A genuine coal-burning steam locomotive will haul costumed kids and their families around a historic railyard in Golden this weekend, as the Colorado Railroad Museum stages its annual Harvest Haunt Express on Saturday and Sunday. The Halloween-themed steam-up event runs October 17 and October 18, with museum grounds open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the haunted-themed activities running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
According to the Denver Gazette, guests are encouraged to wear costumes for trick-or-treating and can ride what the museum calls the Olde Railroaders Silly Graveyard and “not-so-spooky” haunted railcars. A Colorado steam locomotive pulls the trains using authentic coal-burning power, and the event also features a hay bale maze and a pumpkin patch cart set up for photos. Treats and lunch are available for purchase on-site, though the event charges regular admission and train ride pricing rather than a separate Halloween fee.
The museum itself sits on a 15-acre railyard at 17155 West 44th Avenue, wedged between North Table Mountain and Clear Creek roughly 10 miles west of downtown Denver, according to Spotatrain. The site sits in Golden's Clear Creek Valley, and the loop track used for Harvest Haunt Express rides stretches one-third of a mile around the property, anchored by the Cornelius W. Hauck Restoration Facility and its working 90-foot Armstrong turntable. An observation gallery there lets visitors watch active restoration work on historic rail equipment while they wait for their ride.
A Nonprofit Built to Save a Vanishing Rail Culture
The museum was founded in 1959 by Robert W. Richardson and Cornelius W. Hauck to preserve the history of Colorado's narrow-gauge mountain lines, many of which were shutting down at the time, and it was transferred to the nonprofit Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation in 1964, per the museum's own account of its history. Its main depot building, designed to replicate an 1880s train station, stands on grounds that display over 100 historic locomotives and railcars, while the Robert W. Richardson Library houses more than 10,000 historic photographs, according to American-Rails.com. That collection focuses heavily on the 3-foot narrow-gauge lines that once threaded through Colorado's mountains.
Visitors curious about the state's broader rail heritage will find plenty of context on-site. The museum notes that in 2025 Colorado had 18 operational steam locomotives and five more undergoing refurbishment, and calls steam railroading a significant piece of Colorado's heritage tourism industry. One of the operational coal-burners used for museum rides is Rio Grande Southern No. 20, a narrow-gauge 10-wheeler steam engine built in 1899, according to footage shared on YouTube.
Spike the Railroad Dog and a Basement Full of Tiny Trains
Family-friendly touches round out the weekend, including meet-and-greet appearances by Spike the Railroad Dog, the museum's official mascot, who joins costumed trick-or-treaters throughout the railyard during event hours. Indoors, the depot's basement houses a 45-by-20-foot operating model railroad layout built by the Denver HO Model Railroad Club, recreating types of Colorado mountain railroading in HO and HOn3 scale, according to Denver.org.
What Tickets Cost, and Why Booking Ahead Pays Off
Pricing follows the museum's regular admission and train ride structure rather than a separate Halloween surcharge, but attendees should know the numbers shifted this year. Advance online tickets run $17 for adults, $15 for seniors 60 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 17, while museum members and kids under 2 get in free, the Denver Gazette reports. Buying at the gate costs more: $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $12 for children, since the museum's rates now carry a $5 gate surcharge across every paid ticket tier.
The museum's current admission and train ride prices apply to the event. Event train rides depart every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and organizers recommend guests arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled departure. Because the Harvest Haunt Express has limited capacity, the museum is urging visitors to buy admission and train ride tickets in advance rather than risk being turned away at the gate.
