The Moffat Road Railroad Museum said it is in the final
stages of completing the restoration of its visitor center.
According to Dave Naples, executive director of the railroad
museum, the grand opening of the visitor center is scheduled for July 4.
A Walt Disney crew originally built the visitor’s center in
1957 for the Magic Mountain Amusement Park as the fun house attraction, Naples
said. In 1971, the park became the Heritage Square Amusement Park in Golden
where the building was added on to and became the Wedding Bell Chapel.
The Moffat Road Railroad Museum saved the building from
destruction in 2018 and trucked it up to Granby. The bell tower and steeple
have been rebuilt and will be set on the roof before the end of April.
Naples said the interior is ready to accept Moffat Road
artifacts, pictures, railroad paperwork, posters and more. While the museum has
some of these pieces in storage, it is requesting more.
There are three railroads that the museum wants to preserve
in history to educate the public on the importance of the railroads in Grand
County, Naples said.
The original railroad was the Denver Northwestern &
Pacific Railway from 1902-1912, and then it became the Denver & Salt Lake
Railroad from 1912-1947. From 1947-1973, it was the Denver & Rio Grande
Railroad.
If you have any memorabilia or artifacts pertaining to these
railroads, the museum asks you to consider donating or lending them to share
with visitors.
Call 970-281-9094 or stop by the railroad museum 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. Monday through Saturday to talk to Naples about the possibility of
allowing the public to share your railroad history.