Entry No. 6 — the Durango file — filed under: offbeat-museum
Rio Grande Southern Railroad Museum (Galloping Goose No. 5)
“The telegraph still clacks. Admission is free.”
The broke Rio Grande Southern built seven Galloping Geese — half bus, half locomotive — because running a real train for the mail cost too much. No. 5, assembled in 1933 from a 1928 Pierce-Arrow limousine, got a war-surplus GMC engine and a Wayne school-bus body in 1946. When the railroad died, the Dolores Rotary Club bought it for $250. Volunteers rebuilt it in 1998 and it still runs the Cumbres & Toltec; between trips it roosts at a replica depot where admission is free and the telegraph still clacks.
The move: Check the society excursion calendar first — if Goose No. 5 is running, book two seats and ride the thing; if it is home, take turns tapping messages on the depot telegraph.
📍 Before you go The museum occupies an exact replica of the original Dolores depot on Railroad Avenue in the center of town, with easy street parking and free admission. Goose No. 5 sometimes leaves to run excursions on the Cumbres & Toltec or Durango & Silverton, so check the events calendar before making the drive from Durango (about an hour). The season runs warm months only, with winter visits generally by appointment. Pair it with the Canyons of the Ancients museum just west of town or Mesa Verde on the way back.
- 📍 Dolores
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 421 Railroad Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3
last checked: 2026-06-11