Whippany Railway Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Whippany Railway Museum

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Former name	Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum
Established	1965 (1965)
Location	Whippany, New Jersey
Type	Railway museum

The Whippany Railway Museum is a fun place to visit in Whippany, Morris County, New Jersey. It is a railway museum where you can learn about trains. You can also take exciting train rides!

History of the Museum

1907 Southern Railway train on display at Whippany Railway Museum.

The museum started in 1965. Back then, a steam train ride called the Morris County Central Railroad was in Whippany. Some of its workers decided to create the Morris County Central Railroad Museum. They used part of a building called a freight house.

In 1967, the freight house was moved to where it is today. Many train fans, called railfans, visited the museum between 1967 and 1973. They came to ride the special trains.

By 1973, the Morris County Central Railroad had to move because of money problems. It went to Newfoundland, NJ. The museum also moved a year later. It operated out of a restored refrigerator car there. It was then called the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum.

The late 1970s were tough times for the railroad. There were also some serious acts of damage to the trains and buildings. This caused the railroad to close. The Morris County Central Railroad ran its last train in heavy snow on December 14, 1980. But the museum stayed open!

Finding a New Home

In 1983, the museum members looked for a new home. They wanted a place that was a real railroad building. The old freight house in Whippany was a good idea. However, it was in very bad shape. It had been damaged by weather and time. It also had been damaged by people. The building was going to be torn down.

But the museum members started cleaning up the area. They also began fixing the freight house. They even lifted the building to fix its broken foundation. In January 1984, the museum moved all its things back to Whippany.

During this time, the museum changed its name. It became the Whippany Railway Museum. This new name showed its new location. Work continued through 1984 and 1985. They set up displays and created a gift shop. Finally, on October 26, 1985, the Whippany Railway Museum officially opened!

Growing and Being Recognized

The museum has continued to do well in Whippany. It has also added more items to its collection. These items show the history of railroads in New Jersey.

In 2011, the New Jersey State Assembly honored the museum. They praised the volunteers who work hard. These volunteers help save the history of railroading for future generations. They also recognized the special events and train rides the museum hosts.

What the Museum Does

The Whippany Railway Museum is open on Sundays. You can visit from April through October, between 12 PM and 4 PM. The museum also offers several special train rides throughout the year. The Morristown and Erie Railway provides the locomotives that pull these trains.

Special Train Rides

• Easter Bunny Express: Around March or April, you can ride this train on two Sundays. It has several passenger cars.
• Caboose Train: On four Sundays in the summer, you can ride a train made of cabooses. It also includes the Jersey Coast Club car.
• Pumpkin-liner Train: In 2012, they added this train for one Sunday in October. It is part of an annual pumpkin festival at the museum.

The museum used to run Christmas trains in December. However, starting in 2016, the Morristown and Erie began running their own Christmas train, The Polar Express. This change affected the museum's operations. The museum added some family-friendly activities that did not involve train rides in 2016. However, these activities have since stopped.

Trains and Cars You Can See

The museum has different types of trains and cars. These are called "rolling stock."

• Jersey Coast ex CNJ Club Car (built in 1927)
• 4 ex NJ Transit Comet 1 Cars (3 Coaches and 1 Cab Car, built in 1970 by Pullman Standard. One of these, 5120, was involved in an accident in 1996.)

Locomotives at the Museum

Locomotives are the engines that pull trains. Here are some of the locomotives you can see at the Whippany Railway Museum:

See also

• Morristown and Erie Railroad Whippany Water Tank