Ridgway Colorado USA - The Ridgway Railroad Museum has recently received 50 boxes of historic Rio Grande Southern documents donated by the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.
 
Museum spokesman Jim Pettengill said the documents cover the entire history of the railroad from 1891 through 1953, and include hundreds of thousands of pages of information.
 
"This generous donation probably makes us the second-largest repository of RGS archival documents. This is an incredible treasure trove of information that will take us years to thoroughly examine," said Pettengill.
 
According to Pettengill, in the first half-dozen boxes inventoried, volunteers have already found original purchase invoices for the Buick that was used to build the original Motor No. 1, and the Pierce-Arrow used to build Galloping Goose No. 4, as well as hundreds of pages of employee documents that will allow the museum to expand its list of RGS employees.
 
They even found the accounting ledger used to summarize the full value of the railroad at abandonment in 1953.
 
"So far we've only scratched the surface. We have no idea what gems will be found in the remaining boxes that will expand the known history of the railroad that founded Ridgway. We are greatly indebted to the Colorado Railroad Museum for their generosity," said Pettengill.
 
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