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what is the Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation? First established as the Narrow Gauge Trust in 2000, then incorporated as the Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation in 2002, the Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation incorporated in the State of California. Its mission is to establish a museum of narrow gauge railroading and models, and to support preservation efforts where possible.
In order to provide a comprehensive museum experience and attract the maximum number of visitors, tentative plans call for the Narrow Gauge Museum to be co-located with the Howell Day Museum to be established by the National Model Railroad Association. A secondary mission is to assist narrow gauge preservation efforts across North America. When resources are available, the Foundation evaluates the soundness and likelihood of success of such efforts, and channels donations to those that qualify. The Foundation supports the
efforts, past and current, of numerous existing museums and preservation
organizations, and in no way seeks to compete with them. In fact the
Foundation has made grants to several of these organizations to further
their work of restoring irreplaceable equipment and structures. In
establishing the Narrow Gauge Museum, the Foundation seeks to tell a
different story in the different way. During its brief existence, the Foundation has made donations of over a half million dollars to narrow gauge preservation efforts. These include the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Friends of Engine 169, the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad Foundation, and the Durango Railroad Historical Society. To date, the Foundation has spent less than five percent of its funds on administrative costs.
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The Foundations first priority
is to establish a premier museum where the narrow gauge story can be told
using models, pictures, artwork, and artifacts, in ways that will be
meaningful both to enthusiasts and to the general public. Plans are
moving forward to make this museum a partner in a significant expansion
on the site of the 
