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The first successful dome cars were conceived by Cyrus Osborn of General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). In 1944, while traveling in an EMD-built Rio Grande locomotive through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado, it was Mr. Osborn that recognized the wonderful views the passengers could enjoy from a panoramic dome. His idea was to provide a full 360-degree view from above the train in newly built "Vista-Dome" cars.
Mr. Osborn took the idea to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The CB&Q took a stainless steel Budd-built coach and rebuilt it at their shops in Aurora, Illinois, with the Vista Dome imagined and sketched by Cyrus Osborn. The dome area featured seats that were positioned lengthwise in the cabin facing double-pane windows which were designed to improve insulation. This first Vista Dome was called appropriately, Silver Dome. On July 23, 1945, the car was tested in the consist of the Twin Cities Zephyr. Vista Domes quickly found their way into many Burlington Zephyr consists, culminating in 1949 with the inauguration of the California Zephyr.
On September 14, 1950, a monument was established at Glenwood Canyon. Called "Monument to an Idea", this monument celebrated the Vista Dome at the place where it was first inspired. In the late 1980s, the monument was moved to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado, to make way for expansion of Interstate 70.
From the Colorado Railroad Museum website:
The Colorado Railroad Museum had its beginning in 1950. Co-founder Robert W. Richardson began accumulating railroad artifacts at Alamosa. Richardson believed too little was being done to save the bulk of this material so with the help of Cornelius Hauck opened the Colorado Railroad Museum in 1958. The museum has accumulated a number of locomotives, dining cars, and cabooses, several of which are listed on the State and National Registers.
The Museum is located on 15 acres at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains. All of the railroad equipment is displayed outdoors, with historic Table Mountain in the background . . . a popular site for railway photographers.
Visitors will find display tracks complete with a rare three-way stub switch, dual gauge track and switches, and century-old switch stands. These tracks hold over 100 historic narrow and standard-gauge locomotives and cars. Our 1/3-mile oval of 3-foot gauge track is used by trains on operating days.
The Cornelius W. Hauck Restoration Facility was dedicated July 15, 2000. The building's brick design was chosen to reflect a fairly prosperous railroad in a small division point during the late nineteenth century. Our visitors' gallery allows our guests to observe restoration work safely and is open during Museum hours.
The roundhouse area also includes a fascinating display of locomotives and cars on the roundhouse ”radial” tracks, as well as a fully functioning 90-foot, “Armstrong” turntable.