Mississippi Railroad Museums (2026): A Complete Guide

Published: October 12, 2026

Mississippi’s railroad museums are two Illinois Central depots. McComb’s station, built in 1901, burned in May 2021. The city rebuilt it, and the McComb Railroad Depot Museum reopened in March 2026, with Illinois Central 4-8-2 No. 2542 still standing beside the platform. Water Valley keeps the Casey Jones Railroad Museum in a depot that dates to the 1850s, in the town where Jones lived and worked for much of his career. The house museum is in Jackson, Tennessee.

The Water Valley Casey Jones Railroad Museum based in Water Valley, Mississippi. Museum photo.

The 2026 ride through Mississippi is Amtrak, on the Mississippi scenic-train guide. American-Rails does not sell tickets. Confirm the doors before you drive.

On this page: At a glance · Mississippi railroads · McComb · Water Valley · Related reading

At a glance

Place	Town	What it is known for	Site
McComb Railroad Depot Museum	McComb	Illinois Central depot of 1901, rebuilt after the May 2021 fire. Museum reopened March 2026, and the building is the Amtrak waiting room. Lima 2-10-2 No. 2906 of 1921, rebuilt at Paducah in 1942 as 4-8-2 No. 2542	mcrrmuseum.com · 108 North Railroad Boulevard
Water Valley Casey Jones Railroad Museum	Water Valley	Depot from the 1850s. Museum opened in 1998. John Luther “Casey” Jones lived and worked here. The wreck was at Vaughan on April 30, 1900	watervalleyms.gov · 105 Railroad Street

Mississippi railroads

The West Feliciana Railroad was chartered in 1831 to carry cotton along the Louisiana line. Mileage peaked at 4,369 in 1920. The 2020 figure is 2,507. The railroad Mississippi knew was the Illinois Central, largely through the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio as the other north–south road. The state account is the Mississippi railroads page.

Amtrak’s City of New Orleans stops at Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven, and McComb. The Crescent stops at Meridian. The Mardi Gras Service, between New Orleans and Mobile, stops at Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Times and stations are on the scenic guide. Casey Jones, an Illinois Central engineer, died at Vaughan on April 30, 1900. The house museum is in Jackson, Tennessee, on the Tennessee railroad museums page.

McComb

McComb was laid out as a railroad town. The Illinois Central built a wooden combination depot in 1901, passenger and freight under one roof, on the line that Amtrak’s City of New Orleans still uses. The McComb Railroad Depot Museum opened in the station in 2003. A fire in May 2021 destroyed the building. Many of the artifacts were saved. The city, which owns the depot, rebuilt it, and the museum returned in March 2026. The waiting room is also Amtrak’s.

Illinois Central No. 2542 stands beside the depot. Lima built it in 1921 as 2-10-2 No. 2906. The Paducah shops rebuilt it in 1942 as a 4-8-2 and numbered it 2542. It has cylinders 30 by 30 inches, 70-inch drivers, 240 pounds of boiler pressure, and a weight of 409,500 pounds. The railroad retired it in October 1960. The city received it in 1962 and displayed it at Edgewood Park until volunteers moved it beside the depot on June 21, 2000. It was outdoors when the station burned. Its sister, No. 2500, is at Centralia, Illinois. With the engine are Illinois Central aluminum refrigerator car No. 51000, built at the McComb shops, and a 1966 caboose from the Centralia shops. The address is 108 North Railroad Boulevard. The hours are the ones the museum posts.

Water Valley

The Water Valley Casey Jones Railroad Museum is at 105 Railroad Street, in the town’s old depot. The city dates the building to the 1850s. It later served the Mississippi Central, and then the Illinois Central, at a shop town on the line between Memphis and the south. John Luther “Casey” Jones lived and worked out of Water Valley for the majority of his career. He was the engineer killed at Vaughan on April 30, 1900. Bruce Gurner and the Lions Club opened the museum in 1998. The club added a meeting room on the north side in the early 2000s. A caboose and a banana car stand outside, and a Mississippi Blues Trail marker stands with the depot. The days the door is open are the ones the museum posts.

Sources

McComb Railroad Depot Museum, mcrrmuseum.com, 108 North Railroad Boulevard. Illinois Central combination depot of 1901. Museum opened in 2003. Fire in May 2021. Many artifacts were saved. The city rebuilt the depot. Great American Stations, September 28, 2026: the museum returned in March 2026, and the building is also the Amtrak waiting room. Hours follow the museum.
Illinois Central 2542, beside the McComb depot. Lima, 1921, built as 2-10-2 No. 2906. Rebuilt at Paducah in 1942 as 4-8-2 No. 2542. Cylinders 30 by 30 inches, 70-inch drivers, 240 pounds, weight 409,500 pounds. Retired October 1960. Given to the city in 1962. Displayed at Edgewood Park. Moved beside the depot on June 21, 2000. Sister No. 2500 is at Centralia, Illinois. Illinois Central aluminum refrigerator car No. 51000, built at the McComb shops, and a 1966 caboose from the Centralia shops, per Great American Stations.
Water Valley Casey Jones Railroad Museum. City of Water Valley, 105 Railroad Street. Depot dated to the 1850s. Casey Jones lived and worked out of Water Valley for the majority of his career. Bruce Gurner and the Lions Club opened the museum in 1998. A caboose, a banana car, and a Mississippi Blues Trail marker are on the grounds. The wreck was at Vaughan on April 30, 1900. The house museum is in Jackson, Tennessee. Hours follow the museum.
West Feliciana Railroad, chartered 1831. Peak mileage 4,369 in 1920. Current mileage 2,507 in 2020. Illinois Central, through the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio. Those figures match the Mississippi railroads page. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Mardi Gras Service stay on the scenic guide.

Confirm hours and which locomotive is on the property before you travel.

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