I was standing in the yard next to the Chama depot last summer discussing the Friends guided yard tour with docent Carol Bush when an elderly couple (probably in their late 70’s) approached us. The wife was helping her husband as he needed two canes and her steadying hand to move from their car to our position. They asked us where the RR museum was and Carol and I looked at each other and smiled telling them they were standing in it. Carol offered to take them on the tour but I could tell navigating the yard was not in the cards given his condition. We gave them a couple of recommendations for good places to eat in town and then they departed the way they had come. This same scenario of visitors wanting to know where the museum was repeated itself several more times in the span of the hour of so I was hanging out.
Now from what I have observed not many of us are getting any younger, and there will come a time when we may not be able to amble around the yards under our own power like we all love to do. So reflecting now about that elderly couple and the Chama RR Visitors Center I think the Friends, Commission and SHP may just be one step ahead of us all in their plans and foresight. We know that any structure considered will have to be ADA compliant and with access to Terrace Avenue and a view of the yard what better location than the one under review could we hope for?
I can envision an area in this building with a multimedia presentation of sights, sounds and history of the Railroad. A place where people like Richard Boulware, John West, Greg Scholl, Chile John and other historians /photographers of the history of this RR could share their work and tell the story of the D&RGW & C&TS. I see a place where students and visitors of all ages can come and learn about history and touch some of the artifacts like a working telegraph that John Cole could connect to the depot to send messages. A live camera feed from the shops where Carlos and other shop personnel could explain how the equipment is maintained. Just use your imagination and you can probably think of other ways to share the heritage and explain the history in an interactive and engaging way.
The point to this ramble is we all need to give the Friends the benefit of the doubt and give the concept and feasibility a chance to work. I am excited for what this center could be and the potential for it to be a focal point to draw visitors into the experience of the RR.
Rod Jensen
