[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     COLORADO MODEL RAILROAD MUSEUM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORY GARDNER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2014

  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Colorado Model 
Railroad Museum at the Greeley Freight Station.
  Throughout our history, Colorado has been known for its numerous 
scenic railroads. Now this great state is also known around the world 
for housing America's finest railroad of another type--a model 
railroad. Just as the great railroads of America started with the dream 
of one man, so did the Greeley Freight Station Museum.
  This story begins with a man named David Trussell, who grew up around 
the railroads and began modeling them early in his life. After serving 
in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Mr. Trussell bought his first newspaper 
business and began his journey towards his greatest achievement. Mr. 
Trussell moved to Greeley, Colorado, to publish the Greeley Tribune, 
which he owned from 1990-1997. The Trussells fell in love with Colorado 
and Mr. Trussell decided to build his dream in this great state. He 
wanted to see if he could construct the ``ultimate'' model railroad. He 
purchased land directly between the Union Pacific mainline from Denver 
to Cheyenne and the Great Western Railroad's Greeley branch line. The 
plan was to build a new facility to house a 5,500 square-foot model 
railroad. A dedication for the building was held on February 11th, 
2004. After more than 5\1/2\ years of construction, the Greeley Freight 
Station Museum opened its doors to the public on Memorial Day weekend 
of 2009. 1,800 visitors enjoyed the grand opening.
  Since its inception 10 years ago, the museum has become one of the 
largest year-round attractions in northern Colorado. During its first 4 
years of operation, the museum saw more than 60,000 visitors, and most 
of that time, the museum was only open one day per week. With visitors 
from all 50 states in the first year and from over 45 different foreign 
countries since opening, the museum has become an international 
attraction, and is now open daily during the summer months of high 
tourism.
  The museum has been showcased on the cover of three international 
model railroading magazines and has been the feature of the PBS show, 
``Tracks Ahead''. The economic impact for Greeley and Weld County from 
the influx of visitors has been substantial and with the increase in 
motor coach tours to the museum, it will only continue to grow. This 
family-friendly museum has been ``bursting at the seams,'' so to speak, 
and now has outgrown its name too. Due to the increase in out-of-state 
and out-of-country visitors, the Greeley Freight Station Museum 
celebrated the tenth anniversary of its dedication on February 11, 
2014, with a new name. The museum will now be the Colorado Model 
Railroad Museum at the Greeley Freight Station. Please join me in 
congratulating the Colorado Model Railroad Museum on its success.

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