Railroad Museum

1 for our Texicans... @AndyHall :smile:

Galveston Railroad Museum

3730357_orig.jpg


http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/

The Galveston Railroad Museum is a railroad museum owned and operated by the Center for Transportation and Commerce, a non-profit organization. The museum was established with funds from Galveston businesswoman and philanthropist Mary Moody Northen and the Moody Foundation.

The museum is located at 25th and
Strand in Galveston, Texas. It is housed in the former Santa Fe Railroad station, at the head of The Strand.

The museum was damaged during
Hurricane Ike, but has since reopened.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston_Railroad_Museum

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Yep. I haven't been there in a long time, except to have a quick look in their reference library. I need to set aside some time and go again.
 
The Virginia Museum of Transportation

The Roanoke Transportation Museum, originally formed as a partnership of the Norfolk & Western Railway and the City of Roanoke, first opened its doors in 1963 in Wasena Park along the Roanoke River. Although all modes of transportation were represented, the Museum focused on telling the story of Roanoke’s rich rail heritage.

In 1976, a private non-profit corporation was established to operate the Museum, and in 1983 the Museum was designated as the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Subsequently, the Museum was renamed the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

Disaster struck the Museum in 1985, when floodwaters surged through the Museum leaving behind $1.4 million in damages. Norfolk Southern came to the rescue, generously donating the 1918 vintage N&W freight station to be used as the Museum’s new home. The Museum is now housed in a 45,000 square foot building adjacent to active Norfolk Southern mainline tracks on 5.75 acres of land in downtown Roanoke.

The Museum’s collection includes approximately 2,500 objects, including more than 50 pieces of rolling stock—locomotives and other rail cars—including the largest collection of diesel locomotives in the South. The Museum has expanded its collection to include automotive, aviation, transit, and other artifacts and frequently exhibits loaned objects.

Today, the Virginia Museum of Transportation welcomes guests from across the nation and around the world. The Museum exists to preserve Virginia’s transportation history and to honor the workers whose talents created the transportation marvels in our collection. As a partner in the newly established “Virginia’s Rail Heritage Region,” it is our privilege to preserve their stories and accomplishments for future generations.

Our Mission
To advance all modes of transportation across the Commonwealth, to celebrate and preserve the hard work and ingenuity of generations past, and to inspire current and future generations to value this industry which is essential to Virginia’s history, culture, and economic growth.

http://www.vmt.org/

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, US.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation began its life in 1963 as the Roanoke Transportation Museum located in Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia. The museum at that time was housed in an old
Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot on the banks of the Roanoke River. The earliest components of the museum's collection included a United States Army Jupiter rocket and the famous N&W J Class Locomotive #611, donated by Norfolk & Western Railway to the city of Roanoke where many of its engines were constructed. The museum expanded its collection to include other pieces of rail equipment such as a former DC Transit PCC streetcar, and a number of horse-drawn vehicles including a hearse, a covered wagon, and a Studebaker wagon.

In November 1985, a flood nearly destroyed the museum, and much of its collection. It forced the shutdown of the facility and the refurbishment of #611. In April 1986, the museum re-opened in the Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station in downtown Roanoke as the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The museum has earned that title, being recognized by the
General Assembly of Virginia as the Commonwealth's official transportation museum.

The locomotives Norfolk & Western 611 and Norfolk &
Western 1218 were originally property of the city of Roanoke due to the museum's original charter. On the April 2, 2012, VMT's 50 Birthday, the city officially gifted the locomotive titles to the museum.

The Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The station consists of two clearly identifiable sections, both of which were completed in 1918. They are the two-story, fifty-bay-long, freight station proper which was built parallel to the railroad tracks and now is oriented south, and the one-story-with-basement brick annex that formerly housed the offices of the Shenandoah and Radford divisions of the Norfolk and Western. The building closed for railroad freight business in 1964.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Museum_of_Transportation

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
The Northern Pacific Railway Museum

The Toppenish railroad depot was built by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1911. For 50 years it served as the transportation center of the community. As automobile, bus and airplane service increased, railroad transportation declined and in 1961 passenger service from Toppenish was discontinued. In 1981 the depot was no longer of use to the railroad and it was boarded up. In 1989 a group of railfans approached the city and the railroad about leasing the depot as a railroad museum. The Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum Association (YVR&S) was formed to accomplish this goal. With the city's help the depot was leased in 1990. The Fort Simcoe Job Corp was able to refurbish the damaged plaster ceilings. Many hours of volunteer work resulted in the replacement of the electrical systems, stripping of the paint from the oak trim, and the beginnings of the museum displays. The museum had its grand opening on July 4, 1992. In 1993 the depot and adjacent freight house were purchased from the Burlington Northern Railroad. In 2000 the museum division was renamed the Northern Pacific Railway Museum .

In 1993 an agreement was reached with the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma for the lease of the 1902
Northern Pacific engine #1364. Volunteers converted the old Toppenish freight house to an engine house. The wooden floors were removed from the old freight area. Concrete and rail were laid so that the locomotive could be moved inside. Many more hours of work are coming to fruition as the once derelict locomotive begins to take shape again. A 1930's vintage freight train is being restored to display the importance of railroad transportation to early western development.

In 2006 the museum received word that the City of Auburn, WA, wished to dispose of NP 2152. It had been donated to the city in 1958 and had sat in their memorial park since that time. The city sent notices to everyone that they thought might be interested and the Northern Pacific Railway Museum's proposal was accepted by the city. By October final preparations were made and the locomotive boiler was lifted off the running gear. All the components were brought to Toppenish on four large trucks. A crane was hired to load and unload them and the 2152 now sits on a rail spur built for it. As soon as the 1364 come out of the shop, work will begin on the cosmetic restoration of 2152. Operational restoration will come later.

http://nprymuseum.org/

The Northern Pacific Railway Museum is a railroad museum in Toppenish, Washington. It is located on 10 Asotin Av. and open between May and December.


In 1990 the ex-Northern Pacific Railway depot in Toppenish, WA, was leased and subsequently purchased from the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1993 for the museum.

In 1993 the 1902 Northern Pacific steam
locomotive #1364 was leased, and restoration began. Currently the 1364 is being hydro-tested and upon passing at 200psi it will be fully steamed and certified under the FRA. Present goal is to be operational by Christmas 2018. In 2017 the Northern Pacific Railway Museum fully purchased the 1364 from the City of Tacoma and own a clear title to the engine.

The museum currently houses a large collection of Northern Pacific Railway memorabilia such as real dinnerware that would be found on the North Coast Limited passenger train. The depot has been restored to what it looked like in the 1930s. It has the telegraphers office set up with all original equipment indigenous to the time. The freight office is original and includes a fully restored Railway Express Agency truck. The truck runs and is used in parades and antique shows.

Outside are displays of various engines and railcars. The City of Auburn donated the 2162 steam engine as the wet weather was damaging the train. The present plans are to restore cosmically, particularly the wooden cab that has rotted.

Behind the 2162 is a Mann-MCcan spreader, which is the only one left in existence. On the adjacent side is the Spokane Club first class passenger car. Connected to it is the 589 second class passenger car. This car is in poor condition and cannot handle foot traffic as of yet. There is also a 1911 wooden caboose restored to its original state.

Special events take place throughout the year and allow short train rides Such events are work history weekend which volunteers come to help restore our artifacts. Train shows are held 2 times a year in which the public is welcome. Toy Train Christmas is held just after Thanksgiving on every weekend til Christmas. The train goes down to the North Pole and you can get a picture taken with Santa.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Pacific_Railway_Museum
1502

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Mid-Continent Railway Museum

Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society–also known as Mid-Continent Railway Museum–is an outdoor, living museum and operating railroad recreating the small town/short line way of life during the “Golden Age of Railroading,” with operating trains, educational exhibits, and displays of restored rolling stock. Mid-Continent has operated at North Freedom, Wisconsin since 1963.

Vision Statement

The Mid-Continent Railway Historical Society sees itself as a place where visitors can learn of a time when the railroad station was the social and communication center of every small town. People came to the station to meet folks who came from faraway places, or to journey to those places. The mail, packages, newspapers, and goods came by rail, or were shipped by rail. The railroad and its telegraph were the nucleus that tied a small community to every place in the entire country. Everyone depended on the railroad for transportation, information, and the shipment of goods and mail.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to educate the public by recreating as accurately as possible the Golden Years of Railroads, from the Civil War days until after World War II, by operating a living railroad with vintage equipment from those times.

We will collect, preserve, restore, and operate artifacts from those times so as to inform the public about the development of railroading from wooden equipment to steel, and from steam power to internal combustion. We will give our visitors a firsthand experience on this equipment. We will do our best to accurately portray this Golden Age.

Over the years, the society has added to its collection of rolling stock, laid new track, and constructed shops and display sheds in an effort to create a reputable railroad museum. The members have maintained a very narrow scope in their purpose statement to focus on those railroads that operated in the upper Midwest during what is popularly called the “Golden Age of Railroading.” This has given the museum a unique look so that a visitor today feels like they have stepped back in time. It has also helped to keep the museum’s limited resources committed to a manageable task versus trying to save everything from everywhere.


http://www.midcontinent.org/

Collection
Mid-Continent Railway Museum's collection emphasizes the preservation of railroad items operated in the upper Midwest from the period of 1880-1916, what the organization refers to as the "Golden Age of Railroading". During that time, railroads saw an unprecedented rate of expansion, growing in size in the United States from 93,000 to 254,037 miles of track.

Three steam
locomotives are currently under restoration to federal guidelines. The museum has 13 steam and 7 diesel locomotives including Chicago & North Western # 1385 and over 100 other pieces of rolling stock. The museum has the largest collection of wooden passenger cars in the United States as well as six of only seven surviving wooden boxcars built by Mather Stock Car Company and the nation's last surviving fish car, Wisconsin Fish Commission "Badger Car #2".

The depot is an original
Chicago and North Western Railway depot from the small town of Ableman, now known as Rock Springs, Wisconsin. It was built in 1894 and moved to the museum to its current location in 1965. The depot consists of two seating areas separated by the ticket office. A gift shop now occupies the former freight room. The interior was extensively renovated following water damage during flooding in June 2008.

In addition to the depot, other railroad structures moved to the museum's location include a crossing shanty, crossing tower, section shed and water tower. Additional structures have been built new to house and maintain the collection but attempts were made to make the structures appear period appropriate.


History
The rail line used by Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a spur off the original
Chicago & North Western Railway main line. With the development of the Illinois Iron mine in early 1903, the C&NW sent a team of engineers on July 8, 1903 to survey a route to the iron fields. By August 12, C&NW president Marvin Hughitt had arrived in North Freedom in person to announce that a branchline would be built. A second major mine, the Iroquois Mine (also called the Sauk Mine) was established in October not far from the new rail line. By December 1903, the 3-mile (4.83 km) branchline was completed at a cost of $40,533.

To support the increasing number of miners in the area, a new town called
La Rue was platted, named after William G. La Rue. William La Rue was an area mining pioneer who demonstrated the latest technological advancements in diamond drill technology could make iron mining in the area economically feasible. The town was surveyed and registered in January 1903, but it was soon realized that its location in the southwest corner of the intersection of present day Highway W and Diamond Hill Road would prove to be too far from where the mines were developing. By November 1903, the development of the town shifted nearer to the Illinois Mine, one-half mile (0.8 km) to the south, at the present day location of La Rue. At the height of iron mining production, the population of La Rue likely did not exceed 50 people, but the town did include a hotel, lumberyard, church, general store and two saloons to supply and entertain the several hundred miners living nearby. Another townsite named Oliver was platted just east of La Rue, slightly closer to the Oliver Mining Company-owned Iroquois Mine, but no construction ever occurred.

At its peak, the Illinois Mine was shipping between five and twelve train car loads daily over the C&NW branchline, but La Rue’s ironing mining days would be numbered. By June 1904, the mines were reaching depths of 400–500 feet (122–152 m) at which water infiltrating into the mine shafts began being problematic. Costs continued to grow as a result of the water infiltration until finally the Illinois Mine closed in 1908. By this time it was burdened by costs associated with pumping out 2,600 gallons (9842 L) of water per minute. A similar fate befell the Iroquois Mine in 1914, at which time it was pumping 4,500 gallons per minute (17,034 L) from its mine shaft. With the end of iron mining operations, the town of La Rue quickly disappeared. By 1925 only one building remained, the La Rue tavern which still stands today.
As the La Rue area iron mining days were ending, the need for quartzite rock was increasing. In 1917, the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company established a quarry south of La Rue. The railroad track was extended 0.8 miles (1.3 km) south to serve the quarry. Operations continued until 1962 when the quarry ceased operation. The rail line was slated for abandonment soon after.

Meanwhile, in 1959, a group of rail enthusiasts from the
Milwaukee, Wisconsin area had joined together to form the Railroad Historical Society of Milwaukee. With the group’s first acquisition of the Consumers Company #701 steam locomotive, the search for a home for their collection began. An agreement was reached with the Hillsboro & North Eastern Railroad to operate diesel-powered train rides over their line beginning in 1962 under the name Mid-Continent Railway Museum. When it was learned the North Freedom branchline was available in 1962, the line was quickly purchased and the small collection of cars and locomotives were moved to North Freedom in 1963. By the summer of 1963, the move was finished and repairs to steam locomotive C&NW #1385 were completed, allowing steam train rides to be offered for the first time that summer. Train rides have been offered out of North Freedom by the museum every year since and a small train yard was gradually built to hold the growing collection of preserved rail equipment.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Continent_Railway_Museum
1572

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
To go with thread - https://civilwartalk.com/threads/horseshoe-curve.149589/

Gallitzin Tunnels Park & Museum

The extremely high grade presented the final obstacle in conquering the Allegheny Mountains, making it necessary to build tunnels as early as 1850. The New Portage Tunnel was completed in 1854 at an elevation of 2,167 feet, and was traditionally (and still is) used primarily for eastbound traffic. The Allegheny Tunnel, at 3,605 feet in length, was completed that same year.

The third tunnel, known as the Gallitzin Tunnel, was completed in 1904 and removed from service when the Allegheny Tunnel was expanded to two tracks in 1995. The Tunnels were so significant to the transportation system that they were guarded during the war years.

Still in use today, you can feel the awesome power of trains as they pass through the tunnels daily.

Railroad buffs have identified the Gallitzin Tunnels as a "must" stopover. It offers to the visitor a glimpse of the fascinating railroad "past and present."

Trains run through the tunnels 24 hours a day and are part of Norfolk Southern's main line through Pennsylvania. While visiting the tunnels, stop by at our Visitors Center located in the Museum/Theatre. The Museum and Caboose are staffed by friendly, local volunteers and are open to the public Tuesday through Sunday.


http://www.gallitzin.info/index.php
1690

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Northwest Railway Museum

https://www.trainmuseum.org/

The Northwest Railway Museum (NWRM) is a railroad museum in Snoqualmie, King County, Washington. Constructed in 1889 by the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E), it was Seattle's response to the Northern Pacific's selecting Tacoma as their terminus. The SLS&E was later absorbed by the Northern Pacific.

Museum
The Northwest Railway Museum was founded in 1957 as the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association and took its current name in September 1999. The mission of the organization is to develop and operate an outstanding railway museum where the public can see and understand the role of railroads in the development of the
Pacific Northwest, and experience the excitement of a working railroad.

The museum's collection also includes a variety of railway cars and
locomotives that document that development of the railway in Washington from the 1880s through the 1960s. It also includes a 3,000-volume library and archives that focus on the history of railroads in the Northwest, and on technical and other engineering aspects of railroading.

Heritage railroad
The Northwest Railway Museum also operates a
heritage railroad called the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad. This 5-mile (8.0 km) common carrier railroad allows museum visitors to experience a train excursion aboard antique railroad coaches through the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. Trains operate on Saturdays and Sundays from April through October and in December, and carry over 47,000 passengers per year.

Restoration Center
In August 2006 the Museum dedicated the new Conservation and Restoration Center (CRC), phase one of the Railway History Center. The CRC is a place to perform collection care on large rail artifacts including locomotives, coaches, and freight cars. It features 8,200 square feet (760 m2), two full length inspection pits, and is used to perform many functions once conducted in railroad
backshops.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Railway_Museum
1859

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
The Virginia Museum of Transportation began its life in 1963 as the Roanoke Transportation Museum located in Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia. The museum at that time was housed in an old Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot on the banks of the Roanoke River.

I don't remember much of a building at the old location. Nearly everything worth seeing there was outdoors. They had a lot of land, considerably more than the new site has, allowing better angles for photography. Their little brick building housed an HO scale layout that was more quantity than quality. I think I've identified the building, which seems to have survived and become a restaurant. The layout was not rebuilt at the new location.

They also didn't relocate their live steam scale operation which had hundreds of feet of outdoor track, or a massive C&O 4-cylinder steam engine that had been on long-term loan at the time of the flood.

Not only does the new site offer a drastically increased amount of indoor display space, but a roof has been attached to the north side to keep their best locomotives out of the rain. This is the home of the N&W 611 and 1218.

The new site is within easy walking distance of the new Amtrak platform, which is within easy walking distance of the Hotel Roanoke and several downtown restaurants, so an overnight stay for a museum visit no longer requires the use of a car. A glass walkway over the tracks at the hotel provides a good view of the west end of the legendary Shaffer's Crossing shops, where the steam engines were built. The O. Winston Link photography museum is near the hotel end of the walkway.
 
Georgia State Railroad Museum

"This National Historic Landmark site, formerly named the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, is the oldest and largest existing nineteenth-century railroad operations complex in the nation. Construction began in 1850. Thirteen of the original structures remain today. The Central of Georgia Railway handled freight, passengers, maintenance, and manufacturing at this single location."

http://railga.com/oddend/roundhouse.html

"The Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities is a 33.2-acre (134,000 m2)
National Historic Landmark District in Savannah, Georgia. It is dominated by the Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed, and was constructed in 1853 by the Central of Georgia Railway (CofG) before the outbreak of the American Civil War. This pair of buildings was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976, a listing which was expanded in 1978 to include additional buildings described here.

The Georgia State Railroad Museum (formerly called the "Roundhouse Railroad Museum") of the
Central of Georgia Railway (CG) in Savannah, Georgia. The complex is considered the most complete antebellum railroad complex in the United States. The museum, located at 655 Louisville Road, is part of a historic district included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic railroad structures at the Georgia State Railroad Museum site include a partial
roundhouse with operating turntable, partial machine shop, Tender Frame Shop, Blacksmith Shop, Boiler House, Storehouse & Print Shop, Lumber and Planning Sheds, Coach and Paint Shops, and a partial Carpentry Shop which now houses Savannah Children's Museum. Many of these structures are open for visitors to explore.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_of_Georgia_Railroad:_Savannah_Shops_and_Terminal_Facilities

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
Visited this site last weekend with the Civil War Historical Society on our annual trip. This facility has a very large number of pre-CW parts (1853) -- walls, tracks, boiler room, Manager's Office and library, machine shop, smoke stack, etc. The museum manager has been there 15 years and has no intention of leaving. He gave us a 2+ hour tour that was worth the drive to Savannah all by itself.

Of interest to me was the size of the round house itself. The original back walls (180 deg) are still in use and you can see the original footings for the posts that held up the roof. This gives you the distance out the roof went and the width of the stalls. The original ventilation louvers are still in place.

They have a passenger car partly exposed on the sides, so you can see how the cars were constructed behind the car walls. This car was made in about 1900, but is clearly an exact copy on an 1880 car the road purchased and used as a pattern.
 
Atlanta History Center

The Atlanta History Center was founded on the big ideas and relentless fascination of 14 Atlantans who were emphatic about our city’s historical relevance in society. In a sense, our organization was created by Atlanta’s biggest fans, and we love that detail. In 1926, these founding members introduced the Atlanta Historical Society into the world with one mission: to help preserve Atlanta’s history. In 1990, after decades of collecting, researching, publishing and celebrating the early stories of our great Southern community, the Atlanta Historical Society and all of its holdings officially became the Atlanta History Center.

http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/

The Atlanta History Center (AHC) is a history museum and research center located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. The Museum was founded in 1926, and currently consists of six permanent, and several temporary, exhibitions. The AHC campus is 33-acres and features historic gardens and houses located on the grounds, including Swan House, Tullie Smith Farm, and Wood Family Cabin. The AHC's research arm, the Kenan Research Center, includes 3.5 million resources and a reproduction of historian Franklin Garrett's (1906–2000) office. The AHC holds one of the largest collections of Civil War artifacts in the United States.

In 2014, the city of Atlanta announced its intentions to relocate the
Atlanta Cyclorama and its artifacts to the Atlanta History Center, including the antebellum Western & Atlantic locomotive, the Texas. The museum plans to construct an expansion to house the 360-degree panoramic painting of the Civil War, the Battle of Atlanta, as well as the Texas locomotive, and other pieces in the Cyclorama collection. The expanded history center is planned to be completed in 2018.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_History_Center

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/re...-to-atlanta-in-early-may.133707/#post-1931611
2086

Cheers,
USS ALASKA




 
To go with thread - https://civilwartalk.com/threads/ma...-the-reunion-on-the-cotton-belt-route.152259/

Cotton Belt Depot Museum Tyler Texas


The Saint Louis Southwestern Railroad, best known as the Cotton Belt, was originated in Tyler as the Tyler Tap, a narrow gage line built to carry cotton and produce to the town of Big Sandy, Texas. The museum is located in the Cotton Belt Depot which served railroad passengers from 1905 until 1956. The Museum provides memories of the operation of the Cotton Belt and a venue for the public, both young and old, to learn about the history of the railroad industry. The Museum is operated by volunteers of the Tyler Tap Chapter of the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society.

The mission of the Museum is:
1. The preservation and restoration of local railroad history through the establishment and operation of an appropriate museum to store and display railroad artifacts and memorabilia.
2. To collect, research, and document historical events pertaining to the development, growth, and operation of the Cotton Belt in East Texas.


http://www.cottonbeltdepotmuseum.com/index.htm
2142

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 
1547390045240.png


Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum

Celebrating 80 Years of Preserving Rochester’s Rich Railroading Heritage!
Our organization can trace its roots back to February 4, 1937, when a small group of rail enthusiasts met on the second floor of the old New York Central station on Central Avenue to celebrate their membership as the newly formed sixth chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. That first meeting consisted of ten pioneering members representing, as we do today, all ages and walks of life. John Abbott was a baggage handler, Peter Barry worked at electrical distribution (and would later become Rochester’s 59th mayor), William Buckland was a banker at Genesee Valley Trust, Charles Brunell was a clerk at Lincoln Alliance Bank, Charles Hess was a retired tobacconist, Ward Schafer was a ticket agent, Gegorge Slyferd was a printer, Karl Sweeney was a bookeeper, Bernard Ward was a teacher (and our group’s first president), and John Woodbury was a clerk at Stromberg-Carlson Corp.


We owe much to those ten original members. John Woodbury’s immense collection of railroad photos and literature are the heart of our museum’s library archive. Charles Hess and William Buckland provided important early financial support. Ward Schafer’s enthusiasm kept the organization strong and moving forward. Bernard Ward’s leadership and good humor maintained the group’s spirit while Peter Barry’s winning personality helped attract new members.

Just 12 years later, the Rochester Chapter had grown in size and recognition. Rochester was chosen as the site of the 9th Annual NRHS National Convention. Over the long weekend of September 3 through 4, 1949, NRHS members from all over the country convened at the Hotel Rochester for their annual meeting, grand banquet, and rail excursions. For this significant occasion, our members proudly displayed their collections of railroad memorabilia in the hotel lobby. Large display cases were filled with exhibits of railroad lanterns, detailed models, photographs, and all types of associated railroad books and literature.

Member George Remington was the emcee for the convention’s annual banquet. Besides being trust officer for the Lincoln-Rochester Bank, he was also the president of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad (which was on perpetual lease to the Erie Railroad as their Rochester-Corning route). On September 3, 1949, an eager crowd of railfans gathered under the sheds of the Baltimore & Ohio (former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Ry.) terminal off West Main Street for an excursion to East Salamanca, N.Y., and return. Among the attendees were long-time members Bill Gordon, Dick Tickner, Bill Chapin, Sam Grover, Ed Van Leer, and Curt Boyer. On September 5, more than 65 attendees boarded two chartered trolleys at City Hall Station for a complete end-to-end tour of the Rochester Subway. The convention was declared a complete success by all reports.

After suffering through a period of postwar decline, the venerable Rochester Subway remained the last vestige of trolley operations in our city. Operated by Rochester Transit Corp. since 1938, the Subway was constructed and owned by the city. When the city council voted to end all passenger service on June 30, 1956, thousands turned out for one last ride on the system that stretched from Rowlands Loop in Brighton to General Motors in Greece. One car from the fleet of 12 serving the Subway was selected for preservation, following a campaign of letter-writing between our group and RTC. Rochester Subway Car 60 became the first piece of railroad equipment preserved in our collection. Having no permanent facility of our own, arrangements were made to have Car 60 displayed at the new Rail City Museum in Sandy Creek, N.Y.

Through the 1950s, several excursions were operated on the B&O and Erie lines during the waning days of steam locomotives in cooperation with the nearby Buffalo Chapter NRHS. One of these trips on the B&O was documented in the short documentary film The Vanishing American produced by the Kodak Camera Club, with the original print in our museum collection.

By the 1960s, our headquarters moved to a location on South Avenue (now occupied by the Convention Center), as the old NYC station had been sold to new owners. Members of our organization became involved in the operation of steam excursions on the new Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad that started up on the old Erie line in 1965. Regular steam excursions on the Canadian National just across the border in Fort Erie and Hamilton, Ont., were also a big draw.

The search for a permanent location to establish a railroad museum began in the mid-1960s. Several locations were considered, including the former B&O station in Mumford

A pivotal point in our organization’s history was the purchase of the 1909 wood frame depot at Industry from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad for $1.00 in July 1971. The first official work session was attended by nine hearty souls on January 2, 1972. The herculean task of renovating the old depot would take several years to complete, including excavating furnace ashes and mud from the basement, replacing the main floor beam, and repairing the roof. With the increased activity down-county, our members established a gift shop and store in the depot at Livonia, N.Y., that was open on days the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad operated their popular steam excursions. Proceeds from the store helped support the restoration of our Industry Depot, which we then called “Oatka.” Members Gerald (Jerry) Hott, Henry (Hank) Pape, Ed Maslyn, Greg Sullivan, Bill Gordon, Peter Gores, Dick Barrett, Cal and Rose Bulman, Devan Lawton, and Rand Warner were instrumental in leading those early efforts.

Former Baltimore & Ohio baggage car No. 633 joined our collection in 1972, followed by an ancient 40-foot former New York Central flatcar in 1974. Both items were stored on LA&L property since we had no live rail connection to bring cars onto our museum property. On April 1, 1976, operation of the tracks than run past our depot changed from Erie Lackawanna to Conrail. In 1979, Chessie System donated former B&O caboose C2631 (former BR&P 280) to our museum for preservation. This was the first piece of rail equipment displayed at Industry, slid onto a piece of panel track built next to the station.

As our collection of historic railroad equipment continued to grow, it became clear we would need to restore a connection that would allow our museum to have a live rail connection to the outside world. With the permission of Conrail, several dozen volunteers worked through the weekend of August 7 though 9, 1981, to reinstall a switch that would connect to the display tracks being built on our property. This work was completed none too soon, as Eastman Kodak Co. had just donated a retired diesel locomotive to our museum. On August 15, GE 80-ton switcher EK 6 arrived at Industry, having traveled on live rail all the way from the Kodak plant. Kodak’s first diesel (built new in 1946) in turn became our museum’s first locomotive.

Additional track construction continued off and on for another ten years, including the expansion of the display yard at Industry Depot. On June 12, 1993, museum members celebrated with a “golden spike” ceremony celebrating the completion of a two-mile link with the New York Museum of Transportation. Public track car rides between the two museums began shortly thereafter, bringing a steady stream of Sunday visitors to both locations.

A group of members formed Empire State Railcar to purchase six retired former New York Central Budd streamlined coaches from an equipment broker in 1993. These coaches were built in 1941 for the Empire State Express before they were downgraded in the 1960s and rebuilt for commuter service. The cars were delivered to Sodus, N.Y., where a series of successful fall foliage excursions were operated on the Ontario Midland Railroad. These trips provided a significant source of income for our museum for many seasons.

As we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of our museum at Industry in 1996, a major fundraising campaign was announced to fund the construction of a new restoration shop. Ground was broken on the new facility in 1998. By 2000, the structure was completed and electrical service connected. Tracks were laid into the structure, and some of the first pieces were placed inside the shop, including the newly-returned Rochester Subway Car 60.

Six vintage diesel-electric locomotives now called the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum home, soon to be joined by two more diesel switchers from Rochester Gas & Electric in 2007. The restoration of Erie caboose C254was completed in 1994. A number of freight cars and cabooses joined the collection in the 1990s as well.

Our annual fall foliage excursions came to an end in 2004 and the coaches were placed in storage on the Ontario Midland at Newark, N.Y. In December 2007, our set of Empire State Express coaches were delivered from Sodus to Industry, and spotted in the newly built Upper Yard leading into the Restoration Shop. In 2012, we moved the coaches to our newly completed siding on the west side of the LA&L tracks that run past our museum. Volunteers prepared the coaches for their first trip, a special end-to-end rare mileage excursion on the LA&L from Lakeville to Mortimer and return. Since then, our museum has operated an annual fall foliage excursion each October, thanks to the cooperation of the LA&L. By the end of 2010, our museum chose a path independent of membership in the NRHS.

In 2015, we expanded our museum campus by opening the Upper Yard to the public for the first time. Expanded parking facilities were created, and many new museum displays were installed. Our New York Central caboose was returned to service to carry the dramatic increase in visitors. Many years in the making, a major project to complete our concrete inspection pit inside the Restoration Shop was completed in 2015. More than two-thirds of the new concrete floor inside the shop was completed in 2016, opening up additional space for projects and visitors alike. At the end of 2016, the LA&L RS-1 No. 20 was donated to our museum by the railroad.

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is home to the largest collection of historic trains, as well as the only operating railroad museum in New York State. With this distinction comes its own challenges for our volunteers to meet as we continue to expand and grow. Won’t you join us?

—Compiled by Donovan Schilling and Otto M. Vondrak

http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/our-history/
2293

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
1548508459762.png


Western Pacific Railroad Museum

The Feather River Rail Society is a California 501(c)3 Non-Profit Educational & Historical Corporation headquartered in Portola, California, at the headwaters of the Feather River. Located 50 miles Northwest of Reno, Nevada.

The Feather River Rail Society (FRRS) is the owner and operator of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola. The FRRS is wholly funded by admissions, locomotive rentals, museum store sales, and generous donations of time, material, labor and money, and does not receive funding from any local, federal or state governments. The volunteers of the FRRS restore equipment, operate trains, sort and catalog archives, repair and improve the facilities, and perform hundreds of "house keeping" type duties related to keeping the museum open.

In addition to the museum grounds and equipment, the Society is the custodian of several notable archive collections, including historic photographs, equipment diagrams, business ledgers and authorizations for expenditure, equipment records and other important documentation from the Western Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries, as well as the famous "California Zephyr" passenger train. This collection represents a nearly complete and total history of the railroad. The archives are currently being cataloged and electronically scanned for presentation and availability to the general public to preserve for future generations.

https://www.wplives.org/index.html

The museum holds in its collection thirty-three Diesel locomotives, one electric locomotive, one steam locomotive (under restoration and on display), eighteen passenger cars (including four from the famous California Zephyr train), numerous freight and maintenance cars and sixteen cabooses. They offer excursions and a "Run A Locomotive" program during the summer. The WPRM has one of the larger collections of early Diesel era locomotives and freight cars in North America. The museum is often considered to have one of the most complete and historic collections of equipment and materials from a single railroad family. The WPRM is a "hands-on" museum that allows visitors to board and explore locomotives and cars in their collection.

Among the significant pieces in the WPRM collection are Western Pacific 805-A, an FP7 model passenger locomotive that pulled the California Zephyr; Southern Pacific EMD GP9 #2873, nicknamed "the Kodachrome" by the volunteers, due to it being painted with the Kodachrome scheme from the failed Santa Fe–Southern Pacific merger; WP 2001, the first GP20 model locomotive (an early turbocharged Diesel);WP 501, an early switch engine and the first Diesel purchased by the Western Pacific; Western Pacific 0-6-0 steam locomotive 165, an oil burning switch engine built by ALCO in 1919; WP 37, a 200-ton rail-mounted crane, two track clearing snowplows (one wedge type and one rotary); and several rare, early 20th century freight cars. Also located at the site are the Portola Diesel Shop, built in 1953, and an interlocking tower from Oakland, California, currently stored unrebuilt. The Western Pacific Hospital, built in 1911 and one of the few remaining railroad hospitals in the country, was part of the museum until it was destroyed in an arson fire on September 7, 2011. The WPRM prides itself on maintaining several of their road Diesels in mainline operating condition and is well known for making occasional movements on Class I railroads using their own historic motive power.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Pacific_Railroad_Museum
2350

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
View attachment 226134

Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum

Celebrating 80 Years of Preserving Rochester’s Rich Railroading Heritage!
Our organization can trace its roots back to February 4, 1937, when a small group of rail enthusiasts met on the second floor of the old New York Central station on Central Avenue to celebrate their membership as the newly formed sixth chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. That first meeting consisted of ten pioneering members representing, as we do today, all ages and walks of life. John Abbott was a baggage handler, Peter Barry worked at electrical distribution (and would later become Rochester’s 59th mayor), William Buckland was a banker at Genesee Valley Trust, Charles Brunell was a clerk at Lincoln Alliance Bank, Charles Hess was a retired tobacconist, Ward Schafer was a ticket agent, Gegorge Slyferd was a printer, Karl Sweeney was a bookeeper, Bernard Ward was a teacher (and our group’s first president), and John Woodbury was a clerk at Stromberg-Carlson Corp.


We owe much to those ten original members. John Woodbury’s immense collection of railroad photos and literature are the heart of our museum’s library archive. Charles Hess and William Buckland provided important early financial support. Ward Schafer’s enthusiasm kept the organization strong and moving forward. Bernard Ward’s leadership and good humor maintained the group’s spirit while Peter Barry’s winning personality helped attract new members.

Just 12 years later, the Rochester Chapter had grown in size and recognition. Rochester was chosen as the site of the 9th Annual NRHS National Convention. Over the long weekend of September 3 through 4, 1949, NRHS members from all over the country convened at the Hotel Rochester for their annual meeting, grand banquet, and rail excursions. For this significant occasion, our members proudly displayed their collections of railroad memorabilia in the hotel lobby. Large display cases were filled with exhibits of railroad lanterns, detailed models, photographs, and all types of associated railroad books and literature.

Member George Remington was the emcee for the convention’s annual banquet. Besides being trust officer for the Lincoln-Rochester Bank, he was also the president of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad (which was on perpetual lease to the Erie Railroad as their Rochester-Corning route). On September 3, 1949, an eager crowd of railfans gathered under the sheds of the Baltimore & Ohio (former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Ry.) terminal off West Main Street for an excursion to East Salamanca, N.Y., and return. Among the attendees were long-time members Bill Gordon, Dick Tickner, Bill Chapin, Sam Grover, Ed Van Leer, and Curt Boyer. On September 5, more than 65 attendees boarded two chartered trolleys at City Hall Station for a complete end-to-end tour of the Rochester Subway. The convention was declared a complete success by all reports.

After suffering through a period of postwar decline, the venerable Rochester Subway remained the last vestige of trolley operations in our city. Operated by Rochester Transit Corp. since 1938, the Subway was constructed and owned by the city. When the city council voted to end all passenger service on June 30, 1956, thousands turned out for one last ride on the system that stretched from Rowlands Loop in Brighton to General Motors in Greece. One car from the fleet of 12 serving the Subway was selected for preservation, following a campaign of letter-writing between our group and RTC. Rochester Subway Car 60 became the first piece of railroad equipment preserved in our collection. Having no permanent facility of our own, arrangements were made to have Car 60 displayed at the new Rail City Museum in Sandy Creek, N.Y.

Through the 1950s, several excursions were operated on the B&O and Erie lines during the waning days of steam locomotives in cooperation with the nearby Buffalo Chapter NRHS. One of these trips on the B&O was documented in the short documentary film The Vanishing American produced by the Kodak Camera Club, with the original print in our museum collection.

By the 1960s, our headquarters moved to a location on South Avenue (now occupied by the Convention Center), as the old NYC station had been sold to new owners. Members of our organization became involved in the operation of steam excursions on the new Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad that started up on the old Erie line in 1965. Regular steam excursions on the Canadian National just across the border in Fort Erie and Hamilton, Ont., were also a big draw.

The search for a permanent location to establish a railroad museum began in the mid-1960s. Several locations were considered, including the former B&O station in Mumford

A pivotal point in our organization’s history was the purchase of the 1909 wood frame depot at Industry from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad for $1.00 in July 1971. The first official work session was attended by nine hearty souls on January 2, 1972. The herculean task of renovating the old depot would take several years to complete, including excavating furnace ashes and mud from the basement, replacing the main floor beam, and repairing the roof. With the increased activity down-county, our members established a gift shop and store in the depot at Livonia, N.Y., that was open on days the Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad operated their popular steam excursions. Proceeds from the store helped support the restoration of our Industry Depot, which we then called “Oatka.” Members Gerald (Jerry) Hott, Henry (Hank) Pape, Ed Maslyn, Greg Sullivan, Bill Gordon, Peter Gores, Dick Barrett, Cal and Rose Bulman, Devan Lawton, and Rand Warner were instrumental in leading those early efforts.

Former Baltimore & Ohio baggage car No. 633 joined our collection in 1972, followed by an ancient 40-foot former New York Central flatcar in 1974. Both items were stored on LA&L property since we had no live rail connection to bring cars onto our museum property. On April 1, 1976, operation of the tracks than run past our depot changed from Erie Lackawanna to Conrail. In 1979, Chessie System donated former B&O caboose C2631 (former BR&P 280) to our museum for preservation. This was the first piece of rail equipment displayed at Industry, slid onto a piece of panel track built next to the station.

As our collection of historic railroad equipment continued to grow, it became clear we would need to restore a connection that would allow our museum to have a live rail connection to the outside world. With the permission of Conrail, several dozen volunteers worked through the weekend of August 7 though 9, 1981, to reinstall a switch that would connect to the display tracks being built on our property. This work was completed none too soon, as Eastman Kodak Co. had just donated a retired diesel locomotive to our museum. On August 15, GE 80-ton switcher EK 6 arrived at Industry, having traveled on live rail all the way from the Kodak plant. Kodak’s first diesel (built new in 1946) in turn became our museum’s first locomotive.

Additional track construction continued off and on for another ten years, including the expansion of the display yard at Industry Depot. On June 12, 1993, museum members celebrated with a “golden spike” ceremony celebrating the completion of a two-mile link with the New York Museum of Transportation. Public track car rides between the two museums began shortly thereafter, bringing a steady stream of Sunday visitors to both locations.

A group of members formed Empire State Railcar to purchase six retired former New York Central Budd streamlined coaches from an equipment broker in 1993. These coaches were built in 1941 for the Empire State Express before they were downgraded in the 1960s and rebuilt for commuter service. The cars were delivered to Sodus, N.Y., where a series of successful fall foliage excursions were operated on the Ontario Midland Railroad. These trips provided a significant source of income for our museum for many seasons.

As we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of our museum at Industry in 1996, a major fundraising campaign was announced to fund the construction of a new restoration shop. Ground was broken on the new facility in 1998. By 2000, the structure was completed and electrical service connected. Tracks were laid into the structure, and some of the first pieces were placed inside the shop, including the newly-returned Rochester Subway Car 60.

Six vintage diesel-electric locomotives now called the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum home, soon to be joined by two more diesel switchers from Rochester Gas & Electric in 2007. The restoration of Erie caboose C254was completed in 1994. A number of freight cars and cabooses joined the collection in the 1990s as well.

Our annual fall foliage excursions came to an end in 2004 and the coaches were placed in storage on the Ontario Midland at Newark, N.Y. In December 2007, our set of Empire State Express coaches were delivered from Sodus to Industry, and spotted in the newly built Upper Yard leading into the Restoration Shop. In 2012, we moved the coaches to our newly completed siding on the west side of the LA&L tracks that run past our museum. Volunteers prepared the coaches for their first trip, a special end-to-end rare mileage excursion on the LA&L from Lakeville to Mortimer and return. Since then, our museum has operated an annual fall foliage excursion each October, thanks to the cooperation of the LA&L. By the end of 2010, our museum chose a path independent of membership in the NRHS.

In 2015, we expanded our museum campus by opening the Upper Yard to the public for the first time. Expanded parking facilities were created, and many new museum displays were installed. Our New York Central caboose was returned to service to carry the dramatic increase in visitors. Many years in the making, a major project to complete our concrete inspection pit inside the Restoration Shop was completed in 2015. More than two-thirds of the new concrete floor inside the shop was completed in 2016, opening up additional space for projects and visitors alike. At the end of 2016, the LA&L RS-1 No. 20 was donated to our museum by the railroad.

The Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is home to the largest collection of historic trains, as well as the only operating railroad museum in New York State. With this distinction comes its own challenges for our volunteers to meet as we continue to expand and grow. Won’t you join us?

—Compiled by Donovan Schilling and Otto M. Vondrak

http://www.rgvrrm.org/about/our-history/
2293

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
I pass right by here every year on my way to a reenactment in Mumford NY. I need to make it a point to stop by this year.
 
1549035058951.png


The Florida Railroad Museum, Inc. was founded as The Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum with the stated goal of preserving Florida's railroad history. Over the years, the Museum has aquired and restored rolling stock and equipment to operate for the public's enjoyment. We hope our visitors appreciate the sights and sounds of Florida railroading as it existed in the 1940s and 1950s.

http://www.frrm.org/index.html

The museum was founded in 1981 as the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum, and has been operating weekend excursions out of Parrish since 1992. The museum is also active in the ghost town of Willow, where it has maintenance facilities. At Willow, there is a railroad spur that leads east off of the mainline to a Florida Power & Light Company plant. CSX Transportation provides rail service to the plant. The area of Willow is accessible from Willow Road east off of US 301. The museum has a fence around its facilities at Willow and cameras for security. It has constructed a new depot at Willow within this secured property.

The railroad line that the Florida Railroad Museum uses is a very small part of a 55-mile route that was built south from Durant to Manatee County and into Sarasota with construction starting in 1895. It was first incorporated in 1902 as the United States & West Indies Railroad and Steamship Company. It became the Florida West Shore Railway on May 9, 1903. On November 4, 1909 it was acquired by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company. In 1967, the merger of the Seaboard Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line created the Seaboard Coast Line. The Seaboard Coast Line would later become a part of the Family Lines System. This would lead to the Seaboard System and that would become a part of CSX Transportation in the 1980s, although the segment from Durant to Willow was pulled up in 1986. The line is currently part of the CSX Palmetto Subdivision's Parrish Spur. It is Class I track with jointed, 85-pound rails.

The Florida Railroad Museum is one of three Official State Railroad Museums in Florida. It became a Florida state railroad museum in 1984 when it received statutory recognition by the Florida Legislature as meeting the following four criteria: its purpose is to preserve railroad history, it is devoted primarily to the history of railroading, it is open to the public, and it operates as a non-profit organization. It is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm year-round. The train departs from Parrish at 11am and 2pm on these days, and the excursions from Parrish to Willow last about an hour and a half round trip. The museum also offers specials events throughout the year such as Day Out With Thomas, Pumpkin Patch Express, and North Pole Express.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Railroad_Museum
2408

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
1549590467065.png

National Toy Train Museum

Learn All About Toy Trains!
Collecting, building and operating toy trains is a lively hobby for the 21st Century! Fun and challenging, it combines traditional skills with cutting-edge technology.

  • Designed like an old-time train station, the Museum features the latest in exhibits and LED lighting.
  • The massive toy train collection features models from the 1800s to the present.
  • Six operating, interactive train layouts in G, Standard, O, S, and HO Gauges and Lego®. Videos on all aspects of toy trains.
  • National Toy Train Library of toy train publications and history.
  • Lionel, American Flyer, MTH, Weaver, LGB, Bachmann, Marklin, Lego® and more.
http://www.nttmuseum.org/index.shtml

The National Toy Train Museum (NTTM), at 300 Paradise Lane, in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, USA, is focused on creating an interactive display of toy trains. Its collection dates from the early 1800s through current production. The building houses the Toy Train Reference Library and the National Business Office of the Train Collectors Association. It is located just around the corner from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

The NTTM is owned and operated by the Train Collectors Association (TCA) and serves as its headquarters. The museum's mission is to promote train collecting and to preserve the heritage of toy trains. Founded in 1977, part of the museum's ongoing appeal is that it brings children and adults together. The museum features Six working train layouts and a Toy Train Reference Library with reference and archival materials serving model railroaders. The nearby Choo Choo Barn "features a more than 1,700-square-foot model train layout with 22 operating model trains and more than 150 animations".

In August 2012, the National Toy Train Museum was one of twenty locations invited to participate in an international virtual celebration of Swiss contributions to railroad technology. The Skype talks, in which engineers, historians, museum curators and other experts presented Swiss trains and other Swiss train technologies and answered questions from the public, were accessible by computer and at the participating locations.

The museum is open on a seasonal basis with an admission fee charged. TCA members are admitted free. It is closed from January through March.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Toy_Train_Museum
2462

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
1550934252431.png


Gold Coast Railroad Museum

Gold Coast Railroad Museum (GCRM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of railroad history and culture through preservation, restoration, and education.

Home to over 40 historic railcars, including the "Ferdinand Magellan" Presidential Railcar, better known as U.S. Car No. 1. The museum also houses a model train room and numerous interactive displays.

https://www.goldcoastrailroadmuseum.org/

The Gold Coast Railroad Museum (reporting mark GCOX) is a railroad museum located in Miami, Florida, adjacent to Zoo Miami.

Description
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum was founded in 1956. The museum was built on the former Naval Air Station Richmond (NASR). With over three miles of tracks, the old base was an ideal place to build a railroad museum.

The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is one of three Official State Railroad Museums in Florida. It became a Florida state railroad museum in 1984 when it received statutory recognition by the Florida Legislature as meeting the four statutory criteria that: its purpose is to preserve railroad history, it is devoted primarily to the history of railroading, it is open to the public, and it operates as a non-profit organization.

The Gold Coast Railroad Museum promotes historical trains and railroads. It houses over 30 historic trains including classic railroad cars like the Western Pacific "Silver Crescent” and engines like the Florida East Coast "113.” The Museum strives to teach railroad history with the use of artifacts, movies, and railroading materials. The Museum includes a number of displays that are interactive.

The Museum's train rides allow guests to board vintage trains and get a taste of the past. On certain days, guests can ride in standard gauge railway cars and can also ride in the cab of the train's locomotive. The separate 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge Edwin Link Children's Railroad also offers rides.

Exhibits
One of the most important exhibits is the Presidential Car "Ferdinand Magellan". The museum also has a collection of model railroad equipment.

Locomotives
The Museum has both steam and diesel locomotives on display. Several of the diesel locomotives are operational and active. Some of the locomotives on location are:

Steam Locomotives
Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Steam Locomotive #153

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) Steam Locomotive #113

Diesel-electric Locomotives
National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) EMD SW1500 S-2 #2

Gold Coast Railroad Museum (GCOX) RS-1 #106

Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) E-9A #9913

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) E-8A #1594

Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) GP-7 #1804

Seaboard FP-10 #4033

Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac (RF&P) "Slug"

Other Locomotives
East Swamp & Gatorville Railroad 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge 4-4-0 Locomotive #3 (built by Crown Metal Products; donated by Edwin Albert Link; originally coal-powered, but now runs on compressed air)

Freight and Other Cars
The freight cars and other railroad cars on display include:

US Dept of Interior-Bureau of Mines Helium Field Operations - Helium Transportation Car MHAX #1202

Frisco Line Railroad Gondola Car #60053

Port Everglades Railroad Flatcar #1103

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) Steam Crane #765157

Burro Crane #15

Southern Railway (SR) Boxcar #260909

Southern Railway (SR) Boxcar #27416

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) Boxcar #126307

Belcher Oil Company (BEPX) Tank Car #105

Belcher Oil Company (BEPX) Tank Car #121

United States Army (USAX) Side Dump Ballast Car

United States Army (USAX) Flatcar #35703

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) Caboose #0322

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL, ex SAL) Boxcar #593188

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shuttle Rocket Booster "Skirt" car #NALX 171 (Renumbered GCOX 171)

Rolling Stock
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum has over 40 pieces of railroad rolling stock and equipment.

Model Railroading
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum exhibits include a number of model railroads in many scales, including N, HO, O27, and G scale. The collections and equipment on display have been donated or loaned to the Museum for the public's enjoyment.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast_Railroad_Museum
2533

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
1552700853293.png


Founded in 1962, the Museum of the American Railroad is a not-for-profit Texas corporation dedicated to celebrating the heritage and exploring the future of railroads through historic preservation, research, and educational programming. The museum collects artifacts and archival material from the railroad industry to exhibit and interpret their significance in American life and culture. Exhibits and general programs are provided year-round. Educational programs are available to local schools and universities through study trips, in-class programming & outreach, and online resources.

These venerable old trains exist today because of the hard work and dedication of a relatively small number of people. It all began in 1961 when the founders of our museum realized that not only had the era of luxurious steam powered passenger trains come to a close, but little even remained of their existence. Over the next several years, they set out to save what precious few pieces of equipment were left. Some were graciously donated by the railroads upon retirement; others were literally pulled from the scrap lines. These are the survivors – the lucky ones – perhaps a little rough but they are tangible evidence of our heritage.

http://www.museumoftheamericanrailroad.org/Home.aspx

The Museum of the American Railroad, formerly known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum, is a railroad museum in Frisco, Texas. The museum has a large collection of steam, diesel, passenger, and freight railroad equipment, and is noted for allowing guests to walk through some of the equipment on guided tours.

History
The museum began as a small exhibit at the State Fair of Texas in 1963, and continued as a staple of the annual fair, officially becoming a museum in 1986. It remained at its original site at Fair Park until closing in November 2011. The museum has fully relocated to Frisco, Texas; the move was based on a strategic plan, called Visions 2006, which called for a comprehensive reorganization of the museum, including new facilities, new governance and new programs. The museum's offices, store, and some exhibits are temporarily housed at the Frisco Heritage Museum while construction continues on the museum's new location two blocks south.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Steam_Railroad_Museum
2641

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
South Coast Railroad Museum at the Historic Goleta Depot

The South Coast Railroad Museum in Goleta, California, focuses on the history, technology, and adventure of railroading. Special emphasis is placed on the railroad’s contributions to local history, on the Southern Pacific Railroad, and on the key historical role of the railroad depot in rural community life across America.

The museum centerpiece is Goleta Depot, a country railroad station house built by the Southern Pacific in 1901 during completion of the Coast Route joining San Francisco and Los Angeles. Goleta Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

http://scrm.goletadepot.org/
2676

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Beware the B & O Museum - you can get lost in things to do in the area. Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry (something or other about a song they play at sporting events...), the Museum of Industry, the Science Center, the USS Constellation, the National Aquarium, USCG Chesapeake, a great Children's Museum, the Poe House and Museum, the Irish Shrine and Railroad Workers Museum...just lots and lots of lots and lots. If you want to include anything within an hours drive...you could spend a month there.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
From personal experience, I know what you mean.
 
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