Rail Museums

[seajay]

I know in this forum we try mainly to deal with the current issues of passenger railroading in general and Amtrak specifically, but I'm wondering what are some of the more interesting railroad museums any of you has visited? I have been to the following:

Mid-Continent Railway and Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin

National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Illinois Railway Museum in northeastern Illinois

B & O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, MD

I thought all these were very interesting and had very good collections of cars and engines from the past and present. What others would any of you recommend that you have visited?

seajay

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I understand that one of the best, bar none, is in Sacramento, though I have not visited it.

Some which I have visited are the Southeastern RR Museum in Atlanta, and the Tennessee Valley RR Museum in Chattanooga, TN.Both are better than one might expect.

I second your pick of the one in Baltimore,---I have seen it and agree that it is excellent.

 

[tp49]

I went to the B&O Museum in Baltimore when I was a young child, and the NYC Transit Museum in Brooklyn a couple of years ago.

I happen to live a five minute walk from the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento an dI can tell you that it is the best bar none. It is huge, has a large collection, some of which is stored in the old station just to the south of the museum, and their newest piece is an Amtrak F40 that I reported on in a thread a couple of months ago.

The bast part, it only costs $3 to see. The gift shop also has an excellent selection of railroading books.

 

[warbonnet]

Yep, no question the California State Railway Musuem is up at the top of the list. Was there last month. A 500 yard walk from the SAC Amtrak station, and right at "Old Town" Sacramento. One of the newest exhibits is a EMD F-7 diesel locomotive with the sides removed, showing the diesel power plant, DC generator, cables to the traction motors, etc.. You can walk down into the pit below the locomotive and see the under side of this piece. Also on display to walk thru is the dining car "Cochiti" which saw service on the Santa Fe between 1934 and 1970.

 

[Coach34135]

I've been to the California State RR Museum, Tennesee Valley RR Museum and OERM. There's another in Tenn. but I forgot the name. They have LOTS of F series engines.

I like Tennesse Valley alot, they run big ol steamers and a cute little GP9 or 7 i forgot...

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Question for those who have been to the one in Sacramento....What is some of the passenger equipment they have?

 

[warbonnet]

Bill,

Passenger motive power is ATSF F-7 A and B units, Southern Pacific E unit, early sleeper which has the "sections" with the heavy green curtins, the Cochiti diner, mail sorting car from the Railway Experss Agency (REA),

All these exhibits are walk through. Also, history about the building of the route over Donner Pass in the Sierras using Chinese labor.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Thanks Warbonnet, TP49, et al.....maybe I will stop by and see it someday myself. I have always just passed through Sacramento....guess I should stop and see things there one of these days.