Whippany Railway Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum |
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| Established | 1965 |
| Location | Whippany, New Jersey |
| Type | Railway museum |
The Whippany Railway Museum is a cool place in Whippany, New Jersey. It's a railway museum where you can learn all about trains and even take a fun train ride! It's located in Morris County, which is part of New Jersey, United States.
Contents
The Museum's Story
The museum's story began in 1965 in Whippany. Back then, there was a special train ride called the Morris County Central Railroad. It used old steam trains for fun trips. Some people who worked there decided to start a museum. They called it the Morris County Central Railroad Museum. They used part of a building called a "freight house" from the Morristown and Erie Railway.
In 1967, the freight house was moved to where it is today. For several years, lots of train fans came to visit the museum and ride the trains. But in 1973, the Morris County Central Railroad had to move its trains to a different town called Newfoundland, New Jersey. A year later, the museum also moved there. It was set up inside an old refrigerator car and was renamed the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum.
The late 1970s were a difficult time. The railroad faced money problems and some of its equipment was damaged. The Morris County Central Railroad ran its last train in December 1980, during a heavy snowstorm. Even though the trains stopped running, the museum stayed open.
Coming Back to Whippany
In 1983, the museum members started looking for a new home, especially an old railroad building. They thought about the freight house back in Whippany. It was in very bad shape because of weather and damage. The building was even planned to be torn down!
But the museum members didn't give up. They started cleaning up the area and fixing the freight house. They even lifted the building to fix its foundation. In January 1984, the museum moved all its things back to Whippany. At this time, the museum changed its name to the Whippany Railway Museum. This new name showed its new home.
Work continued through 1984 and 1985. They set up new displays and even created a gift shop. Finally, on October 26, 1985, the Whippany Railway Museum officially opened its doors!
The museum has grown a lot since then. It keeps adding more items that show the history of railroads in New Jersey. In 2011, the New Jersey State Assembly even gave the museum a special award. This award praised the volunteers who work hard to save railroad history for future generations. It also recognized the fun events and train rides the museum hosts.
What You Can Do There
The Whippany Railway Museum is usually open on Sundays from April to October, from 12 PM to 4 PM. They also have special train rides throughout the year. The Morristown and Erie Railway helps by providing the locomotives (the engines that pull the trains) for these trips.
Special Train Rides
- Easter Bunny Express: Around March or April, you can ride the Easter Bunny Express on two Sundays. It uses several passenger cars.
- Summer Caboose Train: On four Sundays in the summer, they run a special train with a "Jersey Coast Club car" and several cabooses (the last car on a freight train).
- Pumpkin-liner Train: In October, they have a Pumpkin-liner train. This is part of a yearly pumpkin festival at the museum.
The museum used to have Christmas trains in December. However, since 2016, the Morristown and Erie Railway started running its own Christmas train called The Polar Express. This change has affected the museum's operations.
Trains and Equipment
The museum has a collection of different train cars and locomotives.
Train Cars (Rolling Stock)
- Jersey Coast Club Car: This car was built in 1927.
- NJ Transit Comet 1 Cars: They have four of these cars, built in 1970. Three are regular passenger coaches, and one is a "Cab Car" (which can be controlled like a locomotive).
Locomotives (Engines)
The museum has several interesting locomotives:
- A GE 70-tonner diesel-electric locomotive from 1951. It's been restored to look great.
- Another GE 70-tonner diesel-electric locomotive from 1954. It's waiting to be restored.
- An ALCO RS-1 diesel-electric locomotive from 1954. You can see it on display.
- A Morris County Central 4039 steam locomotive from 1942. This one is being fixed up to run again!
- A Morris County Central 385 steam locomotive from 1907. It's been restored to look like the Southern Railway No. 385.
- A TX 7240 steam locomotive from 1937. Its cosmetic restoration is finished.
See Also
- Morristown and Erie Railroad Whippany Water Tank
