The city of Wilmington in the U.S. state of North Carolina is a city located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the home of the U.S.S. Battleship North Carolina. It is a town with historic houses. Being a coastal city, nobody would think of this city as a railroad town, but it was the home of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad where, in 1840, it was the longest continuous railroad line in the world. The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad merged to become a part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and the headquarters was in Wilmington. (Many of the Atlantic Coast Railroad Lines are owned by CSX today.) During its heyday, Wilmington was a major railroad hub despite its location. The railroad declined in the region, but the town freight houses remain. One of the freight houses was converted into a hotel. The other is the home of the Wilmington Railroad Museum.
As you enter the Wilmington Railroad Museum, you see the hotel on the left, and you see the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Locomotive Number 250 on the right next to another freight house originally owned by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It is here where the museum is housed.
You enter the museum. The gift shop has a small model train display. It is the first of many model train displays you will see. You also see a model train above you. You begin to see that this is not your average railroad museum.
You enter the museum and see displays of the offices and the ticket offices. You see the tools on display. You see artwork of the Atlantic Coast Line. The best part of a visit to the Wilmington Railroad Museum is the numerous model train displays. Yes, you see many model trains here at the museum. One of the displays feature a certificate by the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest model train ever assembled which happened at a train show in Wilmington by modelers at the museum.
If you think that this is your average railroad museum, think again. The museum not only tells the history of the railroad in Wilmington, but it tells the story of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad through the region of the southeastern United States of America.
The Wilmington Railroad Museum is located at 550 Nutt Street in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Parking is on site, and it is wheelchair accessible. You can get information about days when the museum is open and admission at https://www.wrrm.org/#/.
There are many reasons to visit the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Wilmington Railroad Museum is one of many. You will be glad that you came.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 