Train Rides - Colorado Railroad Museum
2023 Progress and 2024 Plans
2023 has been another year of incredible momentum and growth at the Colorado Railroad Museum!

Thanks to the support of generous donors, we were able to accomplish major facility improvements along with significant rolling stock refurbishment projects and much, much more.

In the facilities realm, several major initiatives came to completion this year. Our continued focus on improving accessibility took a big step forward, with the installation of a concrete walkway and ramp to the Roundhouse and Turntable. For the first time guests can now navigate from one end of the Museum to the other entirely on paved pathways!

The long-awaited trainshed canopy that will protect Chicago, Burlington & Quincy business car No. 96 (vintage 1886) and Colorado Midland observation-chair car No. 111 (vintage 1887) was completed this year, adding a significant new feature to the entrance of the Museum. The Museum’s Water Tower and adjacent “No Agua” pump house structure, among our most recognizable icons, were sanded, prepped and repainted.

Perhaps the most noteworthy accomplishment has been the addition of a 24 foot by 9 foot LED video wall in the Museum’s Pavilion. Earlier this year, a fascinating Colorado Rails & Cocktails presentation highlighted the lives and photography of Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg on this truly “big screen.” This year’s THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride theatrical event has also been greatly enhanced with this new addition.

Restoration and rehabilitation projects have been completed at a record pace this year. Our latest steam locomotive overhaul was launched, with disassembly and initial scoping being performed on Colorado’s oldest operating steam locomotive, Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 346. The renovation of Colorado Midland observation-lounge No. 111 got under way as crews began removing the roof and siding. Multiple painting projects have spruced up some of our most iconic rail vehicles, including D&RGW coach No. 284; CB&Q business car No. 96; the second of our former White Pass & Yukon coaches; Colorado & Southern rotary snowplow No. 99201; and C&S four-wheel “bobber” caboose No. 1009. Of particular interest to rail enthusiasts was the installation and return to working order of “the last wig-wag” which once protected an AT&SF (later BNSF) grade crossing in Delhi, Colorado.

The Museum is more than construction and restoration, of course. Earlier this year, we debuted an all-new exhibit highlighting Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg and some of their “Colorado Connections” in conjunction with the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. The Museum’s third-annual Colorado Crossings event in May continued this theme, highlighted by the re-creation of this famous railroading couple’s special train which traversed Colorado’s famed “Narrow Gauge Circle” in the late 1940s.

New themed events were established this year, with Colorado Power Days and Gold Rush Days allowing us to focus on railroad history and Colorado history alike. Old favorites like Day Out With Thomas™ and THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride were expanded and retooled, with the new Video Wall in the Pavilion playing a major supporting role. Another highlight of 2023 was the visit of a 47-foot-tall Golden Spike Monument, which paused for one day at the Museum en route from the artist’s studio in Kentucky to its final destination of Brigham City, Utah.

General visitation is on pace to set a Museum record in 2023, as is virtual visitation for all of our online programming. In short, 2023 has been a year of remarkable growth and progress for the Colorado Railroad Museum.

To continue this historic momentum, however, we urgently need your support! The Museum’s ability to accomplish major projects and initiatives going forward depends on contributions from generous donors. This is where you can really help! In 2024 we plan to continue the ongoing work of transforming the Colorado Railroad Museum, broadening its appeal to even larger audiences by completing a wide range of projects. These include:

• Now that the trainshed canopy roof has been completed, we will be creating an elevated viewing ramp to allow guests to see inside two of the Museum’s most cherished railroad cars, CB&Q business car No. 96 and Colorado Midland observation car No. 111. A new track will be installed (between the existing one and the Depot) with room for future extensions.

• Speaking of observation car No. 111, our talented restoration crews will be completing a comprehensive overhaul of the car’s exterior to prepare for its installation under the trainshed roof.

• Work will continue on Denver & Rio Grande Western steam locomotive No. 346. The last major overhaul of Colorado’s oldest operating steam locomotive was some 15 years ago and wheel, axle and bearing work along with repairs to the firebox are needed to ensure its safe operation well into the future.

• The next phase of our ongoing project to upgrade the Pavilion will happen in 2024, with the addition of radiant heating and greatly upgraded electrical capacity. In addition, installation of dedicated, accessible restrooms to serve this structure is planned.

• In our Roundhouse and shop, we will be taking on significant rail vehicle repairs and maintenance. In addition to the aforementioned projects, our plans include repainting of several more railroad cars and locomotives this coming year , with Denver & Rio Grande Western streamlined F-unit diesel locomotives Nos. 5771 and 5762, and D&RGW’s only surviving steam locomotive, No. 683, topping the list.

• The Museum will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the inauguration of one of America’s (and Colorado’s) most famous passenger trains, the California Zephyr, in March. Crews have been hard at work rehabilitating the Museum’s “Dome Car Monument,” which once sat alongside U.S. Highway 6 in Glenwood Canyon and commemorated the idea that led to the creation of the modern, stainless steel dome car. We also are planning new exhibits to highlight women in railroading plus railroading’s future potential in a changing world. And in the first half of 2024, we hope to unveil even more new and exciting plans!

As you can see, we are planning big for this coming year. As always, however, the Colorado Railroad Museum is depending on the support of donors and members to help propel us forward. With your continued generosity we will not only prosper, but continue to attain even bigger goals!

Sincerely,
Paul Hammond
Executive Director

P.S. The Museum continues to grow a “Steam Locomotive Maintenance Endowment” to provide perpetual funding for major overhauls of our operating steam locomotives going forward. We’d be delighted to discuss your support for this Endowment. Also, please consider including the Museum in your Estate Plans, so that the work of preserving Colorado’s rich railroad history may continue well into the future. If you notify us that you’ve included CRRM in your plans, we’ll invite you and your guest to attend our annual Legacy Society luncheon to honor your commitment to the Museum.

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