Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania facts for kids
Entrance to the museum
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| Established | 1975 |
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| Location | Strasburg, Pennsylvania |
| Type | Railroad museum |
Welcome to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (RRMPA)! This amazing place is a railroad museum located in Strasburg, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It's a fantastic spot to learn all about trains and their history.
The museum is found on the east side of Strasburg, right along Pennsylvania Route 741. It's managed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. A group called the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania also helps a lot.
Inside, you'll find over 100 historic locomotives (train engines) and railroad cars. These amazing machines tell the story of American railroad history. You can even climb aboard some trains! Imagine inspecting a huge 62-ton locomotive from underneath. You can also watch how old trains are fixed up and enjoy fun, hands-on activities.
The museum was started to keep the history of railroading in Pennsylvania alive. It collects and saves old trains, tools, and records from railroad companies. Over time, the museum has also added trains that are important to railroad history, even if they weren't directly from Pennsylvania.
Besides the huge trains, there's a smaller exhibit area upstairs. The museum also has cool model train layouts. There's a special hands-on learning center and a library filled with railroad information.
Contents
Exploring the Museum Grounds
Today, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania covers a large area of 18 acres. This includes the main building, called Rolling Stock Hall. It also has a changing exhibit gallery on the second floor. You can walk on an observation bridge to see the trains from above.
There's a hands-on education center called Stewart Junction. The museum also has a big library and archives. Plus, there's a special shop where trains are restored and painted. Some trains are displayed outside in a storage yard. Both Rolling Stock Hall and the second floor are easy to access for everyone. The outdoor yard might close if the weather is bad.
The first display building opened in 1975. It was one of the first buildings ever built just to be a railroad museum! It even had a working turntable from the Reading Company. This first building was about 45,000 square feet. It included the observation bridge, letting visitors look down at the trains. In June 1995, Rolling Stock Hall was made much bigger, growing to 100,000 square feet.
A new entrance and gift shop opened in June 2007. Some of the larger or more modern trains are shown outside. A new roundhouse is being built to store some of these big locomotives. Construction on this roundhouse began in July 2025. It is planned to be finished by late 2026 or early 2027.
Other fun places are nearby too! The National Toy Train Museum and Choo Choo Barn are close by. The Strasburg Rail Road is right across the street from the museum.
A Look at History
For the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, the Pennsylvania Railroad showed off some old trains it had collected. After the fair, the railroad decided to save these trains. They also saved many other engines and cars. All these trains were moved to a roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Employees there took care of them.
In the late 1960s, the state wanted to build a railroad museum. The Pennsylvania Railroad's successor, Penn Central, wanted to find a new home for the collection. So, it was decided that a museum would be built next to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg. The trains were moved to the Strasburg Rail Road. They stayed there while the museum was being built. Many of the Pennsylvania Railroad's historic trains came to Strasburg. This collection was called the "Train of Trains."
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was officially created by state law in 1963. The land for the museum was bought in 1966. Construction began in 1972. George Michener Hart became the first Museum director in 1969. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania officially opened its doors on April 1, 1975.
As the museum got more trains, it needed more room. So, in 1995, Rolling Stock Hall was made much larger. Today, the museum covers 18 acres. It has 100,000 square feet of indoor space. The museum now holds about 100 pieces of rolling stock. Some of these trains are nearly 200 years old!
Amazing Train Collection
The museum's collection has over a hundred historic locomotives and cars. Many of these are from the Pennsylvania Railroad's own collection. After the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair, the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to save many of its old trains. This collection was kept in a roundhouse in Northumberland. In 1969, the trains were moved to Strasburg. They were stored at the Strasburg Rail Road until the museum was ready in 1975.
Locomotives (Train Engines)
Some of these engines even ran on the Strasburg Rail Road for years before coming back to the museum.
- PRR 1223 was famous for being in the 1969 movie Hello, Dolly!.
- PRR 7002 (originally #8063) is a copy of the famous original PRR #7002. That original train set an unofficial speed record in 1905, going 127.1 miles per hour! Both of these trains were used by the Strasburg Rail Road and then retired in 1989.
Other famous locomotives are also at the museum:
- The "Lindbergh Engine," PRR 460, was fully restored in November 2016.
- The oldest PRR locomotive, #1187, was built in 1888. You can even go underneath #1187 to see its parts! In 1895, #1187 had a small accident, but it was barely damaged. Its smoke box had to be rebuilt, and it's still on the train today.
- The official steam locomotive of Pennsylvania, PRR 3750, is displayed outside. It famously pulled President Warren Harding's funeral train.
- Two replicas (copies) are also part of the collection: the John Bull (built in 1831) and the John Stevens (built in 1825).
- In August 2023, the 185-year-old Rocket was moved from the Franklin Institute. It is being fixed up to be displayed at the museum.
The collection also includes:
- The Tahoe, a 2-6-0 engine built in 1875 for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.
- Two fireless steam locomotives (Bethlehem Steel #111 and Pennsylvania Power & Light #4094-D). These trains use stored steam instead of a fire.
- Examples of three common geared locomotives: the Shay (Leetonia Railway #1), the Heisler (Chicago Mill & Lumber Company #4), and the Climax (W. H. Mason Company #1).
Electric locomotives include two PRR GG1 trains: the first one ever made, PRR 4800, and PRR #4935. Two other electric trains are Amtrak E60 #603 and EMD AEM-7 #915. Amtrak donated these in 2003 (603) and 2015 (915).
Railroad Cars
The museum also has a large collection of different railroad cars. Many of these are examples of cars used on the Pennsylvania Railroad. This includes a P70 passenger car, a B60 Baggage car, and an N5c caboose. You can also see several old wooden freight and passenger cars. One of the first all-steel passenger cars, PRR 1651, is also on display.
Other Cool Things
The museum has a special Solari board that used to show train departure times. This board was in Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. It was the last board of its kind at an Amtrak station. It was replaced by a digital board on January 26, 2019. Since July 2019, it has been on display at the museum.
List of Locomotives
| Operator | Number | Type or class | Manufacturer | Year | Wheel arrangement | Image |
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| Pennsylvania Railroad | 1187 | H3 | PRR, Altoona | 1888 | 2-8-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 1223 | D16sb | PRR, Juniata | 1905 | 4-4-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 460 | E6s | PRR, Juniata | 1914 | 4-4-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 3750 | K4s | PRR, Juniata | 1920 | 4-6-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 7002 | E7s | PRR, Altoona | 1902 | 4-4-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 94 | A5s | PRR, Juniata | 1917 | 0-4-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 2846 | H6sb | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1905 | 2-8-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 5741 | G5s | PRR, Juniata | 1924 | 4-6-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 520 | L1s | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1916 | 2-8-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 7688 | H10s | PRR, Juniata | 1915 | 2-8-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 1670 | B6sb | PRR, Juniata | 1916 | 0-6-0 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 6755 | M1b | PRR, Altoona | 1930 | 4-8-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 3936 & 3937 | DD1 | PRR, Altoona | 1911 | 2-B+B-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 4800 | GG1 | General Electric | 1934 | 2-C+C-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 4935 | GG1 | PRR, Altoona | 1943 | 2-C+C-2 |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 4465 | E44 | General Electric | 1963 | C-C |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 5690 | B1 | PRR | 1934 | C |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 5901 | PRR EP20 (EMD E7) |
Electro-Motive Division | 1945 | A1A-A1A |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 7006 | EMD GP9 | Electro-Motive Division | 1955 | B-B |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | 860 | Budd Metroliner | Budd Company | 1968 | B-B |  |
| Pennsylvania Railroad | John Stevens (replica) |
PRR, Altoona | 1939 | 0-4-0VB |  |
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| Amtrak | 603 | E60MA | General Electric | 1976 | C-C |  |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1200 | S-12 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1951 | B-B |  |
| Bethlehem Steel | 111 | Fireless | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1941 | 0-4-0F |  |
| Camden and Amboy Railroad | John Bull (replica) |
PRR, Altoona | 1940 | 2-4-0 |  |
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| Chicago Mill & Lumber Company | 4 | 2-truck Heisler | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1918 | B-B |  |
| Conrail | 2233 | EMD GP30 | Electro-Motive Division | 1963 | B-B |  |
| Leetonia Railway | 1 | Class C Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1906 | B-B-B |  |
| Lone Star Cement Company | 5-ton | Brookville | 1951 | |||
| Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad | 81 | EMD NW2 | Electro-Motive Division | 1946 | B-B |  |
| W. H. Mason Co. | 4 | Class B Climax | Climax Locomotive Works | 1913 | B-B |  |
| Monongahela Connecting Railroad | 701 | C415 | Alco | 1968 | B-B |  |
| Pennsylvania Power & Light | D | Fireless | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1940 | 0-8-0F |  |
| Pennsylvania Power & Light | 18-ton | Plymouth | 1949 | |||
| Philadelphia and Reading | 1 Rocket | Braithwaite, Milner & Company | 1838 | 0-4-0 |  |
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| Reading Company | 1251 | B4-a | Reading Company Shops | 1918 | 0-6-0ST |  |
| Virginia and Truckee Railroad | 20 Tahoe | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 2-6-0 |  |
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| Vulcan Iron Works | 1 | Vulcan Iron Works | 1930 |  |
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| Amtrak | 915 | EMD AEM-7 | Electro-Motive Division | 1980 | B-B |  |
See also
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
