Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum facts for kids

Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum

Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Museum
Established	1986
Dissolved	2016
Location	2 Water Street, Fall River, Massachusetts

The Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum was a special place in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a small museum dedicated to showing off old railroad equipment. The museum was open from 1986 until 2016.

It was located right across from where the famous Fall River Line boats used to dock. These boats were part of a "boat train" service that connected Boston and New York City. The museum helped people learn about the history of trains in the area.

The museum had a few cool pieces of railroad equipment. This included a passenger car from the Pennsylvania Railroad. There was also a special train car called an RDC from the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Plus, it had a Caboose from the New York Central Railroad and a Boxcar from the New Haven line.

Why the Museum Closed

The museum was very popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, about 45 people visited every day. But after 2009, fewer and fewer people came to visit. Only about five people would visit each day.

Because of this, the museum had trouble paying its bills. It became too expensive to keep running. So, in September 2016, the museum closed its doors for good. It had been open for 30 years.

Where Did the Trains Go?

After the museum closed, its special train cars found new homes.

• The Pennsylvania Railroad P-70B Passenger Car: This car is still in Fall River.
• The New Haven RDC #42: This train car was sold to the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum.
• The New York Central Caboose #21052: This caboose is now used on ballast trains by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad.
• The New Haven Boxcar #33401: This boxcar was sold to a group called the Cape Cod Chapter of the NRHS in West Barnstable, Massachusetts.