Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania, USA)

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a state-operated railroad museum in Strasburg that preserves locomotives, passenger and freight cars, archival material, photographs, tools, and other evidence of railroading across the Commonwealth. Its galleries do not tell only the story of the Pennsylvania Railroad: they also document other carriers, railroad manufacturing, industrial suppliers, workers, passengers, and the technologies that connected Pennsylvania communities.

A Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, Not Only a Pennsylvania Railroad Museum

The institution’s official name is easy to misread. It is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, rather than the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum. The distinction reflects the collection itself. Pennsylvania Railroad equipment forms an important part of the holdings, but the museum’s subject is the wider history of rail transportation within Pennsylvania.

That broader scope brings together several parts of railroad history that can otherwise appear disconnected. A locomotive can be studied alongside passenger accommodations, freight equipment, railroad occupations, signaling technology, manufacturing records, company publications, photographs, and objects used in stations and aboard trains. PHMC administers the museum as part of Pennsylvania’s system of state-owned historic sites and museums.

From a 1963 State Initiative to a Purpose-Built Museum

The museum developed over more than a decade rather than opening immediately after its creation. The Commonwealth first established the project legislatively, selected a Lancaster County location, began assembling historic equipment, and then constructed the infrastructure needed to exhibit full-size railroad vehicles.

1. 1963: Pennsylvania legislation created the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
2. 1965: Strasburg in Lancaster County was chosen as the museum site.
3. Late 1960s: The developing museum began acquiring locomotives and railroad cars.
4. 1970–1971: Yard tracks and a 100-foot former Reading Company turntable were installed during the first construction phase.
5. 1972–1974: The museum building was completed during the next phase of development.
6. April 1975: The museum opened to the public. The institution identifies it as the first structure in North America built specifically as a railroad museum.
7. 1999: A purpose-equipped restoration shop was added to support preservation of the rolling-stock collection.
8. 2007–2020: Later work included a remodeled entrance and lobby atrium, geothermal heating and air-conditioning, and additional exhibits.

The sequence explains why the museum operates as more than a hall filled with retired trains. Storage tracks, exhibition platforms, conservation facilities, research collections, and visitor spaces were developed around the practical demands of preserving extremely large industrial artifacts. ^[Ref-5]

Steam, Electric, Diesel, and the Cars Between Them

Rolling Stock Hall presents railroad development through actual equipment rather than through models alone. The collection spans different forms of motive power and many types of cars, allowing changes in propulsion, construction, passenger service, freight handling, and railroad work to be compared at full scale.

Individual vehicles also preserve different branches of Pennsylvania manufacturing history. The museum’s equipment includes products associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Altoona and Juniata facilities, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Heisler, Bethlehem Steel, General Electric, General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, and other builders. Some locomotives and cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[Ref-6]

Photographs, Timetables, Shop Records, and Smaller Railroad Objects

Full-size trains dominate the physical galleries, but they are only one layer of the holdings. The museum reports more than half a million photographic images and documents and nearly 20,000 smaller artifacts. These materials help record the work and administrative systems behind the machinery.

• Railroad work: Tools, uniforms, telegraphy equipment, signaling devices, and other objects document occupations and operating practices.
• Passenger experience: Tickets, station signs, printed matter, and related artifacts record how travelers encountered the railroad.
• Corporate documentation: Publications, annual reports, timetables, photographs, and archival records provide material for company and operational research.
• Industrial history: Builder records connect finished locomotives with the engineering and manufacturing systems that produced them.

The Pennsylvania State Archives identifies the museum as the home of the official Pennsylvania Railroad historical collection of locomotives and freight and passenger cars formerly stored at Northumberland. Its PRR research holdings also include company publications, annual reports, timetables, dining-car menus, photographs, negatives, and archival material. ^[Ref-7]

The museum is also an important repository for Baldwin Locomotive Works research. PHMC’s State Archives research guide records approximately 13,000 negatives in the Baldwin Locomotive Works Negative Collection and about 7,000 engineering data specification cards, together with log books, photographs, technical publications, manuals, correspondence, engine roster material, and related records. These holdings give the museum a research role that extends far beyond the equipment visible on the exhibition floor. ^[Ref-8]

Restoring Railroad Equipment at Full Scale

Preserving a locomotive or railroad car poses problems that do not arise with smaller museum objects. Steel structures, wooden interiors, electrical systems, paint surfaces, mechanical components, and decades of outdoor or industrial service may all require different treatment. The museum therefore maintains a dedicated restoration program supported by staff and volunteers.

Much of the work is performed in its purpose-built restoration shop, where skills include metalworking, woodworking, welding, painting, and electrical work. The museum describes its approach as balancing historically appropriate appearance and materials with practical preservation needs, while documenting projects and applying professional conservation practices. ^[Ref-9]

The Six-Stall Roundhouse Project

A major change is underway in the museum’s outdoor area. Construction began in July 2025 on a 16,000-square-foot, six-stall roundhouse designed to provide protected exhibit space for historic locomotives. The museum states that completion is anticipated in late 2026 or early 2027.

The project is intended to shelter six Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotives that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Plans call for a fan-shaped building using brick, steel, glass, and a clerestory-style roof, together with a hard-surface accessible route connecting the new exhibit space with the museum. ^[Ref-10]

Research Access to the Library and Archives

The library and archives operate differently from the public exhibition hall. On-site research is available by appointment rather than as a walk-in museum activity, and books do not circulate. Researchers are encouraged to consult the online catalog or work with museum staff to identify materials that can then be brought to the research area.

• Appointment lead time: The museum asks researchers to arrange visits at least one week in advance.
• Research schedule: Appointments are subject to staff availability and are offered Tuesday through Friday during specified research hours.
• On-site research fee: The museum currently lists a $10 research fee, with separate charges for duplication when applicable.
• Remote inquiries: Archives staff also provide an off-site research service, with the first 30 minutes used for a query before additional hourly charges apply.

These procedures make the collection useful for researchers working on particular railroads, locomotive builders, railroad employees, equipment types, engineering history, company publications, or Pennsylvania transportation history. Advance preparation is especially useful because archival materials are retrieved for researchers rather than browsed directly on open shelves. ^[Ref-11]

Learning From Full-Size Equipment and Hands-On Displays

The education program uses rolling stock, primary sources, historic artifacts, and hands-on activities to connect railroad history with technology and other school subjects. Current curriculum-based offerings include age-specific programs for younger students and a secondary-level program comparing steam, diesel-electric, and electric locomotive technology.

Interactive interpretation is also built into the museum. Stewart Junction, housed in a recreated 1915-era freight station setting, includes model railroad activities and exhibits dealing with railroad technology and popular culture. Elsewhere, visitors can encounter activities based on such railroad tasks as shoveling coal into a simulated firebox and sorting mail in a Railway Post Office-style setting. ^[Ref-12]

Access Inside the 100,000-Square-Foot Rolling Stock Hall

Most of the main exhibit hall is wheelchair accessible, but access inside the historic trains is more complicated. Original railroad equipment can contain steep steps, narrow doorways, confined interiors, and fragile materials. For those reasons, the museum does not promise interior access to every locomotive or car.

• Open equipment: Selected locomotives and cars may be opened by staff and volunteers; the selection can change from day to day.
• Wheelchair lift: A lift provides access to a limited number of specially prepared pieces of equipment.
• Virtual interiors: Selected vehicles that cannot be entered have 360-degree virtual-tour kiosks, with captioning and optional audio.
• Building access: An elevator serves the Second Floor Gallery and Observation Bridge.
• Sensory support: Sensory bags containing items such as headphones, tactile toys, fidget toys, and books can be borrowed from the front desk.

Visiting the Museum in Strasburg

The current public schedule is Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m., with last entry at 3:30 p.m. The museum publishes a separate holiday schedule, so visitors planning around state or federal holidays should check the official hours page before traveling.

The museum’s own visitor guidance estimates an average visit at about 90 minutes to two hours, although people studying individual locomotives or exhibits may spend longer. Personal photography is generally permitted except in the second-floor art gallery, while access to particular locomotive and car interiors depends on preservation needs, safety conditions, and staff or volunteer availability.

The Strasburg Rail Road is directly across the road from the museum, but it is a separately operated organization. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania does not itself provide the excursion train rides offered there. That distinction is useful when arranging a visit that combines preserved equipment inside the state museum with an operating railroad experience. ^[Ref-13]