Medina Railroad Museum, Medina, New York

Do you love New York?  Back in the day, you heard the old jingle ‘I love New York’.  When you are asked what you think about the U.S. state of New York, what most people will think of is what is known as the ‘Big Apple’, New York City where most of the state’s population happens to live.  The state has many great historic sites like the Saratoga Battlefield in Saratoga Springs where the turning point of the American Revolutionary War took place.  You have natural wonders like Niagara Falls, one of the most visited and most spectacular waterfalls in the world.  The state of New York also has great small towns.  Among these towns is Medina.  Located halfway between Rochester and Buffalo, the town was constructed around the Erie Canal, and it was a stopover for boats using the canal.  As it was a major stop on the Erie Canal, it also became a stop for the New York Central Railroad.

A small train depot, known as ‘Small Stone Station’, was built in Medina, and the town had regular passenger and freight service.  However, the town grew, and the locals complained that the depot was too small.  A much bigger freight depot was built.  It remained in use until the 1960’s when railroad service declined.  The depot was sold, and it became a furniture shop.  The owners of the furniture shop retired in 1991.  Was the depot demolished?  No.  It was purchased and became the home of the Medina Railroad Museum.

Today, the Medina Railroad Museum is the home of the largest model train display in the state of New York and one of the largest model train displays in the United States.  The walls are also filled with memorabilia from the railroad to include signals, lanterns, small models and much more.  You pay your admission at an old ticket window, and you can see a layout of the ticket master’s office.  If that is not enough, you have two E-8 locomotives from the New York Central Railroad outside along with other rail cars.  If you are fortunate enough, you may see a passing train.

The Medina Railroad Museum is open year-round, but the trains rides are offered seasonally.  It is located at 530 West Avenue in Medina, New York.  (It is two blocks west of New York Routes 31 and 63 and Main Street next to the tracks.)  It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 5:00pm.  (It is closed on Mondays and major holidays.)  Admission is $9.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors, $7.00 for children 2 to 18 with those under two free.  The museum admission is included with the purchase of any train Excursion ticket or with any ticket to their Special Events.  You can learn more about the train excursions, their special events and information on the museum at https://www.medinarailroad.com/.  You can also read a tribute to the founder, Marty Phelps, who made this museum a reality.

When you think about the great sites in the state of New York, you can think about the Medina Railroad Museum.  It may be a great place to stop.  The people of the Medina Railroad Museum would love for you to visit their town.  They provided a promotional video.  You can click on this link: https://www.elocallink.tv/m/v/player.php?pid=w7QwyQ54&fp=nymed19_wel_iwd.