A Colorado Life
Love for trains kept career chugging for decades
By Virginia Culver
Denver Post Staff Writer
Denver Post
Article Last Updated:03/04/2007 12:40:05 AM MST
Bob Richardson's love of trains turned a hobby into a career.
Richardson, who died Feb. 24 at age 96, rode trains, photographed trains, collected trains, wrote books about them and helped found a museum that became the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. For 33 years he lived in a farmhouse on the museum grounds.
But he became an expert on other things along the way. With travel, he learned the history of cities and states, and with his other avocation, stamp collecting, he learned history, culture and language.
A bachelor, Richardson was a constant researcher, said his nephew, Rick Tyler of Willoughby, Ohio. "And he was a walking Rolodex on the Civil and Revolutionary wars," Tyler said. "He was always fascinating to talk to."
"He loved to tell stories," said Fred Tyler, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Richardson's brother- in-law.
But trains came first. Besides railroad cars, cabooses and engines, he collected railroad china, whistles, lights, tickets, company financial books and correspondence, all of which are at the museum. There's also a telegraph station, lanterns, a roundhouse for restorations, tracks and a model locomotive. The Robert W. Richardson Railroad Research Library is on the grounds.
He edited the Narrow Gauge News for years. It is now edited by Bob Jensen, a friend of more than 45 years.
Because of Richardson's railroad books, "he single-handedly saved the history of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad," said Jensen, of Arvada.
Richardson was widely known for his train knowledge. Once, when visiting Norway, he was taking pictures of trains and tracks and a man came out of the station and yelled to him, "Mr. Richardson! What are you doing here?" Rick Tyler said.
Robert William Richardson was born May 21, 1910, in Rochester, Pa., and moved with his family to Akron, Ohio, where he was reared.
Richardson served in the Army Signal Corps and during that time began to collect stamps, learning the history and some language skills of the various countries. For a time he was editor of Stamp News, a weekly publication, said Gordon Chappell, a longtime friend.
At every opportunity Richardson took pictures of trains. Rick Tyler estimated his uncle had 40,000 pictures of trains. Most were given to the Western history division of the Denver Public Library.
While working for Seiberling Tire Co., he traveled to several states. And yes, he always traveled by train, "sometimes on obscure little railroads," said Chappell, who lives in Sacramento, Calif.
In 1948, Richardson moved to Colorado, and he and a friend, Carl Helfin, opened the Narrow Gauge Motel near Alamosa. He began collecting railroad memorabilia.
Later he and a friend, Cornelius Hauck, opened the Iron Horse Motel in Golden. The railroad collection grew and he displayed it on land adjacent to the motel.
That later became the Colorado Railroad Museum, which was eventually expanded to 15 acres. Richardson was the first director and the general manager from 1958 until retiring in 1991.
He wrote four books on trains, including his autobiography, "Chasing Trains."
He moved to Bellefonte, Pa., where he lived the rest of his life.
But he came to Colorado for a visit last summer - by train.
In addition to his brother-in-law and nephew, he is survived by his niece, Jean Tyler, and another nephew, Bruce Tyler, both of Cleveland Heights.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at at 303-954-1223 or
vculver@denverpost.com.
