Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati facts for kids

The Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati is a cool place in Covington, Kentucky, where you can see and learn about old trains! It's like a giant garage for historic railroad equipment.

About the Museum's Amazing Collection

This museum has a huge collection of 80 historic railroad vehicles. They are all kept on a big piece of land that's about 4 acres (16,000 square meters) in size.

How the Museum Got Started

The museum began in 1975 because some local train fans wanted to ride their own passenger cars on Amtrak trains. They even bought some cars to do this! But by the late 1980s, Amtrak made it much harder and more expensive for private owners to keep their cars on the tracks.

Even though the Amtrak trips stopped, those original cars became the start of the museum's collection. The museum's main goal then changed. Instead of just riding trains, they decided to focus on saving and taking care of these old train cars and locomotives. Tom Holley, who used to be in charge, said their main goal became collecting equipment from the seven different railroads that used to come into Cincinnati.

Cool Trains and Cars You Can See

One of the most exciting projects at the museum is restoring a Pennsylvania Railroad E8 locomotive, number 5888. This is a big, powerful diesel engine! Right next to it is a special baggage car called the Juliet. This car was used to carry things like theater props and scenery. It's now being used as a handy workspace for fixing up the locomotive.

The museum also has many cars made by a company called Pullman-Standard. These include the Metropolitan View, which was built in 1938 for a famous train called the Broadway Limited. There's also a special mail car (PRR #6518) that was used as a railway post office on the same train. Imagine sorting mail while the train was moving!

Other interesting vehicles include a small switcher engine (PRR #9408), a preserved "Dinky" train, and a Brookville BMD 15-ton switcher. You can also see the La Paz, a modern passenger coach from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. There's even a preserved troop sleeper (a car that carried soldiers) and an old business car from the Southern Railway. Don't forget the El Comedor, which is a dining car from the Rock Island railroad!

The museum is located at 315 Southern Avenue in the Latonia area of Covington.

Trains and Cars on Display

Here's a look at some of the diesel locomotives and passenger cars at the museum:

Diesel Locomotives

Image	Operator	Road Number	Class	Model	Date	Notes
	Pennsylvania Railroad	5888	EP-22	EMD E8	1951	This one is currently being restored!
	Pennsylvania Railroad	9408	ES-6	EMD SW1	1950

Passenger Cars