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The Whippany Railway Museum

The Whippany Railway Museum, located in Whippany, New Jersey, has its beginnings dating all of the way back to the mid-1960s. Today the museum’s main focus is to preserve the history of New Jersey's railroading past while also recognizing our country’s rail history in general. Being that the museum has over 40 years of history it certainly has an interesting past and in that time has collected quite an eclectic and interesting collection of equipment from Alco and GE switchers to Alco 0-6-0 #4039 which the museum is currently in the process of restoring to operation. If you are interested please consider helping out the museum in restoration process of this engine, steam locomotives are certainly a rare commodity today in our country and seeing them in operation is truly like nothing else.

In its earliest form, before officially becoming a museum in 1985, the Whippany Railway Museum was home of the Morris County Central Railroad, which was a steam-powered tourist line that began operations in 1965. Soon after those who operated and kept the MCCRR in service formed the Morris County Central Railroad Museum, which then used part of the nearby Morristown & Erie Railway freight depot to house artifacts and memorabilia for the museum.

The Morristown & Erie Railway is a shortline operation serving northern New Jersey as well as portions of Maine (through operating the Maine Eastern Railroad). The little railroad is well over 100 years of age and has been in existence since 1902 serving customers along virtually the same tracks as it did when it first started operations in the early 1900s. Today, along with serving customers over its 158-mile system the railroad also offers other services such as chartered private rail cars, other private events, and even car storage if you are a private car owner.

Because of its location and ability to provide a tourist train the museum had become a popular area attraction by the mid-1970s although to better accommodate the growing interest the operation was moved to Newfoundland, New Jersey by 1974.

Once the museum, renamed the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum, had moved to Newfoundland it no longer had the luxury of a freight depot, or building at all, to house its equipment and set up shop in a converted refrigerated rail car. Unfortunately, the tough economic times of the 1970s did in the tourist line which shut down in 1980. However, the museum carried on and was able to find a home in a former museum building in Whippany, ironically also owned by the Morristown & Erie Railway.

The group was successful in saving the building from destruction and worked for more than five years restoring it for use as a museum, which visitors could visit on a daily basis. Finally in October of 1985 the group was open for business and had renamed the organization the Whippany Railway Museum.

Today the museum once more offers small excursion trips and features a growing collection of equipment which includes (more information on this equipment can be found on the museum's website):

* Central Railroad of New Jersey Coach Car (Operated on the Bluecomet.)

* Morristown & Erie Alco RS1

* Delaware & Hudson Railway Caboose

* Morristown & Erie Railway Caboose

* Morristown & Erie Railway Railbus

* New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway Whitcomb Diesel Switcher

* Pennsylvania Railroad Caboose

* Rahway Valley Railroad GE 70-tonners #16 and #17

* Soo Line Railroad Caboose

* US Army Corp of Engineers 0-8-0 Steam Locomotive

For more reading about New Jersey railroading I would suggest Railroads of New Jersey: Fragments of the Past in the Garden State Landscape, by author Lorett Treese, which gives a general history of the Garden State’s railroading past from its beginnings in the early 19th century in helping to shape the state’s future to today’s tourist lines and rail/trails, and pretty much everything in between! If you have any interest in New Jersey railroading and the railroads which operated there you are almost sure to enjoy the book.

Also, you may be interested in Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City by author Kenneth French. Another fine book from Arcadia Publishing it details rail operations from the New Jersey waterfront featuring all of the famous railroads once located there with over 200 images. Another definite must read if you have any interest in New Jersey and its railroads! If you're interested in perhaps purchasing these books please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".

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