Kentucky Railway Museum facts for kids
Entrance to the museum facility
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| Established | 1954 |
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| Location | New Haven, Kentucky, United States |
| Type | Railroad |
The Kentucky Railway Museum is a special place in New Haven, Kentucky. It's a museum all about trains and the history of railroads in Kentucky. It teaches people about the amazing trains and the people who built them. The museum started in 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky. It has moved a couple of times and is now in Nelson County. It's one of the oldest railroad museums in the United States!
The museum has a big collection of trains. They own four steam engines and twelve diesel engines. They also have over one hundred other train cars. Four of their special trains are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Louisville and Nashville Steam Locomotive No. 152 and the Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665. Also on the list are the Mt. Broderick Pullman Lounge-Obs-Sleeping Car and the Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
The land where the museum is today was first used for a railroad in 1856. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad built a line here. This line went to Lebanon, Kentucky. It was very important during the American Civil War for the Union side. Because it was so important, Confederate soldiers often attacked it. They even destroyed the nearby bridge in the 1860s. The train station you see at the museum now is a copy of the one built in 1910. It was built in the 1990s.
The museum officially started in 1954. Some train fans from Louisville wanted to save old steam engines and other train items. The Kentucky General Assembly helped them create the museum. One of the first trains they got was the Louisville and Nashville #152 engine. They also received a caboose and a wooden passenger car. These first donations, including train tracks, came from the Monon Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.
The museum has moved twice since it began. Its first home was in Louisville, at 1837 East River Road. This is where the Louisville Soccer Fields are now. That first spot was about 6 acres big. The Louisville Parks Department put up fences and lights. The museum opened to the public on May 30, 1958. It had its official opening ceremony on September 30, 1957. The museum eventually left this first location. It often flooded because it was too close to the Ohio River. Also, they needed more space for all their trains. The worst flood happened in March 1964.
In December 1975, the museum decided to move again. They wanted a bigger and safer place. In 1977, the museum moved to the Ormsby Village area. This was at the corner of La Grange Road and Dorsey Lane. They leased the land from Jefferson County. This new spot was called Ormsby Station. The Louisville and Nashville #152 engine stayed at River Road to be fixed. Ormsby Station was much larger, about 32 acres. However, the county told the museum that their lease would not be renewed in 1993. The land was becoming very valuable for businesses.
Because they had to move, the museum found its current home in New Haven. It opened there on July 4, 1990. The first part of the New Haven location was 8 acres. It came with a building. This land was given to the museum by Lewis and Chester Simms, two businessmen from New Haven, and their wives. The museum also started using the last eighteen miles of the old Louisville and Nashville Railroad line. This line was then controlled by CSX Transportation. Train rides for visitors began at the New Haven site in May 1991. The move also helped the nearby New Sherwood Hotel get a makeover.
Many people helped raise money to move the museum from Louisville to New Haven. Glenn Rutherford, a reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal, was a big help. He wrote many stories about the museum's trains. He was honored in November 2003 for all his hard work.
At its new home, the Kentucky Railway Museum had to deal with some problems. In June 1992, they had to build a special fence around the museum. This was after some young people damaged several historic train cars. The museum director at the time, Rich Collins, was worried the place would look like a prison. But the fence was needed to protect the valuable trains.
In 1999, CSX Transportation gave the Kentucky Railway Museum a grant. This money helped them create a traveling exhibit.
There is another historic train ride in Nelson County. It's called My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. It starts at the Old Louisville and Nashville Station in Bardstown, Kentucky.
What Can You See at the Museum?
One of the most famous steam engines at the museum is the Louisville and Nashville Railroad #152. This engine is a "4-6-2 Pacific" style. It is believed to be the last working steam engine from the L&N railroad. The museum runs a special train line for visitors. They offer fun train rides on certain weekends in the summer and fall. The train travels on a part of the old L&N main line. The museum uses the section from Boston to New Haven. At New Haven, there is also a large model train display. You can also find a gift shop there. These are in a brick building that looks like the old L&N train station.
Meet the Locomotives
The Kentucky Railway Museum has 4 steam engines and 12 diesel engines. Some of them are being fixed up, and some are ready to run! Here is a list of some of them.
| Image | Locomotive | Manufacturer | Build Date | Wheel Arrangement | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Louisville & Nashville #152 | Rogers Locomotive Works | 1905 | 4-6-2 "Pacific"
Class: K-2A |
Restoration | This is Kentucky's official state steam locomotive. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been out of service since 2011. It is currently being inspected and repaired. |
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Chesapeake & Ohio #2716 | Alco Locomotive Works | 1943 | 2-8-4 "Berkshire"
Class: K-4 |
Restoration | This engine is on a long-term lease to the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation in Ravenna, KY. |
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Louisville & Nashville #2152 | Alco Locomotive Works | 1925 | 0-8-0 "Switcher"
Class: USRA |
Display | This engine was recently fixed up to look like its original L&N colors. It is now on display. |
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Louisville Cement Company #11 | Vulcan Iron Works (Wilkes-Barre) | 1923 | 0-4-0TT "Switcher" | Display | This engine was also recently fixed up to look nice. It is now displayed at the museum entrance. It has a special narrow track width of 39 and a half inches. |
| Image | Locomotive | Manufacturer | Build Date | Model | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Louisville & Nashville #411 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1953 | GP-7 | Operational | This engine was first built as Reading #615. It was repainted to look like a basic black L&N freight train. |
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CSX (Louisville & Nashville) #1103 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1970 | SW-1500 | Operational | CSX donated this engine in 2019. It will eventually be painted back to L&N colors. |
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Santa Fe #2546 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1949
Rebuilt 1973 |
CF-7 | Operational | This engine was first built as F-7 #229L. It was later rebuilt into a CF-7. |
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Monon #32 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1948 | BL-2 | Operational | This engine runs on special occasions. |
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Louisville & Nashville #770 | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1942 | E6A | Cosmetic Restoration | This is an empty shell that is currently being fixed up to look nice. |
| Frankfort & Cincinnati | Brill Company | 1927 | Model
55-1 |
Stored | This train is stored in a shed. | |
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Baltimore & Ohio #21 | General Electric | 1943 | 44-Ton Switcher | Operational | This engine was first built as USAF #1223. |
| Kentucky Utilities #1 | General Electric | 1956 | 45-Ton Switcher | Operational | This engine was recently painted back to its original KU colors. | |
| Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) #1 | General Electric | ? | 110-Ton Switcher | Stored | This engine was given to the museum just a few months before a fire destroyed its original plant. | |
| Indiana Ammunition Plant #1038 | Plymouth Locomotive Works | 1940's | - | Operational | ||
| Indiana Ammunition Plant #???? | Plymouth Locomotive Works | 1940's | - | Display | ||
| Indiana Ammunition Plant #1032 | Plymouth Locomotive Works | 1940's | - | Operational; privately owned |
Famous Steam Locomotives
The old Louisville and Nashville Steam Locomotive #152 is one of the trains that takes passengers on rides. It goes to Boston, Kentucky, and back. The president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, William H. Kendall, gave it to the museum in 1957. It is the oldest known "4-6-2 Pacific" type engine still around. It was named the "Official State Locomotive of Kentucky" on March 6, 2000.
Historic Diesel Engines
Another important train from the museum's early days is the Monon Route's Diesel Engine No. 32. The Monon company painted it black and gold. They did this to match the school colors of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Monon bought it in 1948. Then, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad got it in August 1971. It became a display at the museum in 1972.
Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 used to be on display at the museum. It is now in Ravenna, Kentucky, where it is being fixed up to run again. It was first given to the museum in 1959. Other companies and groups have tried to get it running four times. In 2019, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation leased it. They moved it to Ravenna, KY to restore it. They are still working on it as of 2022.
Special Rail Cars to Explore
The museum has several historic train cars.
The Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665 is very unique. It was one of only two train cars ever made with a special design. It was built during a time when people were separated by race on trains. One end of the car was for white passengers, and the other end was for black passengers. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad gave it to the museum in 1958. In the 1960s, this car was pulled by the famous Civil War-era steam engine, The General. They traveled all over the Eastern U.S. together.
The Mt. Broderick Pullman Car was like a fancy hotel on wheels. It had shiny brass in the bathrooms and beds that pulled out. The Pullman Company sold this car to the museum in 1958.
Another historic car at the museum is the Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car. It is also on the National Register. People called it The Cardinal because it was red. This train car ran on gas. It used to travel on the Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad's "Whiskey Route." This route was between Frankfort, Kentucky and Paris, Kentucky.
Fun Train Rides and Excursions
Train rides leave regularly from the museum. They go to Boston, Kentucky, and then come back. Along the way, you can see great views of the Rolling Fork River Valley. The train crosses roads fourteen times on just one trip! The whole trip is about 22 miles long and takes about one hour. At different times of the year, the museum has special train rides. These can include themes like train robberies, haunted trains, and visits with the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. They even have special rides with Thomas the Tank Engine!
Exciting Exhibits and Displays
One of the buildings at the museum has a cool model train display. The model trains are in glass cases. They show different scenes, called dioramas. These displays cover a total area of 3,000 square feet. One diorama shows a German village with a carnival. Another shows workers laying down train tracks.
See also
- List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
