Colorado Railroad Museum

What a busy day we had! First pumpkin picking and then the railroad museum. That's what happens when you are limited to weekends for all family activities.

We checked out the cool model train set-up first, and had to tear Isaac away from it ("Thomas!") to ride the Galloping Goose. He loved it once we were on. We loved it, too. There was a conductor aboard who gave us the history of the Galloping Goose. There were seven of them made (in Ridgway!) to run mail on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad back in the 1930's. They are motorized cars and were eventually converted to passenger cars and ran the lines until the 1950's.

Today, only one Galloping Goose is not around, and Colorado Railroad Museum has three. Another is in Telluride, one more in southwest Colorado, which runs on the Durango-Silverton line, and the last is in California.  I think it's so neat to live in a place that holds so much exciting history--rail lines through the mountains, gold and silver mines, cowboys. Such a fun place to grow up if you're into that sort of thing (which, so far, Isaac is).

After the Goose ride, we walked the grounds and checked out some of the engines, caboose and rail cars.

And finally, back to the model trains!

There was so much more to see than what we could fit into this trip. Obviously, we'll be back. Meanwhile, I'm left scheming--how magical would it be for Isaac to wake up to a motorized Thomas engine running around the Christmas tree?!