can expect to do at the Colorado Railroad Museum: + Look at trains (obviously). There are a few trains closer to the "depot" that you can actually step into and check out. They have them decorated per the period the car would've been used--there's a kitchen car and a mail car that were both pretty interesting. You can also walk around the rest of the railyard and look at the outside of other trains. I think there might be a tour you can pull up on your phone to make it a little more relevant. + Ride the rails! For an extra 4 bucks ($2 for kids), you can ride the "Galloping Goose" diesel car while a very kind old gentleman tells you more about train history. The ride is about ten minutes long (three loops around the property) and is only offered on Saturdays. + Check out the exhibits in the basement. They've got some interesting stuff down there (all regarding trains/railroads) and a really intricate model railroad. + Shop the gift shop. The shop has lots of Colorado history stuff, conductor hats, and coal. + Host a kid's bday party inside of a train car. We saw one going on while we were there that looked really cute. ...and that's kind of it. I dig doing educational stuff and supporting SCFD, but I probably wouldn't head back sans kids or a special event any time soon. read more

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