About the museum

A small museum with a long memory.

The mission of the Trinidad Railroad Museum is to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the rich railroad history of Trinidad, Colorado, and the surrounding region. Through engaging exhibits, educational programs, and authentic artifacts, we aim to inspire an appreciation for the transformative role of railroads in shaping our communities and connecting our past to the present.

Our work

What the museum does.

Nine railroads have served Trinidad since 1876. We collect the photographs, documents, artifacts, and stories that survive from each of them: the AT&SF over Raton Pass, the Denver & Rio Grande, the Colorado & Southern, the coal and coke trains out of the Purgatoire Valley, and the BNSF freight that still rolls through town today.

That work happens in three places: in the archives at the Denver Public Library and History Colorado, in conversations with the families who worked these lines, and on this site. The museum’s long-term goal is to secure a permanent physical location. For now, the museum is a Museum Without Walls.

The board

Who runs the museum.

A volunteer board of four oversees the museum’s collection, programming, and finances. Each member brings a different thread of Trinidad’s railroad story.

President

Chris Bryant

Chris moved to Trinidad from Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2017, and upon discovering the depth of the area’s railroad history, began researching it intensively. He traveled to museums and train shows across the region before opening the doors of TRRM in 2025. He served on the Trinidad Historic Preservation Commission and led the landmarking of the C&S #638 steam locomotive in 2024. He holds degrees in Horticulture and Computer Science and works professionally as a Lead Software Quality Assurance Engineer at a financial company. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Folsom Museum in Folsom, New Mexico.

Vice President

Jennifer Kramarz

career in Computer Science at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS) and is now a software tester. At the Trinidad Railroad Museum, Jennifer is the Vice President. During her spare time, Jennifer also volunteers at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO. This allows her to develop knowledge of operations at a railroad museum as well as foster a working relationship between the two museums.

Secretary

Aaron Phillps

Aaron is a senior software engineer and technical consultant based in Colorado Springs, with expertise in backend systems, embedded development, database design, and asset tracking. He has a strong interest in railroad history and preservation, and brings a practical, detail-oriented perspective to TRRM’s digital projects — particularly the city directory genealogy database. His background in systems architecture helps the museum approach preservation work with both technical rigor and a deep respect for heritage.

At-large member

Jason Warf

Jason grew up in a small farm town in Illinois at the crossroads of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad and the Lafayette, Bloomington & Western Railroad — with family farms sitting directly on both routes. That early proximity to the rails sparked a lifelong interest in railroad history. For the past two decades he has focused on policy and legislation, working with elected and appointed officials at every level of government to craft responsible public policy. He brings this policy expertise and his relationships with elected officials directly to TRRM’s board, helping advance the museum’s mission in the political arena.