Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

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Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania entrance.JPG
Entrance to the museum
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Established1975
Location Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°58′57″N76°9′37″W / 39.98250°N 76.16028°W / 39.98250; -76.16028
Type Railroad museum
DirectorPatrick C. Morrison
Website rrmuseumpa.org

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (RRMPA) is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Contents

The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the active support of the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (FRM).

The museum's collection has more than 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars that chronicle American railroad history. Visitors can climb aboard various locomotives and cars, inspect a 62-ton locomotive from underneath, view restoration activities via closed-circuit television, enjoy interactive educational programs, and more.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was created to provide a historical account of railroading in Pennsylvania by preserving rolling stock, artifacts, and archives of railroad companies of the Commonwealth. However, the museum has branched out over the years, acquiring some pieces that are not directly related to Pennsylvania, but are important to the history of railroading.

In addition to full-size rolling stock pieces, a smaller exhibit gallery is on the second floor. The museum offers a number of other attractions, including several model railroad layouts, a hands-on educational center, and a library and archives.

Building and grounds

Today, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania covers 18 acres. This includes Rolling Stock Hall, a second-floor changing-exhibit gallery, an observation bridge, a hands-on education center called Stewart Junction, an extensive library and archives, a restoration and paint shop, and an outdoor storage and display yard. Rolling Stock Hall and the second floor are both handicapped accessible. The yard is subject to weather closure.

The initial display building opened in 1975 as the first building constructed to be a railroad museum and featured an operating turntable from the Reading Company. The original building was roughly 45,000 square feet in size and included an observation bridge leading across Rolling Stock Hall, allowing visitors to see the trains from above. In June 1995, Rolling Stock Hall was enlarged to 100,000 square feet.

A newly designed entrance and gift shop were opened in June 2007. Some larger or more-modern engines and cars are displayed outdoors, and a new roundhouse to store some of the larger locomotives is to be built in the near future. [1]

The National Toy Train Museum and Choo Choo Barn are located nearby, and the Strasburg Rail Road is across the street from the museum. [2]

History

PRR engine #1223 in operation on the Strasburg Rail Road (1989) PRR1223.jpg
PRR engine #1223 in operation on the Strasburg Rail Road (1989)

For the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, the Pennsylvania Railroad displayed several historic locomotives and cars it had collected over the years. After the fair had ended, the PRR decided to preserve the equipment that had been displayed, along with various other locomotives and rolling stock. All were moved to a roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, and looked after by employees.

With the state looking to establish a railroad museum and PRR successor Penn Central looking to rid itself of the collection, in the late 1960s, it was decided that a museum was to be built adjacent to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The engines were moved to the Strasburg Rail Road, where they were stored while the museum was under construction. Many of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Historic Collection were sent to Strasburg, forming the "Train of Trains."

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was created by an act of the state legislature in 1963. The site was purchased in 1966 and groundbreaking occurred in 1972. [2] George Michener Hart was named Museum director and first employee. [3] [4] in 1969 and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania officially opened on April 1, 1975. As the museum acquired more equipment, they required more space, so in 1995, Rolling Stock Hall was expanded by 55,000 square feet. Today, the museum covers 18 acres of land, including 100,000 square feet indoors. A roundhouse for the larger locomotives that are currently stored outside was planned for 2018 [2] but had not broken ground as of January 2019. [5] In all, the museum holds roughly 100 pieces of rolling stock, some nearing 200 years old. [2]

Collection

Locomotives

The collection is made up of more than a hundred historic locomotives and cars, many of which are part of the historical collection of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Following the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, the PRR placed many of their historic rolling stock aside for preservation. The collection was stored in a roundhouse in Northumberland. In 1969, the collection was relocated to Strasburg, for storage at the Strasburg Rail Road until the museum's completion in 1975. [6]

Some of these engines had operated on the Strasburg Rail Road for a number of years before being put back on display: PRR 1223, famous for its use in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly! , and PRR 7002 (originally #8063), a re-creation of the famous original PRR #7002, which set an unofficial land speed record in 1905 by traveling at 127.1 miles per hour. Both had been leased to the Strasburg Rail Road and retired permanently in 1989. [6]

Other historic locomotives are featured at the museum, including the famous "Lindbergh Engine", PRR 460, which completed a 6-year cosmetic restoration in November 2016, and the oldest PRR locomotive #1187, built in 1888. The 1187 is placed over a pit, so visitors may go underneath and see the locomotive's underside. In 1895 #1187 suffered an accident but was barely damaged: however, the smoke box had to be rebuilt and it remained on the locomotive to this day. The official steam locomotive of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PRR 3750, famous for pulling President Warren Harding's funeral train, is on display outside of the museum. Two replicas are also included in the Pennsylvania Historic Collection, the John Bull (built 1831) and the John Stevens (built 1825). [6] In August 2023 the 185-year-old Rocket was removed from its prior home, the Franklin Institute, to be renovated for display at the museum. [7]

Steel Passenger Coach No. 1650 STEEL PASSENGER COACH NO. 1650, LANCASTER COUNTY, PA.jpg
Steel Passenger Coach No. 1650

Locomotives in the collection include the Tahoe, a 2-6-0 built in 1875 for use on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, and two fireless steam locomotives: (Bethlehem Steel #111 and Pennsylvania Power & Light #4094-D). Not to be missed are examples of the three most common geared locomotives: the Shay (Leetonia Railway #1), the Heisler (Chicago Mill & Lumber Company #4), and the Climax (W. H. Mason Company #1). [6]

Electric locomotives include two PRR GG1 locomotives: the original prototype PRR 4800, and PRR #4935. Two other electric locomotives include Amtrak E60 #603, and EMD AEM-7 #915, which were donated by Amtrak in 2003 (603) and 2015 (915) respectively. [6]

Solari Board from 30th Street Station awaiting installation Solari-Board.jpg
Solari Board from 30th Street Station awaiting installation

Cars

The museum also has a large collection of rail cars. Many of these are examples of cars seen on the Pennsylvania Railroad, including a P70 passenger car, a B60 Baggage car, and an N5c caboose. On display also are several wood-bodied freight and passenger cars, and one of the first all-steel passenger cars, PRR 1651. [6]

Other

The Solari board that displayed train departure times in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is in the museum's collection. The board, created by Solari di Udine, was the last such one at an Amtrak station. It was replaced with a digital board on January 26, 2019, and has been on static display at the museum since July 2019. [8]

A book available in the gift shop, The Haunted Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, reveals that apparitions may be associated with some older items of equipment. [9]

List of locomotives

OperatorNumberType or classManufacturerBuilder's No.YearWheel arrangementImage
Pennsylvania Railroad 1187H3PRR, Altoona12351888 2-8-0 0412 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 1223 D16sb PRR, Juniata13991905 4-4-0 RRMOP 1223.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 460 E6s PRR, Juniata28601914 4-4-2 RRMOP 460.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 3750 K4s PRR, Juniata37031920 4-6-2 PRR 3750 4.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 7002 E7s PRR, Altoona1902 4-4-2 RR79.40.13A No. 7002 Side.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 94 A5s PRR, Juniata31911917 0-4-0 RRMOP 94.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 2846 H6sb Baldwin Locomotive Works 267441905 2-8-0 RRMOP 2846.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 5741 G5s PRR, Juniata39661924 4-6-0 RRMOP 5741.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 520 L1s Baldwin Locomotive Works 445651916 2-8-2 RRMOP 520.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 7688 H10s PRR, Juniata50631915 2-8-0 PRR 7688.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 1670 B6sb PRR, Juniata30421916 0-6-0 RRMOP 1670.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 6755 M1b PRR, Altoona42251930 4-8-2 RR79.40.12A No. 6755 Side.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 3936 & 3937 DD1 PRR, Altoona19112-B+B-2 RRMOP 3936.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 4800 GG1 General Electric 1184819342-C+C-2 RR2000.20 GG1 PRR 4800.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 4935 GG1 PRR, Altoona443419432-C+C-2 RR83.30 No. 4935 Front Side 2.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 4465 E44 General Electric 1963C-C RR91.6 No. 4465 Front Side.JPG
Pennsylvania Railroad 5690 B1 PRR1934C 0380 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 5901PRR EP20
(EMD E7)
Electro-Motive Division 1945A1A-A1A RR76.37 No. 5901 Front Side.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 7006 EMD GP9 Electro-Motive Division 1955B-B PRR 7006, at RMP.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad 860 Budd Metroliner Budd Company 1968B-B Amtrak 860 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, September 2006.jpg
Pennsylvania Railroad John Stevens
(replica)
PRR, Altoona1939 0-4-0 VB John Stevens Carriage.JPG
Amtrak 603 E60MA General Electric 1976C-C 0387 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Baldwin Locomotive Works 1200 S-12 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1951B-B RR92.2 No. 1200 Side.JPG
Bethlehem Steel 111FirelessHeisler Locomotive Works19410-4-0F 0374 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Camden and Amboy Railroad John Bull
(replica)
PRR, Altoona1940 2-4-0 0377 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Chicago Mill & Lumber Company42-truck Heisler Heisler Locomotive Works13751918B-B Heisler 4.JPG
Conrail 2233 EMD GP30 Electro-Motive Division 1963B-B 0378 Strasburg - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Leetonia Railway 1Class C Shay Lima Locomotive Works 17991906B-B-B RR72.24.1 Leetonia Shay No. 1 Front Side.JPG
Lone Star Cement Company5-tonBrookville1951
Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad 81 EMD NW2 Electro-Motive Division 1946B-B Ma n Pa 81.JPG
W. H. Mason Co.4Class B Climax Climax Locomotive Works 1913B-B RR92.15 No. 4 Front Side.JPG
Monongahela Connecting Railroad 701 C415 Alco 1968B-B MCRR 701, at RMP.jpg
Pennsylvania Power & Light DFirelessHeisler Locomotive Works19400-8-0F RR72.20.1A - PP&L Fireless No. 4094-D Side.jpg
Pennsylvania Power & Light 18-tonPlymouth1949
Philadelphia and Reading 1 RocketBraithwaite, Milner & Company1838 0-4-0 Rocket locomotive, built 1838 for Reading Railroad - Franklin Institute - DSC06716.JPG
Reading Company 1251 B4-aReading Company Shops23061918 0-6-0ST Reading 1251.JPG
Virginia and Truckee Railroad 20 Tahoe Baldwin Locomotive Works 36871875 2-6-0 RRM Strasburg PA Tahoe 1875.JPG
Vulcan Iron Works 1 Vulcan Iron Works 1930 Vulcan Iron Works No. 1.jpg
Amtrak 915 EMD AEM-7 Electro-Motive Division 1980B-B Amtrak 915 1.JPG

See also

References

  1. "RR Museum of PA :: 2010 Funding Breakthroughs" . Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania | About Us". rrmuseumpa.org. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  3. The Patriot-News, Sun, Jun 19, 1983, Page 22, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  4. Lancaster New Era, Tue, Aug 02, 1983, Page 6, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
  5. "Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania completes fundraising for five restorations". Kalmbach Media. January 25, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania | Roster". rrmuseumpa.org. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  7. Cupper, Dan; Lettenberger, Bob (November 2023). "185-year-old Rocket moving to Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania". Trains . No. 11 Vol 83. Kalmbach Media. p. 52.
  8. Rush, Mariah (July 30, 2019). "30th Street Station's old Amtrak Solari board now on display at Railroad Museum". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  9. Solomon, Brian (November 2023). "Ghosts in the Machines". Trains . No. 11 Vol 83. Kalmbach Media. pp. 54–56.