Best Railroad Museums

[MMLDelete]

Thanks, Travis.

Yes, you make a very good point about the tourist roads. That was a pretty arbitrary stricture on my part.

For sure, if something is historic, outside, and operates, I shouldn't hold that against it, right? 

[xboxtravis7992]

Lithonia Operator

I was wondering if you folks could give me your opinions on what are the top ten railroad museums in the US.

(I am not counting tourist railroads as musuems, btw.)

The tricky thing with not counting tourist railroads is many of them are just as good at historic preservation as the museums are. I have had a blast on several preserved railroads opperating as tourist lines like the Virginia and Truckee... or on lines that blur the defition of tourist rail vs. museum such as the Nevada Northern and Sumpter Valley. Sumpter for example has several opperating pieces of original area equipment, but has no traditional museum display space so to speak off. The NN has a museum component to it... but most of the 'museum' doubles as operating shops and storage for the tourist railroad portion of the operation so I can't tell you where the museum ends and the tourist stuff starts since its all one in the same. Although I have yet to visit the Cumbres and Toltec, it falls in a similar vein of the NN where so much of what is used to operate tourist trains is historic in nature its really hard to say if its strictly a museum or a tourist operation itself.

So if we were to go though strictly off the definition of museums a few western operations come to mind though. Both Nevada State Railroad Museum locations are excellent in Carson City and Boulder City. IRM as previously mentioned has a huge collection, and definately deserves the attention it gets. California State Railroad Museum has a proffesional polish and presentation to it that is makes it stand out. The Oregon Rail Heritage Center is sort of new to the museum sphere and not much in the way of exhibits... but you can't go wrong with SP 4449! Colorado Railroad Museum, Western Railway Museum, Orange Empire, etc. all jump into mind too. Back east, there's also the Railroader's Memorial Museum in Altoona that hasn't been brought up yet, or the State Railroad Museum in Pennsylvania. 

Of course, I really like the small town museums myself. The Tooele Valley Museum and Historic Park is my hometown museum, and it definately lacks the polish of a bigger budgeted operation, but sometimes I feel like you can learn a lot in the small city operated places that you can't always see in the bigger museums. 

[MMLDelete]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

[Gramp]

https://nationalrrmuseum.org/

National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, WI. Another really fine museum. Almost a stone’s throw from Lambeau Field. (Maybe a little more).

[beaulieu]

I'll nominate the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth Minnesota.

LSRMorg

[Penny Trains]

I haven't been there yet myself, but there is of course the newly minted Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio.  http://www.ageofsteamroundhouse.com/

Nearby is the Warther Carvings museum https://thewarthermuseum.com/

[MMLDelete]

I will put Colorado on my wish list.

[Flintlock76]

bedell

I have to cast a vote for the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.

 

Oh good Lord yes, how could I forget that one!  I've been there, although it's been a while.

Best railroad bookshop on site I've ever seen!

[bedell]

I have to cast a vote for the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden.

[MMLDelete]

I urge anyone who has not been to the Winston Link Museum in Roanoke to make sure to go. It is fantastic. To me, Link's work is in a league of its own.

[Flintlock76]

You've done better than I have LO!  From my own visits I'd say the top two on the East Coast are the B&O Museum in Baltimore and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.  I haven't been to Spencer Shops in North Carolina in 25+ years so I shouldn't comment on it at this time.  I did enjoy it when I was there.

[oltmannd]

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg and Seashore Trolley Museum in Kinnebunkport ME come to mind.

[MMLDelete]

I did not mention NMOT because I was not aware of it. But I'll conclude that you consider it one of the top museums.

From what I can tell by looking on the web, yes, it would appear that Illinois Railroad Museum might be in a class of its own. I think I saw that they have 27 steam locomotives! And something like 400 pieces total. Wow.

[Overmod]

Why is NMOT in St. Louis absent from this list?

IRM is world-class; if you had to have just one 'number one' by most definitions of the term, I think they would qualify.

There's probably a parallel for trolley/traction museums: Branford, Seashore, Rockhill, and whatever that Electric City operation opposite Steamtown is are possibilities.  

[Lithonia Operator]

I was wondering if you folks could give me your opinions on what are the top ten railroad museums in the US.

(I am not counting tourist railroads as musuems, btw.)

I have been fortunate enough to visit: The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, the B&O Museum, Spencer Shops, The O.Winston Link Museum, and Steamtown. I am thinking all of them might be in a Top Ten.

My impression is that the Illinois Railroad Museum and the California State Railroad Museum would be on such a list. I hope to get to them. If I was going to add three more, which should they be?

(I have also been to the Virginia Transportation Museum in Roanoke, a nice smaller one in Wilmington NC, and a modest RR museum just outside of Atlanta. And a few even more modest ones in small towns, etc. We found a great little museum in a tiny SC town, and one had to call the founder/curator to get a visit; he gave us a very nice private tour.)

I'd love to see what people put on their lists. If you only feel like listing, say, six, then just list six. If you wish to comment on any, plus or minus, I'd be interested.

I am going to try to get to several of the best museums I have not yet visited. It would appear that the Illinois one is very impressive, and I'd say that would currently be at the top of my Want-to-Visit list. I am also curious about the Center for Railroad Photography.