Boulder Valley Railway

Historical Society

Valmont Railroad Museum Overview

The Boulder County Railway Historical Society was formed in 1997 to assist the City of Boulder in the restoration of three pieces of narrow gauge railroad equipment displayed in Central Park. The Society's larger purpose is to preserve and educate the public about the history of railroads in Boulder County.

In early 2000, the BCRHS was offered a Colorado and Southern boxcar as a donation and this car sparked the idea of forming a railroad museum in Boulder County. In July of 2000, the BCRHS was able to lease a small section of track and the adjoining land from the Union Pacific Railroad in Valmont. The track is part of the original Denver & Boulder Valley main line into Boulder built in the early 1870's.

Our desire is to create an operating railroad museum based around a relatively small, well maintained collection of equipment. The museum will be set up to represent a small short line or branch line railroad terminal and should have enough trackage to be able to occasionally operate the equipment, shuffle around the displays and if possible offer short rides to visitors. The operation of the equipment will provide visitors with a fuller appreciation of how railroads work. The museum will be avaliable for school field trips and other groups.

Additionally we plan to offer people the opportunity to learn how to run a diesel locomotive as well as learn the basics about railroad jobs such as brakeman or conductor. This will provide an excellent opportunity to educate people about railroads.

Equipment Restoration Plans

The BCRHS's primary goal is to have a relatively small collection of well-maintained equipment. A long-term goal of the BCRHS is to have each piece of equipment in its collection fully restored, and if possible operational. Occasional operation not only helps maintain equipment but also allows visitors the opportunity to see the equipment perform its intended function.

Three of the pieces of equipment (PSC Crane #1, Ash Car, and C&S 13121) appear to be eligible for listing on the State register of Historic Places. Listing of these cars will be pursued.

In the short term, stabilization work will be performed as needed on each piece of equipment until a full restoration can be accomplished. Following restoration, continued maintenance will be performed to maintain the equipment's condition.

Track Plan & Equipment Placement

Presently, only one track is in place at the display site. In order to accommodate the entire equipment collection, more trackage will be needed. The land to the east of the irrigation ditch will be used for parking, while the land to the west will be used for equipment storage.

Several additional tracks will be constructed.

• A section of track to the north of the existing main line will be constructed to house non-operational equipment.
• A storage track will be constructed to the south of the main line to house operational equipment. This will be connected to the main line.
• A short section of track will be built in the southeast portion of the display area to house PSC Crane #1.

Copyright © 2011 BCRHS