The Railroad Museum of New England, Thomaston, Connecticut

When you think about the New England region of the United States of America, what comes to mind? You will hear about the colors of the leaves in the fall. You hear about the many small towns. You will hear about the Pilgrims arriving at Plymouth Rock and the story of the first Thanksgiving feast. You will hear about the many lighthouses along the coastline. You will hear about the great skiing in the mountains. You will hear about the story of the American Revolution to include events around Boston, Massachusetts like the ‘Shot Heard Around the World’, the ‘Boston Tea Party’ and Paul Revere’s ride. You will hear about the maritime history to include the many lobster boats and the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest commissioned naval ship in the world docked in Boston Harbor. You thank about major universities like Harvard, Yale, Boston College University and the University of Connecticut. For some sports fans, you constant hear about the Boston, the second most championed city in North America with the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics, the third most championed sports team in North America behind the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Yankees and, it must be mentioned, the New England Patriots who is tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl Championships. (Sadly, for Patriot fans, the Green Bay Packers are the most championed professional football team with 13.)

These are great reasons to have a vacation in New England, but did you know that New England has many great railroads, great railroad museums and great railroad excursions?

Welcome to the Railroad Museum of New England. Located in the small town of Thomaston, Connecticut, it is a museum that preserves the railroad heritage of the region, and they have scenic train rides on the Naugatuck Railroad. The museum displays many locomotives and rolling stock that have rolled through New England. The train rides are on vintage passenger are pulled by vintage locomotives. It is all centered around the old Thomaston depot which houses the ticket office and the gift shop.

Of course, your main reason to visit is to ride the train. Where does the train go? Most of the excursion follows the Naugatuck River. Each excursion varies in time and where it goes. One thing you will experience is a vintage ride through the scenery of this tranquil river valley.

The Railroad Museum of New England is an all-volunteer organization that tells the story of the rich railroad heritage of the region. All the restoration work, the workers in the ticket office and gift shop and those who work on the train is done by those who so desire to keep this history around for many years to come. Donations to the museum is used strictly for restoration and for expenses to operate the railroad.

The Railroad Museum of New England is located at 242 East Main Street in Thomaston, Connecticut. Although the rolling stock on display can be viewed at any time and are on display all year round, they are only opened for interior viewing when the trains are running. Trains operate from April to December. Parking is on site and is free. You can get more information on the schedules, displays, directions and to learn about the trains at http://www.rmne.org.