Northern Ohio Railway Museum facts for kids
A railway crane at the museum in 2005
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| Established | 1965 |
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| Location | 5515 Buffham Road, Chippewa Lake, Ohio |
| Type | Railway museum |
The Northern Ohio Railway Museum is a special place near Chippewa Lake, Ohio in Ohio, United States. It's a museum all about trains and streetcars! This museum is a non-profit group, which means it's run by people who want to teach others, not just make money. It started way back in 1965. Many people who love electric railways are part of this museum. Most of them live in northeastern Ohio.
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What the Museum Does
The main goal of the Northern Ohio Railway Museum is to find, save, and take care of old streetcars, train parts, and other railway equipment. They want to show how trains and streetcars started and grew in northern Ohio. A big part of their plan is to build a working railway museum. This will let visitors ride the old trains and streetcars. It's a fun way to learn about history!
Where to Find the Museum
The museum is located on about 42 acres of land in the Chippewa Valley. This area is easy to reach from big highways. It's about 45 minutes from Cleveland and 30 minutes from Akron. The museum's address is 5515 Buffham Road in Westfield Township, Medina County, Ohio. They also have extra land for a loop track near Lake Road.
At this location, the museum collects, saves, fixes, and displays old streetcars and other railway equipment. Soon, they plan to let the public ride them! The museum has collected over thirty railway cars and other pieces of equipment. Many of these will be fixed up and shown to everyone.
Museum Buildings
The museum stores and displays its collection in two large buildings called "carbarns." These buildings protect the old trains from the weather. The Anson W. Bennett Carhouse was built in 1997. The John R. McCarthy Carhouse was built in 2003. Inside these buildings, the trains are being restored to look like new.
The museum is also building a special demonstration railroad. When it's finished, it will have over three miles of track. This will allow for a five-mile round trip ride! As of August 2025, more than a mile of track has already been built.
To keep the museum running, they need many support vehicles. These include trucks, tractors, and other special machines. In 2000, the Rowen S. Prunkard Maintenance Facility was built. This building holds all the work vehicles.
Future Plans
The museum has a big plan for how it will grow. This plan includes areas for visitors with a welcome center and displays. It also has areas for fixing and storing the streetcars. The plan allows for both open tracks and street-like tracks. When everything is done, the museum will be able to store 42 large interurban cars indoors. Three of the seven planned buildings are already complete.
Trains and Equipment
As of 2020, the museum had many different types of railway vehicles. This included ten streetcars and one interurban coach. They also have several special cars used to maintain the railway tracks.
