Best Railroad Museum in Northeast US?

[ripvanwnkl]

A southern alternative closer to your SC destination is North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer.  They have a great roundhouse.  Check out their website. 

Also like Strasburg/ PRR museum a lot.  Have never been to Steamtown or B&O museum. 

[galaxy]

I live fairly close to Steamtown so frequent there and have been to Strasburg/RR Museum of PA a few times.

I would go to Strasburg RailRoad and the RailRaod Museum of PA across the street from Strasburg Railroad.

Steamtown has their static displays of steamers all gone for asbestos abatement and they don't run steam except in the summer and a few excursions in the winter months for the holidays.

Strasburg runs steam all the time they run locos. The RR Museum has static dispays of about "one of everything major in the RR history" including a heisler, shay and climax as well as a GG1. They are missing the "big boy" that Steamtown has, but they are not so impressive in person, really.

Steamtown will be a better bet to visit next SUMMER. they will have their static steamers back and should be running 2 steamers, one when they do excusions and one to run the yard trip. But taht will be next June-July-August.

Here are links if you don't already have them:

steamtown

Strasburg Rail Road - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

RR Museum of PA :: Welcome

 

[rrinker]

 Tough call. For Strasburg/RR Museum of PA, I can spend 2 days there easily, and I've been on teh Strasburg so many times starting when I was about 4 that I know the entire dialog they give for the ride. But it's fun to get an all-day pass, take the shop tour (no kids allowed for that), pay for one trip to upgrade to the parlor car, and, the last time I did that, it was not peak season so the last run was via the LO&S motor car - I had never been on that before even after all these years.  This past July when I was last there, I also did the evening wine train, which was quite nice as well.

 Then to see everything in the museum, really see everything, it takes nearly a full day. Best to go on a day they have lots of volunteers, the more help they have the more stuff they open up - particularly some of the loco cabs.

 Steamtown too is fairly vast, and there are rides - last time I was there I lucked out on the caboose ride (pulled with a steam engine) and got to ride int he cupola. Actually, I was the cutoff person in line and the helper said if I was willign to climb up there I could go on this trip or wait an hour for the next one. Well DUH! There's also the trolley museum right there that offers rides, it's not part of Steamtown, if you like traction.

 I'm closest to Strasburg - only about 45 minutes for me. If I had to decide today where to go I'd pick Steamtown, but only because I haven't been there for a while and I was just at Strasburg over the summer when the RCT&HS had the modular layotu on display. Other than that I couldn't tell you which I prefer - but there is definitely more stuff at Strasburg between the railroad and the museum. They're both great.

                         --Randy

 

[steamfreightboy]

I have been to the B&O muesum in Baltimore and that was nice. They have a good sized collection in a cool building (a circus-tent like roundhouse with the turntable inside the building). They also have a large collection outside and a shop with even more trains! They have a HO layout in one of their passenger cars and a G scale layout outside the roundhouse. Depending on when you go, they may have other people come set up layouts. It is not all B&O, though, so it realy depends on what you are interested in seeing.

sfb

[Vampire]

I've been to both, and I'd give the Pennsylvania RR Museum/Strasburg Railroad the edge. They are right across the street from each other. You can tour Strasburg's working railroad shop facilities and the train ride thru the Amish contryside is very pleasant. Strasburg has lots of kid-friendly things too, if there are children travelling with you.

There was a motel down the way that had old cabooses for rooms, decorated in various road names and paint schemes. I don't know if its still there... been some years since I went thru.

 

[trollw]

I am currently in Vermont and headed down to South Carolina. I can spare a day or so to hit a railroad museum on the way south. My current thought is either Steamtown at Scranton or the Pennsyvania Railroad Museum at Strasburg. Any recommendation as to which one is better (or any other recommendations)?

Regards,

John