Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation Inc

ACQUIRE, PRESERVE, AND EXHIBIT LOCOMOTIVES, CARS, ARTIFACTS AND RECORDS PERTAINING TO CO RAILROADS.

THE MUSEUM REPRESENTS RAILROADING HISTORY IN A HANDS-ON AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL FASHION BY PRESERVING AND MAKING ACCESSIBLE IMPORTANT HISTORIC ARTIFACTS, ARTWORK AND DOCUMENTS, AND BY OFFERING OUTSTANDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO THE COMMUNITY. THE MUSEUM HAS SYSTEMATICALLY ACQUIRED A COLLECTION OF OVER 100 PIECES OF RAILROAD STOCK, INCLUDING RAIL CARS AND LOCOMOTIVES DATING FROM 1879 TO THE PRESENT, AND ALSO MANAGES ONE OF THE LARGEST ARCHIVES OF RAILROAD PRINT, PHOTOGRAPHIC AND RESEARCH MATERIALS IN THE UNITED STATES. IT IS DEDICATED TO SHARING COLORADO'S RICH RAILROAD HISTORY THROUGH THE USE OF BOTH SMALL AND LARGE ARTIFACTS, ALONG WITH ARCHIVAL MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH RAILROADING IN COLORADO AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION. THE MUSEUM'S RESEARCH LIBRARY IS THE SECOND LARGEST OF ITS KIND, AND LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS ARE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF WESTERN RAILROADS AND THEIR LINES. AUTHORS OF ALL GENRES MAY BE FOUND RESEARCHING TIMETABLES, PAYROLL RECORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THEIR PROJECTS. THE MUSEUM LIBRARY IS ALSO HOME TO AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF RAILROAD RELATED ART, SOME OF IT PAINTED BY WORLD-FAMOUS ARTISTS, AND DONATED TO THE MUSEUM BY DEDICATED COLLECTORS. THIS COLLECTION IS SOMETIMES LOANED TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS. SINCE 1961 THE MUSEUM HAS PUBLISHED OVER 50 SCHOLARLY BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS ON THE RAILROADS OF COLORADO AND THE WEST THAT ARE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BY HISTORIANS. THE COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM HAS BEEN RANKED AMONG THE TOP 25 DENVER AREA ATTRACTIONS BY DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL AND AS ONE OF THE TOP TEN PAID ATTRACTIONS BY VISIT DENVER.THE COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM HAS A ROBUST RESTORATION PROGRAM. THE IMPORTANCE OF RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE OF HISTORIC ROLLING STOCK CANNOT BE OVERSTATED. BY ENSURING THAT OUR VISITORS ARE ABLE TO VIEW AND SOMETIMES RIDE PAINSTAKINGLY RESTORED HISTORIC RAILROAD ARTIFACTS, WE ARE ABLE TO BRING HISTORY TO LIFE AND TO INSPIRE OUR GUESTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A TRANSFORMATIONAL PERIOD IN THE HISTORY OF OUR STATE AND OUR COUNTRY. TOUR HOSTS ADDRESS THE WAYS IN WHICH RAILROADS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DYNAMIC ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND AGRICULTURAL CHANGES IN THE AMERICAN WEST, AND HELPED TRANSFORM COLORADO.IN 2021, THE MUSEUM'S RESTORATION PROGRAM FOCUSED ON THE COMPLETION OF MAJOR RUNNING GEAR REPAIRS TO DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN STEAM LOCOMOTIVE NO. 491 (VINTAGE 1928). THIS LOCOMOTIVE TODAY IS RECOGNIZED AS COLORADO'S LARGEST OPERATING COAL-FIRED STEAM LOCOMOTIVE. ANOTHER MAJOR PROJECT WAS THE REBUILDING OF END PLATFORMS FOR TWO WOOD RAILROAD COACHES (VINTAGE 1881).

STARTING IN NOVEMBER OF 2014 AND THROUGH THE WINTER HOLIDAY SEASON EACH YEAR, THE STORY OF "THE POLAR EXPRESS" IS RE-CREATED SO VISITORS CAN BE IMMERSED IN THE SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND INTRIGUE OF THE CLASSIC CHILDREN'S TALE.