Empire State Railway Museum facts for kids
Phoenicia Railroad Station, home of ESRM
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| Established | 1960 |
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| Location | Phoenicia Railroad Station |
| Type | Railway museum |
The Empire State Railway Museum is a special place that loves trains! It's a non-profit museum all about railroads. It started way back in 1960. Today, you can find it in the old Phoenicia Railroad Station in Phoenicia, New York. This station is very old, built in 1899. It's one of the few original stations still standing from the old Ulster & Delaware railroad line. The museum has a small collection of cool, old train equipment. For many years, the museum also published a guide called Steam Passenger Service Directory. This guide listed tourist railroads and museums across the country.
Contents
Early Days: Middletown (1960-1970)
The museum was started by people who really loved trains. They were called railfans. They lived in the New York City area in 1960. At first, the group organized many fun trips on steam trains. They also did other activities for train fans. Their big goal was to find a permanent home for their museum.
They thought about buying part of the New York Central Putnam Division train line. A section of this line was no longer used in 1962. One member, Jay Wulfson, bought the Middletown and New Jersey Railroad. Soon, the museum's train equipment started to gather in Middletown, New York. Another member, Stephen D. Bogen, bought a special steam engine. It was a Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-6-2 #103. This engine came all the way from Alabama. More train cars, like passenger coaches and a caboose, were also bought. They even started running train trips called the Middletown & Orange Railroad.
In 1964, Jay Wulfson moved on to start the Vermont Railway. Another museum member, Peter Rasmussen, then took over the Middletown & New Jersey Railroad. In 1965, the museum began publishing its yearly guide. This guide helped people find tourist railroads and museums. Regular train trips on the Middletown & New Jersey Railroad stopped in 1966. This was because the tracks were getting old and some equipment was damaged. So, the search for a new, permanent home for the steam trains began again.
Around 1970, many of the museum's trains moved to Essex, Connecticut. They found a new home at the Valley Railroad. Many people who used to be part of the Empire State Railway Museum started helping at the Valley Railroad. They even formed a new group there. Because of this, fewer people were members of the Empire State Railway Museum.
New Home: Phoenicia (1971-1985)
The remaining members of the museum kept meeting. But they no longer ran steam train trips in Middletown. They looked for a new home. They thought about moving to Ulster County, New York. This area had tracks that the new Catskill Mountain Railroad would use. In 1985, the museum bought the train station in Phoenicia, New York. They bought it with a local group that helps improve communities.
This station was built in 1899 by the Ulster and Delaware Railroad. It is one of only two original stations still standing on that old line. Volunteers worked hard to fix up the station. They made it the museum's new home.
The museum also bought a special steam locomotive. It was a 2-8-0 engine, No. 23. It came from the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad. This engine was moved to Kingston, New York, in 1985. Museum members hoped to run this steam engine on tracks leased by the Catskill Mountain Railroad. They wanted to create a fun train ride, like the Strasburg Railroad.
At the same time, some museum members worked with the Connecticut Valley Railroad Museum. They arranged to bring several pieces of train equipment back to New York. Everyone hoped that the train tracks would be used regularly. This would bring visitors from Kingston up to the new museum in Phoenicia.
The Museum Today
The museum has exhibits that change with the seasons. These exhibits are inside the station. They teach visitors about the history of railroads in the Catskill Mountain region. The station was the end point for the Catskill Mountain Railroad until late 2016. Without those trains bringing visitors, fewer people come to the museum now.
The museum owns several old train cars and engines. None of them are currently on display for everyone to see. Some items have been put inside a barn. The museum hopes to fix them up and display them in the future.
One important piece is the LS&I No. 23. This is a 2-8-0 steam locomotive. People have been working to restore it for over 20 years. In 2002, they finished rebuilding and extending its tender. The tender is the part of the train that carries water and fuel. In 2016, the Catskill Mountain Railroad had to move its trains from Kingston. So, the steam locomotive was moved to Phoenicia. It was placed inside a new barn built on the museum's property.
Train Collection
The Empire State Railway Museum has a small collection of historic railroad equipment. These items are not currently on public display. Some pieces are stored in a barn. The museum hopes to restore and display them later.
- Lake Superior & Ishpeming 2-8-0 No. 23 (a steam locomotive)
- Delaware & Hudson Railway baggage car (a car for carrying luggage)
- Boston & Maine Railroad baggage car
- Central Vermont Railroad automobile boxcar (a car for carrying cars)
- New Haven caboose (a car at the end of a freight train)
- Delaware & Hudson Railway caboose No. 35952
