The museum is home to nearly a century’s worth of railroad history. Its collection shines a light on the way railways evolved in each era and reflects their impact on the people who inhabited the land they traversed. It also explores how the railway system served as a vital means of transport for military personnel in each major U.S. war since 1860.
A popular attraction for visitors to the museum is the historical steam locomotive simulator on the ground floor of the main building. There are other exhibits displaying historic trains and artifacts such as old signs, uniforms and books. The second floor of the main building houses Japan’s largest HO scale model display, a gift shop and gallery space. The museum’s collection also includes Teppaku reading room, which showcases a collection of Japanese books on railway science and engineering.
The museum’s mission is to preserve and share the history of railway transportation in America through interpretation, restoration, operation, and education. The facility is a registered national historic landmark and contains more than seventy pieces of historic railroad equipment. It is also home to a reconstructed 1903 brick L&N New Haven Depot and an extensive railroad village on its campus. Its collections include historic passenger cars, freight railcars and engines.
In addition to interpreting railway history through exhibitions, the museum conducts tours and rail trips throughout its grounds. Its historic equipment is operated by experienced volunteers who are eager to share their knowledge and passion for railroading with visitors. The museum also offers a unique opportunity to ride in vintage coaches pulled by historic steam locomotives. The museum operates on its own tracks and owns its own locomotives. Most Class I railroads discourage or even prohibit mainline excursion trains, so the museum took its own initiative in this regard.
Restoration of Silver State began in February 1977. The car’s exterior wood was carefully examined, damaged areas were repaired and repainted in authentic V&T colors. The car’s original oil-painted headlining cloths, now brittle with age, were meticulously reproduced by hand, and the deteriorated interior wood was rebuilt and painted to its original appearance.
The museum’s fleet of historic railcars, the newest of which is a Pullman observation coach donated by the American Public Transportation Association, is one of the finest in the world. The museum’s oldest railcar, a Pullman parlor coach, is also on display.
The museum’s permanent collection also features two Lionel train displays that once belonged to artists Jamie and Nicholas Wyeth, sons of painter Andrew Wyeth. The exhibitions feature historic tinplate Lionel trains traveling around a detailed landscape, including a grand bridge modeled after New York’s Hellgate Bridge. It also includes a large collection of military miniatures and other items related to the family’s artistic pursuits.
