Dolores to remove 33 tons of donated rail from downtown streets

Stacks of railroad rail on Sixth Street and a trailer parked on Central Avenue that have cluttered Dolores’ downtown for about 18 months are slated for removal under a new agreement town officials are finalizing. The materials total about 33 tons and were donated to the Galloping Goose Historical Society roughly two decades ago.

Town Manager Leigh Reeves said the move follows “growing questions from the public” about when the materials would be cleared, and officials are working to finalize a written lease agreement with the Galloping Goose Historical Society, which owns the tracks. The rails and related steel have become visible fixtures as Dolores officials assemble a 20-year comprehensive plan that includes conversations about the town’s look and feel.

Galloping Goose board member Kent Aikin confirmed the society will take responsibility for relocating the material, saying “the museum is committed to relocating the steel to Dolores’ green waste site” and that the action is intended to “ease the burden on the town.” Portions of the original donation already have been taken to the landfill, town records and photo captions indicate, leaving the remaining stacks on Sixth Street and the loaded trailer on Central Avenue.

When and how the remaining rail will move remains unsettled. Town officials say timing depends largely on weather and completion of an existing labor contract; no removal date or contractor has been announced. The town is finalizing the lease terms that will authorize Galloping Goose to stage and transport the steel from public streets to the green waste site.

The roughly 33-ton relocation touches multiple municipal responsibilities: downtown traffic and street access on Sixth Street and Central Avenue, downtown aesthetics as part of the 20-year plan, and operational constraints tied to labor agreements and weather windows. Town Manager Reeves’ explanation that public questions prompted the lease talks underscores community pressure to resolve the downtown storage that has persisted since the donation roughly 20 years ago.

Officials say the move will shift remaining donated materials off public streets and onto town-managed disposal at the green waste site when conditions permit. With the lease nearing completion and Galloping Goose committing to the green waste destination, the town expects the downtown stacks to be cleared once the labor contract period and seasonal weather allow crews to operate safely.