Just wanted to ask what people thought of the rail museums they’ve visited. The Cranbrook Rail Museum apparantly is one of the best around. Gary Anderson, the curator, does run a first rate museum and I believe he has received the Order of Canada, if not up for one, for his work at the museum.
Whether a small rurual depot saved from oblivion and showing items of local history or a large operationf of trains or trolley cars…whether a track not connected to any other railroad or the operation on a branch line…whether pristine restored rolling stock or delapidated (what appears to be) junk…stop, look, listen, leave a couple of bucks. I like riding trains in normal everyday operations. But you can’t find rolling stock that is 50 or a hundred years old, volunteers who sweat the details and are delighted you’ve stopped by. I don’t like cowboys and indians stopping and robbing the train, but the honesty of preserving and pride of presenting of these museums and staffs have to be saluted. You get what you get out of it…what are you interested in…how curious are you…what can you learn about the rairoad, the building, the equipment, the reason for the railroad in that town. There is a charming box building along a potted street in Plymouth, NY that once was a station (NYC) filled with history of the town and the railroad without a rail or locomotive or car in sight; and it is well worth the stop. See the sprawling layout at Steamtown In Scranton while inhaling coal smoke, kerosene and atmosphere. Inspect some restoration craftmanship in refubished cars and locomotives both steam and diesel. See a yard full of cars and engines awating the craftsman;s hand or the junkman’s torch understanding that not everything can or should be saved, but hopefully will not be forgotten. And don’t leave town before visiting the Trolley museum at the other end of the parking lot, Another great museum with trolleys is Seaside Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, probably the largest in the east. But don’t overlook the trolley museums and operating tourist lines in the other New England States. Even stop to eat in the caboose hot dog stand or dine in the elegance of a restored station. No, you don’t have to get arrested just to
One that I’ve visited in two iterations is now gone. The major hardware was auctioned off several years ago, and the photos and documents are currently looking for a good home.
I’m speaking of Rail City in Sandy Pond, NY. In the 1950’s it was an operating railroad amusement park, with Bath & Hammondsport #11 for motive power on the mile and a half of track. Someplace are the family movies of our visit.
The station was briefly reopened in the 90’s as a museum about the park, and I visited it then, too.
Aside from that, I’ve visited the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, and the New York Museum of Transportation, both south of Rochester, NY, Strasburg, Steamtown, B&O, Spencer, Henry Ford, even the little Chesapeake Beach RR Museum.
Haven’t done much out west.
I’ve visited the museum in Delson, QC and the one in Ottawa, ON…Both offered good displays, but personally I’d rather spend the time at trackside seeing some live action verses a cold static display.
My favorite railway museums are the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento and the B&O Museum in Baltimore. One can easily spend a whole day at either of them or ideally both of them.
Although not strictly museums, at least in my mind, are the Durango and Silverton Railroad (I have been there four times) and the Strasburg Railroad. Both of them have museums, but they are much more than just a museum.
I’m in complete agreement with Henry6. I have been to larger places like Spencer and Strasburg, as well as some smaller, and probably not as well funded, ones. I enjoy them all. Each brings something a little different to the table. I try not to skimp on my donation as it would be a shame to see future generations not to be able to enjoy them as much as I do. Some of the best times can simply be had talking to the folks who donate so much of their tme and effort. Tom
My favorites are yards/shops little changed from the past. Orbisonia, PA (EBT) and Chama, NM (C&TS) come to mind. I was at Durango in 1965 when D&RGW was still running it. I remember wandering around the yard and turntable in the evening. I revisited there 20 years ago,and the yard had been reconfigured for high volume tourist traffic and fenced off. It was not the same. C&TS is now under the same management as Durango, and are talking about putting an entertainment amphitheater at Cumbres Pass, and making lesser changes at Chama. It’s too bad we have to loose history to save it.
Is Steamtown worth a visit? Keep in mind that I would be flying in from Austin, TX, but I would also be going on to New York City to visit family.
Sam, two imparitive museums I would consider on a trip east would be Steamtown in Scranton, and The Railroaders Museum in Altoona. The Railroaders Museum tells the life and society of railroad craftsmen depciting their various jobs and their lives depciting even barrooms and churches…so different that hardware and rolling stock.
Steamtown has evolved into a vast assemblage of inforrmation and equipment. Yes, there are steam locomotives…but diesels, too…and a round house to boot. Then there are archives and tecnhnical things about railroad and steam you can find nowhere else.
Fly to Altoona, rent a car, tour the Railroaders Museum and Horseshoe Curve. Overnight and drive to Scranton for Steamtown then drive on into NYC. Those two museums are fantastic. Like to ride antiques? Yeah, Steamtown…but also a train ride out of Grand Central to Danbury CT might be fun…and that is just one of the dozens of museums in and around the NYC area. Oh, yeah, one I have’nt done yet myself, the Subway Museum.
Don’t know when you’ll be there…but let me know and if we have a ridewithmehenry excursion going on, you can join us.
Depends on what you’re looking for. I think the RR Museum of Pennsylvania (at Strasburg) and the Strasburg RR (with its shop tour, etc.) - or the EBT when it’s running and those shops are open - are better for the serious railfan, but Steamtown may have some special attraction that appeals to you.
With regard to flying in for Steamtown, note that there’s a Wilkes-Barre Scranton Int’l. Airport very close (http://www.flyavp.com/), and a little farther away is Stewart int’l. Airport at Newburgh, NY (http://www.panynj.gov/airports/stewart.html), and Lehigh Valley Int’l. Airport (http://flylvia.com/index.html), in addition to the usual ones for NYC - Liberty at Newark, JFK, etc.
- Paul North.
Yeah, I agree with Paul. The first question is what interests you? Steam? Tourist lines? Technical History? Trolley cars? Diesels? People? Local? Regional? Commuter? Transet? Specific railroad? Freight? Like there being Apps for your phone there are museums for just about anything. Museumes you can get to by train: NYC Subway museum, Danbury Ct. Railroad museum, and LIRR museums at Riverhead and Greenport ('prt has whaling museum in passenger station and train museum in freight house). How extensive a museum. You can stay all day in ALtoona, Strasburg, or Scranton, or make the day the train ride coupled to the musuem visit as in the NY area museums mentioned.
As for airports…depending where you are going and what you want to do. Stewart in Newburg NY is out of the way with no real transit connections into the city. Scranton-Wilkes Barre is good for Steamtown, Allentown-Bethlethem is great for cheap set down outside of NY but again, no public transit. Rental car needed except Newark, Kennedy,LaGuardia or Philadelphia. Tell us more of youir plans and schedule here or in private and I know I can give you better direction, I think Paul can but I am not volunteering him, mind you.
I thought I had heard there was a shuttle between Stewart Airport and the Metro North station at Beacon. I found this link, but I have no idea what the service is like.
http://www.leprechaunlines.com/pdf/NewburgBeaconShuttleSchedule.pdf
That’s right…it is a bus shuttle across the river but not sure how luxurious or not.
Probably car rental…would be good…about an hour and a half down the Thruway to NYC…
I have only been to two real railroad museums and that is the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri and the Galveston Railroad Museum located in Galveston, Texas. They both were really memorable trips and I wouldn’t mind going back to either of them.
Another one that isn’t really a museum, but more of an outside locomotive exhibit is the Santa Fe 940 located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It is located at the old depot and is fully restored. Visitors can walk into the cab and ring the bell. On some occasion, they have an air compressor hooked up and visitors can blow the whistle.
Yes, I should have mentioned that using a rental car was assumed.
From Steamtown, you could drive east on I-84 to one of the Metro-North Commuter RR stations, such as Port Jervis on the Port Jervis Line, or a little further to like bacon on the Hudson Line - see: http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/mnrmap.htm
Or, east on I-80 to one of the NJ Transit stations - any of them from Mount Olive to Denville on both the Montclair-Boonton and Morristown Lines come to mind as being not too far off I-80 - see: http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/Rail_System_Map.pdf
At LVIA/ ABE, after returning the rental car a long walk* or short taxi ride will take you to the Trans-Bridge bus Bethlehem terminal, which has very frequent departures to and from the Port Authority’s bus terminal in NYC - see: http://www.transbridgelines.com/daily.htm
- Paul North.
EDITED: About 1-1/2 miles from the ABE Terminal to the Trans-Bridge Lines terminal. T-B’s equipment is pretty good to ‘high-end’ - a lot of businesspeople use it to get to and from NYC. If you’re lucky, you could probably find someone to give you a lift from the bus terminal to the airport, although taxis are available.
Alternatively, don’t forget Enterprise (and other) car rental outfits. Enterprise’s slogan is “We’ll pick you up !” (within reasonable distances, at the start of the rental), and sometimes they’ll also drop you off after the rental if they’re not real busy (and for a tip), again instead of a taxi.
- PDN.
The 2 times we visited Steamtown, we stayed at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. It’s in the former headquarters office bldg of the DLW. My wife even liked it. There is a walkway/overpass to Steamtown.
Thanks for that info - I didn’t know about it. About 12 road-miles from the airport to the train station = 40 minutes per the schedule (lots of stops in Newburgh along the way, it appears). Leprechaun’s equipment has always appeared to be pretty good when I’ve seen it on the road - see: http://www.leprechaunlines.com/our_company.asp
Another link to the schedule (all ‘right-side up’): http://www.leprechaunlines.com/commuter_newburghbeacon.asp
Fare info - both bus and rail - is at the bottom. Looks like the shuttle bus is only $1 on top of the rail ticket fare ? Pretty good deal !
- Paul North.
I appreciate the helpful suggestions regarding Steamtown.
I grew up in Altoona. My brother lives in McKeesport, PA. I visit him annually. We have gone to Altoona at least three or four times in the last decade to visit the Railroader’s Museum and run by the Curve.
Many years ago I visited Steamtown when it was located at Bellows Falls. I don’t remember much about it, but I assume the current Steamtown is an improvement over the Bellows Falls site.
After Steamtown I plan to go on to New York City to visit family. I will probably take a bus from Scranton to New York. I am not adverse to riding a bus.
Whilst I am in New York I plan to ride the Acela to Boston and back. Also, assuming it is still running in early October, which is my latest planned date for the trip, I may take the Long Island Railroad train to Montauk. That is another thing that I did many years ago; I would like to do it again if possible.
I did that from Allentown, PA one l-o-n-g 18-hour Saturday in mid-July about 7 or 8 years ago - 1 car, 4 trains (NJT to Newark, AMTK to NY Penn, LIRR MU to Jamaica, and LIRR locomotive-hauled train to Montauk), and 1 bus (station to downtown and then to the beach - each way, and then the reverse, all for less than $50 out-of-pocket as I recall. It was all a lot fo fun, but the best was the Montauk train - double-deckers, full load, all kinds of interesting people headed for “The Hamptons”, good-looking scenery outside and inside . . . See: http://mta.info/lirr/hamptons/ReserveService.htm ,
http://mta.info/lirr/hamptons/CoachService.htm and
http://mta.info/lirr/Timetable/Branch/MontaukBranch.pdf - which is valid only thru Sept. 3, 2012, so I can’t tell and don’t know otherwise what will be running in Oct. (note that lots of “Service Advisories” are posted on various webpages).
- Paul North.
I’ll throw in a few plugs:
Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, Ca.: http://www.wrm.org/
It is located halfway between Fairfield and Rio Vista, Ca on State Route 12. Used to be a member some years ago.
Orange Empire in Perris, Ca: http://www.oerm.org/
Rgds IGN