Favorite Museum?

[Anonymous]

Not long ago someone asked if we would be visiting a railroad museum as part of our summer vacation. I just got back from a week up at Lake Nickajack, to the south of Chattanooga, TN. While there I got to visit the Tennessee Valley Railroad museum... complete with three mile ride behind a beautiful steam locomotive, number 610.

I'm an associate member of The Heart of Dixie railroad museum, in Calera, Alabama; have fallen in love with a restored E unit painted in Southern Crescent colors at the museum at Duluth, Georgia; and ridden in an air conditioned diner at the North Carolina Railroad Museum. I've done the train/ river rafting package on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, too.

Back in my misspent youth, my father and I dragged my mother and my icky kid sister off to ride the Cranberry train at Edaville, in Massachussetts, and the original Steamtown in Barrie, Vermont. I continued the forced addiction to trains with my son by a visit to the East Broad Top museum in Pennsylvania many years ago. And I have taken a beautiful ride up the Connecticut River on the Essex steam railroad.

All that to say that my favorite museum has to be the TVRM. Live steam on a weekday. Guided tour through their shop. Huge collection of steam and diesel locomotives that you can actually go up to and touch; you can even peer inside the cabs of some of them, and even sit down in the engineer's seat on a few.

What museums did you all visit on your summer vacation? What's your favorite, and why?

Erik

[cstaats]

The best I have been to is Steam Town in Scranton, PA. The static displays would make it worth the trip but the real show is the working steam. Great way to see how the railroads worked in the days of steam along with the roundhouse and turntable. We kids of all ages just love it. The technical displays are wonderful along with being able to look inside a working roundhouse to see how labor intensive the maintenance is. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop a flight to the East coast. There are some nice local museums her in the Pacific Northwest but nothing as large as Steam Town

[MP57313]

July 04: Squamish, BC, Canada. Royal Hudson on display (in great shape)

July 02: Visited the trolley museum next to Steamtown. Also looked at the engines on display outside of Steamtown; agree those are worth the trip.

Also have visited the Calif. State RR Museum in Sacramento. I'm a west coaster so that one is my favorite. You can ride behind steam along the river.

Small museums with static displays also have some interesting features. Three Western Maryland sites: Hagerstown, MD roundhouse; New Oxford, PA and Union Bridge, MD. The WM sure has a lot of fans!

Lomita, CA has a non-operating SP Mogul (built 1902) on display.

MP

[espeefoamer]

The California State Railroad Museum is excellent.They have a large collection,and have short steam excursions on their line[:)].
The B&O Railroad Museum is also very good with some vintage equipment,both locos and cars.They also have some early diesels and passenger trains.
There is a small museum in Hermiston, OR. a few miles north of Hinkle Yard.
They have several rotary snow plows,including one ex MILW.plow with the pantograph support still attached.They also have a collection of track speeders and offer rides on these [:)].

[locomutt]

I'm not sure I have a "favorite" museum,but the Henry Ford museum,
and the B & O museum are really good.

[cherokee woman]

I have only been to one railroad museum: B&O in Baltimore. So guess that would
be my favorite(?).

[JoeKoh]

B&O I highy recommend and we have a lot of smaller local museums around us we stop and say hello too while we are out and about.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

The Pennsylvania RR museum in Strasburg, PA. They've got a working steam train, too. But, my driving force to go there is the GG1 and E44! They've got an E60 now, too, though it's not ready for public display. B&O is nice in Baltimore, but, the PRR is my choice. Waiting to visit Horse Shoe curve! Scarey part though is: the GG1, E44, and E60 were all running when I got hired on!

[athelney]

If your visiting Vancouver Canada - you have to take in the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish - Yes we have #2860 on site, plus a whole bunch more loco's ,cars, & equipment. Our 2 operating F units are away in Prince Rupert for the summer . We should have them back in September , we also have 3 Budd railcars ex BC Rail > As a bonus the BC Rail(now CN) shops are opposite our site. Yes it's my favourite - just because I volunteer there.

[Train Guy 3]

Go to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. See the last surviving N&W Class J and A steam locomotives. And watch train pass by in the NS yard.

[cstaats]

QUOTE: Originally posted by athelney

If your visiting Vancouver Canada - you have to take in the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish - Yes we have #2860 on site, plus a whole bunch more loco's ,cars, & equipment. Our 2 operating F units are away in Prince Rupert for the summer . We should have them back in September , we also have 3 Budd railcars ex BC Rail > As a bonus the BC Rail(now CN) shops are opposite our site. Yes it's my favourite - just because I volunteer there.

Sounds like a good trip over the Columbus Holiday are you open on Thanksgiving?

[garr]

Most "polished" presentation of displays---California State RR Museum.

Display in the most interesting authentic RR setting---B&O Museum and East Broad Top and , possibly, North Carolina Railway Museum(Spencer Shops)

Best place to regularly smell coal smoke, grease, & hot steam--- TVRM and Strasburg

Impressive diesel collection---Portola

Best place to stand and wish you could've seen it run---Smithsonian and Ps4 1401

Fortunate to have for display after all these years---foundry equipment(not to mention the "General") @ Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History and EBT

Haven't been to Steamtown, Virginia Railway Museum, Illinois Railroad Museum, or O. Winston Link site but they also definitely seem first class from what I've read. All are on my must see list.

All of the well known museums are worth a visit along with most of the obscure. I've learned, much to my wife's chagrin, that a side trip to most rr museums is worth the time invested.

Jay

[Anonymous]

The Virginia Transportation Museum is a good one. 611 wasn't the same without smoke billowing out the top. The Smithsonian in Washington has some neat stuff too, not a big section devoted to trains though if I remember right (which is ironic, considering the railroads are what made this country what it is today...) Those are the only two I've really been to.

[cstaats]

For a railroad junkie Steam Town is the best. The best part is the Lackawanna Station in Scranton has been converted to a Radisson. The Grand Lobby, which incorporated the dramatically ornamented mosaic tile floor, the barrel vaulted Tiffany Stained-glass ceiling, the rare Sienna marble walls and the unique faience tile murals.
The Grand ballroom harkens back to the days of Phoebe Snow. If you stay this is the place to be.

[athelney]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cstaats

QUOTE: Originally posted by athelney

If your visiting Vancouver Canada - you have to take in the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish - Yes we have #2860 on site, plus a whole bunch more loco's ,cars, & equipment. Our 2 operating F units are away in Prince Rupert for the summer . We should have them back in September , we also have 3 Budd railcars ex BC Rail > As a bonus the BC Rail(now CN) shops are opposite our site. Yes it's my favourite - just because I volunteer there.

Sounds like a good trip over the Columbus Holiday are you open on Thanksgiving?

Yes we are open all year round - except Xmas & New Year 's day . Opening time is 10am to 1700, hope to see you there sometime

[cstaats]

See you on Columbus day/Thanksgiving

[Anonymous]

RR Museum of PA.

[Anonymous]

RR Museum of PA. There are a lot of Pennsy Steam and electric engines there.

[eolafan]

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM RULES, BEST IN THE COUNTRY AND I HAVE SEEN MANY OF THEM. NO CONTEST.

[Anonymous]

RR Museum of Pa. Does anyone know how the rail festival went off at the Dennison,Ohio RR museum last weekend?

[Anonymous]

i have only been to the Galveston railroad museum in Galveston, Texas. and the Nevada railroad museum in Carson City, Nevada. i would love to go to steamtown and the California State railroad museum.

the one in Galveston is pretty nice. they have a good collection of equipment but i think they are running short on funds and volunteers. some of their stuff is getting a bit ratty looking. i wish i still lived down there so i could volunteer some of my time to help fix up their displays. if anyone lives in the Houston area and you have somespare time or spare cash, i think they could really use the help.

[cstaats]

Are there any travel agencies that cater to the rail fan? I bet you could make a nice penny off of package deals specifically for us.

[UPTRAIN]

I like the Illinois Railroad museum, and the National Museum of Transportation, but MY favorite is the Mo-Ark Regional Railroad Museum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/MRRM8915/ sign the guestbook!