Continuing our celebration of Heart and Soul of Golden month, this is the third in a series of articles describing the histories of Golden Cultural Alliance members (and the second about the Railroad Museum!).
When the Colorado Railroad Museum came to Golden in 1959, the Iron Horse Motel came with it. The Museum’s founder, Bob Richardson, used revenue from the Motel help fund the Museum.
The Iron Horse Development Corporation (of which Richardson was President) sold the motel in 1964. It continued in operation until the Museum was ready to expand in the late 1990s. At that time, the 40 year old motel was demolished. With the extra property, the Museum was able to build their roundhouse facility (where maintenance and restoration work takes place) and extend their track to form a complete loop.
Last year the Museum adopted a Strategic Plan that sets forth a 10-year vision, focusing on community outreach, more on-site learning and demonstrations, and a dramatically enhanced visit experience. Back when Richardson first purchased land at the site, there were few neighbors so nobody thought about the need for buffer zones. In order to begin incorporating these, as well as providing additional space for needed facilities, the Museum acquired two adjacent properties in 2024 and is currently developing plans for an expanded campus.
