Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum
in Strasburg
, Lancaster County
, Pennsylvania
.
The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741
. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
with the active support of the "Friends of the Railroad Museum."
The museum has more than 100 historic locomotive
s and railroad car
s that chronicle American
railroad history. An interactive display allows visitors to "take the throttle" on a simulated run in a real freight locomotive, climb aboard a caboose
, inspect a 62-ton locomotive from underneath, view restoration activities via closed-circuit television
, enjoy interactive educational programs, and more.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was created to provide a historical account of railroading in Pennsylvania by preserving rolling stock, artifacts, and archives of railroads and trolley companies of the Commonwealth.
The initial display building opened in 1975, featuring an operating turntable from the Reading Company. In June 1995, a trainshed-like addition opened, doubling the indoor display capacity. A newly designed entrance and gift shop were opened in the summer of 2007. Some larger or more modern engines and cars are displayed outdoors, but a $5 million roundhouse
is planned.
The nucleus of the collection of more than a hundred locomotives and cars comes from the historical collection of the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR), steam locomotives in particular. The famous "Lindbergh Engine", #460
, is on display, as is PRR's streamlined 1943 GG1
electric locomotive #4935. The museum is endeavoring to diversify its collection. More modern examples of motive power and equipment from a variety or railroads have been obtained, including rolling stock from the Reading Company
, Lehigh Valley
, Amtrak
, and Conrail. This additional equipment has come through private and public donations, in addition to limited purchases.
Although PRR steam engines #1223
, #7002
, and the John Bull replica have operated since the establishment of the museum, there have been desires to see more engines returned to operating condition. However, the state has chosen to leave the engines as static displays citing the preservation of historical integrity. Given the limited trackage on site, the current mainline steam excursion climate, and being able to see operating steam across the street at the Strasburg Rail Road
, this stance is not likely to change.
This collection of Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotives is the most representative of any railroad in the East, if not the whole country. Key examples, however, have been lost, such as the PRR T1
and the PRR J1. This was due to the bias of the PRR management at the time. While only several out of hundreds of types of engines were saved, historians and patrons are fortunate that the Pennsylvania Railroad did indeed care enough to save these historic locomotives.
, Pennsylvania. A few engines there were officially cosmetically restored, while thoughtful employees took it upon themselves to clean up and paint other engines (as documented in the book Pennsylvania Railroad Hudson to Horseshoe).
With the state looking to establish a railroad museum and PRR successor Penn Central Railroad looking to rid itself of the collection in the late 1960s (and also to be cleared of back taxes), the engines were moved piecemeal to the new museum in Strasburg. During the initial site selection period for the planned museum, there was much debate of various options, including Northumberland and Altoona. Ironically, a recreated roundhouse has been tentatively planned for the roundhouse area to provide much needed cover for rolling stock.
PRR K4 engine #3750
was once renumbered to represent class pioneer PRR #1737. The PRR wished to display #1737 but since the original engine was in deplorable condition, engine #3750 was renumbered #1737. It has since regained its original number. This was also done in the case of PRR #7002, which is actually engine #8063. Unlike #3750, it has not been restored to its original number.
Railway museum
A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives , railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment.See List of railway museums...
in Strasburg
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Strasburg is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It developed as a linear village along the Great Conestoga Road, stretching about two miles along path later known as the Strasburg Road...
, Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741
Pennsylvania Route 741
Pennsylvania Route 741 is a long state highway that runs through western and southern Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 41 in Gap...
. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
with the active support of the "Friends of the Railroad Museum."
The museum has more than 100 historic locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s and railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s that chronicle American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroad history. An interactive display allows visitors to "take the throttle" on a simulated run in a real freight locomotive, climb aboard a caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
, inspect a 62-ton locomotive from underneath, view restoration activities via closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
, enjoy interactive educational programs, and more.
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania was created to provide a historical account of railroading in Pennsylvania by preserving rolling stock, artifacts, and archives of railroads and trolley companies of the Commonwealth.
Building and grounds
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
is planned.
Rolling stock collection
The nucleus of the collection of more than a hundred locomotives and cars comes from the historical collection of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR), steam locomotives in particular. The famous "Lindbergh Engine", #460
PRR 460
PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a Pennsylvania Railroad E6s steam locomotive now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States...
, is on display, as is PRR's streamlined 1943 GG1
PRR GG1
The PRR GG1 is a class of electric locomotives that was built for the Pennsylvania Railroad for use in the northeastern United States. A total of 140 GG1s were constructed by its designer General Electric and the Pennsylvania's Altoona Works from 1934 to 1943....
electric locomotive #4935. The museum is endeavoring to diversify its collection. More modern examples of motive power and equipment from a variety or railroads have been obtained, including rolling stock from the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
, Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, and Conrail. This additional equipment has come through private and public donations, in addition to limited purchases.
Although PRR steam engines #1223
PRR 1223
PRR 1223 is the only preserved class D16sb of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The 4-4-0 sits on static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. In the 1970s and 80s the 1223 ran on excursions on the Strasburg Rail Road also in Strasburg...
, #7002
PRR 7002
PRR 7002 is a Pennsylvania Railroad E7s steam locomotive located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Originally 8063, it was renumbered 7002 after the original, a land-speed-record-setter, was scrapped...
, and the John Bull replica have operated since the establishment of the museum, there have been desires to see more engines returned to operating condition. However, the state has chosen to leave the engines as static displays citing the preservation of historical integrity. Given the limited trackage on site, the current mainline steam excursion climate, and being able to see operating steam across the street at the Strasburg Rail Road
Strasburg Rail Road
The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad located near Strasburg, Pennsylvania. It operates excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.Across the street lies the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania...
, this stance is not likely to change.
This collection of Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotives is the most representative of any railroad in the East, if not the whole country. Key examples, however, have been lost, such as the PRR T1
PRR T1
The Pennsylvania Railroad's 52 T1 class duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam locomotives, introduced in 1942 and 1946 , were their last-built steam locomotives and their most controversial. They were ambitious, technologically sophisticated, powerful, fast, and uniquely streamlined by Raymond Loewy...
and the PRR J1. This was due to the bias of the PRR management at the time. While only several out of hundreds of types of engines were saved, historians and patrons are fortunate that the Pennsylvania Railroad did indeed care enough to save these historic locomotives.
History
Over time, the PRR had saved examples of their main classes of steam motive power, either for display or posterity. Unfortunately, they only saved examples of engines considered to be successful, thus no examples of classes Q, S, and T steam locomotives were saved. Class J locomotives, although successful, were built to a Chesapeake and Ohio Railway design and were thus not considered representative of a PRR locomotive. Consequently, none of the 125 J1 or J1a locomotives were preserved either. Engines had been quietly stored in the engine facility at NorthumberlandNorthumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...
, Pennsylvania. A few engines there were officially cosmetically restored, while thoughtful employees took it upon themselves to clean up and paint other engines (as documented in the book Pennsylvania Railroad Hudson to Horseshoe).
With the state looking to establish a railroad museum and PRR successor Penn Central Railroad looking to rid itself of the collection in the late 1960s (and also to be cleared of back taxes), the engines were moved piecemeal to the new museum in Strasburg. During the initial site selection period for the planned museum, there was much debate of various options, including Northumberland and Altoona. Ironically, a recreated roundhouse has been tentatively planned for the roundhouse area to provide much needed cover for rolling stock.
PRR K4 engine #3750
PRR 3750
PRR 3750 is one of the two preserved class K4s Pacifics steam locomotive of the Pennsylvania Railroad.- History :Just like PRR 1361 the 3750 was used to haul the PRR's main line intercity passenger trains such as The Broadway Limited. Despite the attempt by PRR management to replace the K4s with...
was once renumbered to represent class pioneer PRR #1737. The PRR wished to display #1737 but since the original engine was in deplorable condition, engine #3750 was renumbered #1737. It has since regained its original number. This was also done in the case of PRR #7002, which is actually engine #8063. Unlike #3750, it has not been restored to its original number.
Collection
- PRR 1223PRR 1223PRR 1223 is the only preserved class D16sb of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The 4-4-0 sits on static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. In the 1970s and 80s the 1223 ran on excursions on the Strasburg Rail Road also in Strasburg...
- PRR 460PRR 460PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a Pennsylvania Railroad E6s steam locomotive now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States...
— "Lindbergh" - PRR 3750PRR 3750PRR 3750 is one of the two preserved class K4s Pacifics steam locomotive of the Pennsylvania Railroad.- History :Just like PRR 1361 the 3750 was used to haul the PRR's main line intercity passenger trains such as The Broadway Limited. Despite the attempt by PRR management to replace the K4s with...
- Amtrak #603
- PRR #5901
- PRR 4935PRR 4935The Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 #4935 is a preserved electric locomotive.-History:The Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 #4935 was built to haul passenger trains over the high iron at high speed. For years, this powerful electric locomotive handled passenger trains for the Pennsylvania Railroad over the...
- PRR 4800PRR 4800PRR 4800, nicknamed "Old Rivets", is a GG1-class electric locomotive located at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the prototype GG1 and was originally numbered 4899. Built by General Electric in 1934, the locomotive competed against...
- PRR 7002PRR 7002PRR 7002 is a Pennsylvania Railroad E7s steam locomotive located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Originally 8063, it was renumbered 7002 after the original, a land-speed-record-setter, was scrapped...
- PRR #94
- Reading #1251
- PRR #2846
- PRR #1187
- PRR #5741
- Virginia & Truckee #20 Tahoe
- OlomanaOlomana (locomotive)The Olomana is an 0-4-2 steam locomotive in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution. It was the third self-propelled vehicle to operate in Hawaii.- History :...
— Waimaliono Sugar Co. #2 - W.H. Mason Co. #4
- PRR 520PRR 520PRR 520 is a Pennsylvania Railroad L1s steam locomotive located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was built in 1916 and had its boiler replaced after an explosion in 1942...
- PRR #7688
- PRR #6755
- PRR 3936 and 3937PRR 3936 and 3937PRR 3936 and 3937, formerly 4781 and 4780 respectively, are a pair of DD1-class electric locomotives located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The two locomotives are semi-permanently coupled together and were assigned an EZN of 36...
- PRR #4465
- Reading #902 & 903
- PRR #4465