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Railroad Museums, Preserving the Past

Railroad museums are very interesting places, even if you do not hold a serious interest in railroading! For instance, if you ever had the slightest interest in trains they are excellent resource tools that will teach you a lot about the industry, particularly the subject upon which the museum is based (such as a former railroad company or a state’s railroading history).

Railroad museums are also about the only place that we the public can get an up close and personal look at the equipment itself, from boxcars and cabooses to locomotives themselves; steam, diesel, and even the rare electric! Many times these museums will even allow you to look inside or visit the cabs of the locomotives to get a visual idea yourself of the instruments and equipment inside.

A number of museums also operate as tourist trains allowing you to not only view their equipment on site, but also ride the train too. Depending on the size of the museum and amount of track it owns, train rides can consist of either a short mile or a four-hour plus ride through the countryside, sometimes in well-maintained cars with comfortable seating and climate controlled interiors. Regardless of what kind of ride you may take just being on one is a lot of fun, even for the non-railroad enthusiast!

Railroad museums in general are very expensive to operate, particularly if they include a tourist train because of the overhead involved in just keeping the equipment maintained as well as restoring awaiting rolling stock that many times is in very poor condition because of years of neglect and exposure to the elements. For instance steam locomotives are extremely expensive to initially restore (usually costing millions and several years of volunteer effort), although they continue to return to life not only because of their historical significance but also because they always draw the largest crowds.

There are a number of larger and more recognized museums across the country, which I will include in more detail in the links found below with the museums themselves broken down by the geographic area of the country in which they are located:

Northeast

West Virginia Railroad Museum

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum

New York Museum of Transportation

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Steamtown National Historic Site (NPS)

Whippany Railway Museum

Southeast

DeQuincy Railroad Museum

Wilmington Railroad Museum

North Carolina Transportation Museum

Florida Railroad Museum

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Kentucky Railway Museum

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Preservation Society

Midwest

Illinois Railway Museum

Indiana Railway Museum

Indiana Transportation Museum

National Railroad Museum (Green Bay)

St. Louis Union Station

Warther Carving Museum

Southwest

California State Railroad Museum

Galveston Railroad Museum

Clovis Depot Model Train Museum

Arizona Railway Museum

Southern Arizona Transportation Museum

Western Pacific Railroad Museum

Northwest

Cheyenne Depot Museum

Izaak Walton Inn

Northern Pacific Railway Museum

Dayton Historic Depot

Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum

Old Depot Railroad Museum

White River Valley Museum

Railroad Museums By State

Notable Railroad Museum Events

The Polar Express

Thomas The Train

For information on railroad museums not covered above please click here for a directory of museums and tourist railroads in your area. Also, for a full listing of dinner trains please click here.

Also, for a guide to many of the operating historical societies in the country, which also keep alive the memory of not only a specific railroad but also railroading in general please click here.

Steamers are a sight to behold in operation so if you have never seen one for yourself please try if the opportunity presents itself as they are something to see! Having said that, if you may have a museum in mind to visit and if you have the means please donate a little something as almost all rely on some form on monetary gifts to continue operating. Not only that but you are also helping to keep our nation’s railroad history alive and well for future generations to explore and witness for themselves.

Large or small railroad museums are great places to see and experience railroad history because not only to you get to actually touch things!, but in many cases, as mentioned before with live operating steam locomotives; you can hear and feel the true power of these machines (a very exhilarating experience, not matter how large or small the steamer might be!).

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