Railroad museums

[Bucksco]

If you could recommend one railroad museum for a friend to visit where would it be?

[Anonymous]

Pennsylvania RR museum, Strasburg, PA, for itself and all the other train-related attractions nearby.

wolverine49

[Poppa_Zit]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wolverine49

Pennsylvania RR museum, Strasburg, PA, for itself and all the other train-related attractions nearby.

wolverine49

Been there, done that, and all I can say is:

Amen.

[jefelectric]

Pennsylvania RR museum, Strasburg, PA, It gets my vote as well. Don't forget the Toy Train Museum just down the road, The Strasburg RR just across the street & the Chocho Barn up the road a little.

[cnw1995]

Come out to Illinois! Visit the Illinois Railway Museum http://irm.org and on your way, stop by the Fox River Trolley Museum. http://foxtrolley.org

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jefelectric

Pennsylvania RR museum, Strasburg, PA, It gets my vote as well. Don't forget the Toy Train Museum just down the road, The Strasburg RR just across the street & the Chocho Barn up the road a little.

That's where I'd go (and what a time I'd have). Penn's Woods does seem to be THE railroad mecca in the U.S.

Jim

[dougdagrump]

Run around and visit the rest, then come to San Diego to see the BEST.
San Diego Model RR Museum.
Jack,
At the present time the only gauge that we lack is "G", although we are trying to remedy that. I had a pleasant conversation with your west coast counterpart, Jon M., yesterday.

www.sdmodelrailroadm.com

[Bucksco]

Doug,
We should talk as well. Drop me an email at [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, if your journey brings you out west.
Have Fun!
Greg

[dwiemer]

I think it depends on your area or where your travels lead you. Strasburg, certainly, but my hat goes off to the likes of New York RR model club in Carlstadt, NJ, and to the San Diego club. While I never made it to Doug's club, I did catch a great film shoot on it and also some photos and a story about it, looks great. I believe there was a story about one of the track MFGs giving them a lot of track once they got a plan. It worked great for both parties.
Dennis

[Anonymous]

California State Railroad Museum tops my list, with Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania coming in a close second. There are, in my opinion, a number of other great railroad museums around, but those two definitely head my list of "recommendeds." I'm just glad I've had a chance to visit both, along with most other rail museums in this country. All of them have something good to offer.

[Anonymous]

Within driving distance of bucks county is STEAMTOWN and the adjacent Trolley museum
http://www.nps.gov/stea/
Also EAST BROAD TOP narrowgauge and the adjacent trolley museum near Orbisonia,pa http://ebtrr.com
And don't forget the railroaders museum in altoona, pa. A visit to the curve itself is well worth the trip.
charlie

[mitchelr]

My vote for the East Coast would be the B & O RR Museum in Baltimore. B&O RR Museum has made great strides after the roof collapse a few years back and recently became affiliated with Ellicott City Station (oldest surviving railroad station in America and original terminus of the first 13 miles of commercial railroad track in America).

My second choices are Steamtown, Pennsylvania RR Museum/Strasburg/TCA, East Broadtop RR. Each has their own special features.

Mitch[swg]

[BR60103]

How far do you want to go?
The National Railway Museum in York, England.
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine for friendliness.
The German museum in Nuremburg.

[macdannyk1]

California State Railroad Museum and San Diego Model Railroad Museum get my vote, having been to them both numerous times (even before the SD 3-railers set up their beautiful layout!) And while you're in California, be sure to drop by the Golden State TTOS Public Layout at the Vallco Mall in Cupertino, CA.

[Anonymous]

My vote is for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. I really liked it. I has a good over all collection of railroad equipment. Like someone wrote eariler, it just depends on what part of the country you are in.

[Anonymous]

While not primarily a RR museum, The Henry Ford has plenty to see including operating steam engines.

[dwiemer]

Just for mentioning, if you get to Savannah, Georgia, they have a neat museum that has the old turntable, several trolleys, a GP9, and varius steam engines. While they only have a HO layout, it is pretty good, small though. They also have a lot of servicing displays.

I don't think Chattanooga was mentioned, but they do have a good display too. Lots of railroad history there too.

Dennis

[cnw1995]

Dennis, we're going to Hilton Head in a few weeks, where is the Savannah museum? I'd love to go.

[dwiemer]

Doug,
Not far at all. It is right near the end of the Riverwalk. I believe it is just off Martin Luther King BLVD. It is on the small side, but it really nice to walk around, you have free range of most of it and currently, they have a locomotive being professionally restored. I would highly recommend bringing some bottled water, they have some water fountains, but not cold. You will find that the museum is on the end of all the historic area, and it is a good place to start, and then work your way down to the rest of the sites. I will try to get the web page and some more specific information.
Dennis

[phillyreading]

Not too far from Strasburg is the Red Caboose Inn & Motel, if you like cabooses you will like this one.
Another place to see is in Shartlesville PA, it is called Roadside America, on I-78 a few miles west of Hamburg, around an hour east of Harrisburg. Roadside America has only O gauge trains, some vintage Lionels.
Lee

[phillyreading]

Forgot to mention this but Florida has a few railroad museums; Henry Flagler Museum in West Palm Beach(mainly the old mansion style hotel in Palm Beach), the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in south Miami(live diesel power on weekends) railcars on display-Ferdinan Magellin Presidential car and a California Zepher consist of passenger cars also a couple of model railroad layouts, even one in O scale.
Mt. Dora has a shortline railroad you can ride, near Orlando FL.
Lee