October
Model A Ford Club of America Pikes Peak
Chapter, Colorado Springs
November
Mile High Model
T Club
December
Mile High Region
Vintage Chevrolet Club
2002 Dusters
February
Front Range Mustang Club and Mile High Model T Club
March
Rocky Mountain
Region Cadillac
LaSalle Club
April
Model A Ford Club
of Colorado
May
Rocky Mountain
Mustangers, Colorado Springs
MUSEUM HELP WANTED
Gift Shop Clerk
Part-time
(20-24 hours per week)
Flexible schedule
(rotating Saturdays)
Retail experience helpful
Must enjoy working
with the public
Apply in person
4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver, CO 80216
Coming in
May Issue!
Union Pacific
Big Boy 4005 The Fatal
Accident!
Kid's Page
Puzzles and activity ideas for young minds and MORE!
Wish List
Power Tools:
saws, drills,, grinders, polishers, etc...
Office Equipment:
fax machine, paper shredder, slide projector, overhead projector...
1937 Packard convertible hood ornament
1970 Boss 302 Mustang emblem
Old t-shirts for use as rags
1968 Camaro
1/4 mile drag racer
496 -cid, big-block
700 horsepower
TCI transmission and converter
Oldsmobile rear end house Richmond gears
2 Holley Dominator four-barrel carburetors
"We thought this would be the best place for the car to be," said Raymond's father, Jay. "We as a family could not think of a better way for his racing friends to remember him."
Welcome to the first issue of the Forney Museum of Transportation's Newsletter. This premiere issue is an introduction to the new museum facility, programs, and events that have been initiated. This quarterly publication will keep you posted on new and interesting developments at the museum as well as highlight the artifact collection.
Between October of 1998 and January of 2001 the Forney Museum was busy moving the collection, renovating a building, and creating museum exhibits. The pinnacle of the move came in January 2001 when the Big Boy Locomotive completed its journey to the new museum. Moving the locomotive required complicated engineering skills, many permits, and nearly $1,000,000.00.
Visitors have been complimentary of the new facility. The museum collection is being protected and preserved. Exhibits are interpretive and easy to view. Environmental conditions are friendly. We hope you will also share our joy in the new location.
About 70% of the museum collection is on exhibit. A second building on site acts as a storage facility. Exhibits will be rotated periodically until the funds can be raised to renovate the second building. We are currently working on the area of this building that will house the N-scale train layout but have not set a date for its opening.
Costs to move and reestablish the museum far exceeded budget figures. The museum secured a large loan in order to complete the project.
We invite you to visit the museum and hope you will share our enthusiasm and spread the word to family and friends.
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Auto Enthusiasts Get Dusty
Over eighty vehicles are on exhibit in the museum. As you can imagine, keeping the vehicles dusted is an ongoing challenge.
Each month the Forney Museum welcomes a car club to come dust, vacuum, detail, and help keep the museum clean. The program has been a great success. After enjoying donuts and coffee volunteers spend a couple hours working in the museum. Volunteers are not charged admission and may spend all day touring the museum.
Clubs that have volunteered and those coming soon are listed on page two. If your club is interested, give us a call at 303-297-1113.
Other volunteer opportunities include working in the gift shop, tour guide, Big Boy Engineer, and special event planning.
Library Open
A new addition to the Forney Museum is a research library. The collection consists of over 1,000 books, periodicals, and materials relating to early railroad and automobile history. There is also limited information on carriages, motorcycles and bicycles. The most extensive archival holding is a collection of automobile advertisements from 1899-1967.
Library access is monitored, so please ask at the front desk. Donations of transportation books, photographs, film, video and materials relating to the Museum's purpose are welcome.
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Automobile Literature Fair
On Saturday, April 20 the museum will hold an Automobile Literature Fair. The event will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no charge to attend and the public is invited.
Clubs and individuals interested in reserving space from which to sell literature should call the museum. Materials for sale should consist of books, magazines, owners manuals, advertisements, parts catalogs or other similar literature related items. Tables are $25 and space is limited so call early. The event will be held indoors. Set up begins at 7:30 a.m.
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Facility Rental Opportunities
The Forney Museum has two meeting rooms that accommodate up to 200 people. From a small gathering to a large reception the meeting facility offers a pleasant, professional setting accented with transportation artwork. Incorporate a self-guided museum tour into your meeting and turn business into pleasure.
Add cake, ice-cream and fun place settings and the meeting room becomes a birthday party room. Choose from an automobile or railroad theme and let the museum do the work. We will provide cake and ice-cream, drinks, a gift for the birthday child, table settings, and museum admission for up to 25 people.
For large corporate events or private parties we allow the event to be hosted in the exhibit gallery. Up to 400 people may attend these events.
In addition to the meeting rooms we encourage the use of the museum parking lot for car meets. The Denver Hearse Association held a meet in August of 2001. Over 100 visitors and a television crew came to look and learn more. This is a great way for clubs to get exposure and attract visitors to the museum. These events need to be scheduled several months in advance.
Opportunities are vast when holding an event at the Forney Museum. The museum can accommodate corporate parties, wedding receptions, birthday parties, annual meetings, seminars, silent auctions, speakers, book signings, and a variety of other fun and educational activities.
The meeting rooms and exhibits are wheelchair accessible. And a side entrance provides privacy for arriving guests.
Future plans include restoring the railroad coaches so that executive lunches, birthday parties and other functions can be held in the cars. The rail cars need extensive restoration due to years of climate related deterioration and vandalism.
Call the museum if you would like to discuss facility rental opportunities.
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Temporary Exhibits
Colorado is home to literally thousands of antique, classic and collector cars. Private collections hold a variety of vehicles that the Forney Museum does not have in its collection. We have started a program where every three to four months a different vehicle will be exhibited from a private collection or club.
Our first entry was a 1926 Chevrolet in pristine condition loaned by Gene Fenton of Arvada. Gene's Chevy will be on exhibit until the end of April.
Look for a 1961 Dodge black and white police car to be on exhibit May 1. The police car belongs to Wayne Maddox of Westminster.
If you have a car that you would like to see in the museum, give us a call.
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Camaro Super Gas
From an early age Ben Raymond of Aurora, CO showed interest in the racing world. When he out grew out of bicycles and roller skates he climbed into a Camaro and found his wings-or should we say, accelerator.
Seeing his ambition and talent his father, Jay Raymond, became Ben's partner in the racing circuit. Together they worked on perfecting a 1968 Camaro Super Gas Drag Racer and traveled across the country competing in races while creating a strong father-son bond.
Ben's wins include first place in the NHRA National event in Houston in 1992 and in Phoenix in 1993, two Division 5 crowns at Bandimere Speedway, and the NHRA Winston World Championship in 1995.
Tragedy struck the Raymond family in January of 2001 when, at the age of 32, Ben passed away from an undetectable heart condition. He left behind a wife and two children, a devoted mother and father, and family that loved him dearly.
The Raymond family memorialized Ben's racing career by donating the Camaro to the museum where it can be seen on exhibit. The Camaro has filled a much needed place in the overall collection. The only other race car in the museum is a 1936 Morgan three-wheeler.
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The Joy of Wednesday
Wednesday's just would not be the same around the museum without the cheerful smile of Don Joy. Don has been volunteering every Wednesday for nearly a year.
When Don first started volunteering he was faced with the task of changing a couple dozen badly deteriorated tires. One by one Don made his way around the museum changing tires and tubes-split rims and all. Without his expertise and determination we would still not have the tires mounted.
There are still many tires to change and Don is just waiting for the museum to have the funds to purchase more.
Don has also repaired dents and scratches, changed light bulbs, helped organize volunteer groups, and dusted vehicles. His career in automobile restoration has been a great resource to the museum.
Thank you Don!
And, we are looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday.
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Forney Museum of Transportation 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver, CO 80216
Telephone: 303-297-1113
Open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm Closed Sundays
Thanks for your support and interest in Historic Transportation
and helping us preserve the past.
