Hinton Railroad Museum, Hinton, West Virginia

The U.S. state of West Virginia is called the Mountaineer State because it is a state that is completely mountainous with no plains or flatland.  One of the state’s greatest natural wonders is the New River Gorge where the New River carves it way through a deep gorge through the southern region of the state.  South of the New River Gorge is the river town of Hinton.  Hinton is a town on the New River, and it is also a railroad town with an old Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Station that was built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and it is served by Amtrak today.  The town has a railroad festival in the fall to celebrate the railroad heritage, but the town also has another railroad treasure.

Welcome to the Hinton Railroad Museum.  It looks small on the outside, but it has so much on the inside.  No, you will not see full size locomotives on display nor will you see old boxcars or a caboose.

Why visit the Hinton Railroad Museum?  As you see the museum from the street, you will want to go inside.

Before you even enter the museum, you will see a wooden model train.  Be advised that this is just the beginning.

The museum is filled with artifacts mainly from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  The displays are full of models trains, old photos, old rail equipment, uniforms, and other items, but there is one item that will catch your eye.

The main thing that you will see is the full scale wooden display.  The display is a carving by Charlie Permelia telling the story of John Henry.  Who is John Henry?  In the nearby town of Talcott is the Great Bend Tunnel of which the original has been replaced by a new tunnel used by CSX Transportation today.  The original tunnel was built by railroad workers.  One of them was John Henry, a muscular man.  It was here where John Henry challenged a steel drill with his hammer.  Even though he defeated the steel drill, it cost him his life.  The wooden display is a memorial to the famous worker.

The Hinton Railroad Museum is located at 206 Temple Street (West Virginia Route 20 North) in the town center.  Only street parking is available.  Sadly, the building is not wheelchair accessible.