When I visited Colorado for my grandson's second birthday in December 2010, we visited one of his favorite places: the Colorado Railroad Museum, located at 17155 West 44th Avenue, Golden, Colorado.
The Museum building is a replica of an 1880s-style depot. It houses thousands of rare old photographs, artifacts, and documents illustrating the colorful histories of the railroads which have served the state for over 125 years.
The Museum is located on 15 acres at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains. The museum's emphasis is on the Rocky Mountain area railroads and explains and interprets the role of railroads in the history of this region from the 1860s to the present using exhibits, a library, and special events. The museum also has the Robert W. Richardson Railroad Library on the grounds which houses over 10,000 books specific to railroads.
There is an opportunity to climb aboard many of the railroad cars. Here my husband, son, and grandson are posing for my camera on an 1890 Denver and Rio Grande Locomotive.
There were many interesting and historic railroad cars to visit.
Many had informational placards telling of their history. All photos can be clicked on once and then again when they open on a new page to make them larger to see details.
A streamliner-era locomotive - the "Rio Grande Zephyr."
One of the "Snow Fighters" Locomotives
A collage of some other trains is on display.
On "Steam-Up" Operating Days, a historic narrow gauge passenger train powered by a steam or diesel locomotive will run at approximately 20-minute intervals. In the video above my son and grandson are watching the train make a pass before we all went on it for a ride.
The day we visited the Colorado Railroad Museum Santa and Mrs. Claus were there to greet the children, but my grandson was happier to see the Railroad Engineer Dog and give him a "high five"!
The Denver Garden Railway Society has its G-scale, garden railway exhibit on the grounds of the Museum. My grandson was especially happy to see "Thomas the Train" make its rounds on the tracks.
It will come as no surprise to show what the special birthday cake my son and daughter-in-law made for L's second birthday -- a railroad train! I bought a Nordic Ware train-shaped pan for the occasion. They did a great job decorating it!
I was very happy to eat his cake and proclaimed it: "Delicious!" It really was! It was the end of a perfect second birthday for our little train-loving grandson.
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49 comments:
That museum is every little kids' dream. And the cake to go with it - how lucky he is! And you too, to share those wonderful memories
What a cutie he is! And oh how my grandson would love to see that exhibit!!!
Hi Pat...the train museum is fantastic...my son and grandson would love it. Son Jim is planning a train setup for his front yard...apparently there're several folks here in the area that have done this. The photo with your hubby, son and g'son is soooo cute! And the train cake...adorable...I'm going to have to tell my DIL about the train cake pan. Your photos and video, as always, are great, felt like I was right there!
Great displays.
Sydney - City and Suburbs
Gosh. That's still there. I took my 'baby' there when she was maybe four. I was going through old pictures a few days ago and found some from this neat place. Great place!
I love the history in Colorado. That train cake is so fun! I agree that they did a great job decorating. Hope your week is going well Pat! We're getting ready for a big snow starting tomorrow....I keep thinking of you guys. Thankfully they say ours may only top 1 foot....still can't imagine all the snow you guys have had.
I love trains so this looks like fun to me, Pat!
XO,
Sheila :-)
I just went back and played the video, and I loved hearing L! He's adorable, and I love his birthday cake, too. I cannot get over how much he's grown, Pat. It just seems like yesterday when he was born! Thanks for sharing. It's fun to see him growing up.
XO,
Sheila :-)
you are in my neck of the woods! we
live in and adore colorado and are so
happy you enjoyed our trains with
those adorable babies!
Pat, I've been eager for you to post this one. Thanks! I'm going to send it along to my friend whose "train loving" grandson will be two this month. ~ Sarah
Hi Pat, that grandson is gorgeous... All boys love trains ---and they can never get enough of Thomas the Train...
Looks like a fabulous train museum. My sons loved trains and one time we took them to a train restaurant for dinner. We thought they'd love it... But--my youngest cried the entire time when we were inside the train because he wanted to go OUTSIDE to see the train... He didn't understand that he was ON a train... ha ha
Hugs,
Betsy
Such a cutie pie! I love the photo of your husband and son and grandson.
This looks like a perfect place to bring a little boy - and the big boys too!
I can imagine how happy your grandson must have been to see those trains. I made a train cake for my son's second birthday cake and his grandparents gave him striped overalls and a cap...many years ago...
What a fun and colorful post!!! I love that snow fighter!! I guess that is something they put on the front of the train when there's snow? And at the end of the video, how cute that little car is that comes along right after the train!
How cute is Leo eating his cake????
The exhibition would be one of my husband favourite, absolutely!
Good Morning Pat, I always know when I come to visit I will enjoy a fabulous post. I am loving the trains and your darling grandson. Especially the photo of the train cake and your little guy eating train cake. Adorable.
Hugs, Jeanne
That is one special museum for little boys!! Our Alex LOVES trains. Your grandson is so cute, Pat! I know you are missing him terribly. LOVE the cake! I'm going to have to keep that in mind! We will have a second birthday coming up this summer. Thanks so much for sharing this fun spot and your family. Tanna
What a fun way to spend the day. My dad and two older brothers worked on the Erie Lakawana Railroad back in the day.
You have a lovely family, Pat. La
No wonder your grandson loves trains, what a fantastic place to visit. He's adorable! And that cake is just perfect!
That looks like a wonderful place to visit. My husband loves trains. He is determined to take a train trip with me sometime. We are thinking through the Canadian Rockies...
Hugs,
Penny
Pat, your grandson is so cute. Trains are so much fun, I remember taking our girls on train rides when they were younger.
I enjoyed the video!
Hugs,
Donna
LOVE the train cake your grandson has--so sweet... and L is such a SUPER-CUTIE-PIE!! :o) This was a ver fun post, Pat. I must forward it to my Dad, who is a huge fan of train--big and small. Happy Day ((HUGS))
How fun Pat. I'm forwarding this to a friend of ours who loves trains. In fact he loves them so much he built a special little house in the garden behind his home for his extensive collection.
You go to the most fun places. Wish I could hide in your suitcase.
Sam
What a cute photo of the three generations. Yes, we can see for ourselves that grandson found the cake delicious!
We have a neat train museum with a roundhouse in NC, should you decide to make a nationwide tour...!
That looked like a fun day for you all...when our sons were young, we took them on some of the historic trains of the west...what fun they had! Great photos and history as usual in your posts...I look forward to reading all your posts!
Can you imagine how excited I was to visit your blog today and see this post. As I read it my little grandson was sitting here watching episodes of "Thomas". I know he and we would love visiting "The Colorado Train Museum". What beautiful pictures you shared of it, and the train birthday cake was "over the top" cute. What a creative way to celebrate this special little guy.
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What a fun place and I loved that train cake. He is sure a cutie.
Boys and trains....so cute. He is precious, I know you enjoyed your visit so much. That looks like a fun and interesting place for any age.
I'm a sucker for a train museum. With my son's early obsession,we happily visited many - and I made both kids train birthday cakes (from little loaf pans). My basement has couplers and spikes we found in junk heaps during our journeys. And I find it impossibly romantic to travel to train. Can you tell I enjoyed the post and smiled all through it?
You do such fun things with your family, Pat, and this is perfect for a little boy! I'm sure the big 'kids' loved it too. I love the color cars.
I come from a long line of engineers and train enthusiasts so I especially loved this post. My father, grandfather and great grandfather were all engineers on the Norfolk and Western RR. I visit every train museum that I come close enough to. My hometown of Roanoke, VA has a wonderful one and I've been numerous times.
That is one adorable little train lover you have there. He must have been quite pleased with his cake.
Best,
Bonnie
Oh wow!!! Trains!!!! I love trains museum!! I went to the big one in York years ago and thoroughly enjoyed myself and felt like a great big kid surrounded by these gleaming and beautifully restored trains!!!
So I was there with your adorable grandson watching these wonderful and amazing works of engineering art!! Absolutely fascinating!! Awwwww I love that little train at the end of the clip!! LOL!! It's brilliant to see your grandson and son and hubby too!! It's great that your grandson enjoyed himself!!
Awwww happy birthday to him!! And look at that wonderful cake!!!!!!
Thanks for another magical trip, Pat!!! I really feel like I'm there!!
Take care
x
Wonderful! He is adorable. I have the pan too, so I was interested to see how you decorated yours. I did the car one a few years ago for gson...Oy it took forever.
I can certainly see why that's your grandson's favorite place. My Bubby would love that. I'll have to keep it in mind for his next extended stay with us in Colorado. Funny that it takes a New Yorker to turn me on to some of the sites in my own state. :o) I love the photo of the guys on the train: grandpa, dad, son. Sweet. And that birthday cake ... what a fab idea for a second birthday! I'm so glad you got to spend time with your grandson for his memorable second birthday!
I think that there's no one better with whom to visit a rail road museum than a little boy! It looks like a great day and a lovely birthday.
Kids love such places, it so true:) Anyway very colorful place. He is so cute!:)
What a great day for the little man and the big men too. My Man would love to visit that museum.
What a tremendous day. I just loved the red locomotive against the clear sky. It's been days since we saw a clear sky so they are particularly beautiful. The museam is a treasure and your little grandson is so cute. What a great birthday celebration for a sweet boy.
( I can hardly walk past a new cake pan)
Oh my gosh! L is getting so big. How can so much time have passed?
Love this museum. I would need to use a lot of self-restraint not to hitch a truck up to that caboose. It is really charming.
What a wonderful time your grandson had and he looks gorgeous with his birthdaycake. I am sure most men love trains . Lovely pictures Pat and such wonderful memories. Kids grow so fast.
That photo of your grandson is priceless. What a cutie. This was such an interesting post. I love trains. yvonne
I love old trains! One of the things on my travel wish list is to take one of the famous train journeys, like the Rovo's Rail in South Africa. But at least I've gotten to take a wine train trip in the wine district in Califorina on a trip there.
I've always like the old timey cabooses....probably because they're often red.
I love trains. My fav is The Mallard. When my son was little he too loved Thomas the Tank Engine. Didcot Steam Railway would hold special Thomas Days where the trains would dress up. There was a programme on tv recently about the Orient Express. I'd love to go on it for a short trip -no baths or showers though so I wouldn't want to stay for a long time.
Hey Pat, thanks for sharing these great photo's of your visit to see the grand,looks like yall had a wonderful time at the museum and a great birthday party, with the sweetest lookin' cake and the cutest grand too!
We know a thing or two bout trains, husband has worked for CSX railroad for 33 years!Prayers for retirement this year.
Jo
LazyonLoblolly
Your little L is so big now! He is adorable.
Rachel's little Elijah is looking forward to his second birthday soon too. She told me this week that she's bought him a starter train set. Your little guy has quite a head of hair. E's is still growing in on top. The back has a lot of curls. I think he's taken after his mom in that way.
What a wonderful visit you had to the train museum. Your grandson is so precious, Pat. I am really sad that I won't be welcoming my first grandchild in July, after all, but I hope it won't be too long before I have the opportunity to play with the first baby in our family.
Love that cake and that little boy's face!
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