Colorado Railroad Museum lays out plans for future after buying neighboring property
A museum in Jefferson County focused on the history of Colorado's railroads is turning its attention to the future.
The Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden was one of the Denver convention and visitors bureau VISIT DENVER's Top 10 paid attractions in the Denver metro area last year, while also seeing record attendance and revenue. It is now at a pivotal juncture in planning the next 10 years and how it will continue to bring in and educate a new generation of visitors like 4-year-old Sloane Crammer.
"This is where you get to drive the train, this is how you brake it," she told CBS Colorado reporter Karen Morfitt.
While Crammer jumped at the chance to make some noise aboard a train car from Colorado's historic Rio Grande train operator, she also learned a little about how it works.
"That's where you put the coal," she said.
Knowledge shared with her by her grandma and grandpa along the way.
"We are just getting the opportunity to teach her some things. Any chance you get to teach them something they haven't learned yet," added Julie Crammer, her grandmother.
For 64 years, the Colorado Railroad Museum has been bringing in and restoring relics of the past work that will continue as they turn their attention to the future of the museum.
"The people that visit us are different today very much so than they were when the museum was established. We have a very different job today when we are working to help our guests understand the leap between then and now," said museum Executive Director Paul Hammond.
Hammond says they are making plans to expand in more ways than one.
"Starting with our parking lot. It dictates the capacity of every event that we operate," he added.
They also want to use technology to help share Colorado's stories connected to each of their exhibits.
"We've got great video and great historical image of this stuff that we can't share in real-time, right now, so we want to be able to do that," Hammond said.
With decades ahead they're also going on the defensive, buying surrounding property that may have otherwise impacted their operation.
"The kind of development that was proposed on the property was going to be suburban style. There's none of that around here -- and that was our real concern, is the character of the neighborhood was going to change with us right next to it," Hammond said.
They now have a feeling of security and can focus on those desired changes they believe will help ensure families like the Crammers keep coming back.
Before they can move forward with their 10 year plan, they will first have to secure additional funding.
