Tag: Museum

The J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum, Atlanta, Illinois

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Before the Interstate Highway System, people drove across the United States of America by way of the United States Route simply called the U.S. Route.  The first route ever established was U.S. Route 1 which has its north end at the Canadian Border in the town of Fort Kent in the U.S. state of Maine and its south end in the city of Key West in the U.S. state of Florida passing through the major cities of Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts,  New York City in the U.S. State of New York, Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, Baltimore in the U.S. state of Maryland, Washington D.C., Richmond in the U.S. state of Virginia, and the cities of Jacksonville and Miami in the U.S. state of Florida plus many smaller cities in between.  Other U.S. Routes were later laid out.  One of those routes is the famous route U.S. Route 66 which had a television series named for it as well as a gasoline station.  The route went from the city of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois to the city of Santa Monica in the U.S. state of California.  Today, much of the route was replaced by Interstate Routes, but much of the roads that U.S. Route 66 ran have been preserved.  It passed through major cities and small towns.  One of those small towns is the town of Atlanta, Illinois.  No.  You will not find the Coca-Cola Company here nor did the town ever host the Olympics, and it does not have one of the busiest airports in the world.  Being a small town, it has numerous sites like the American Giants Museum housed in an old Texaco gas station, the Bunyan Giant, and it is the home of the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum.  It is a museum that was erected in the only fully restored wooden grain elevator in the state of Illinois.  When you visit the museum, you will be seeing history.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  A fully restored grain elevator.  This is very nice.  There is a big problem.  This is a museum about a grain elevator and not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I am not elevating myself to visit this museum.”

Yes.  You are right.  This is not a railroad museum.  Why should you visit the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum?

As you drive from U.S. Route 66, you cross a railroad line.  Atlanta, Illinois was never a railroad town, but the railroad does pass through here and it owned by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the railroad passes through the town, but what does the railroad have to do with the museum?”

Before it was the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum, it was… a working grain elevator that was built in 1903.  When you arrive at the museum, the first thing that you will notice is the old grain elevator.  Then you notice something that is next to the old grain elevator.  What is next to the old grain elevator?  You will see an old railroad boxcar from the Wabash Railroad.  As farmers brought their grain to the old grain elevator, it was then put on boxcars and shipped across the nation.

It there another reason to visit the museum?  Yes, there is.

One of the exhibits here is the Atlanta Coal Mining Company Historical Mine.  The town had its own coal mine, but before the town had its own mine, coal was brought to the town by the railroad.

The J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum is on the National Register of Historical Places.  It is located 301 SW Second Street in Atlanta, Illinois.  Parking is on site.  Tours are self-guided and can but done at any time, but you can get a guided tour of the museum by going to https://www.destinationlogancountyil.com/grain-elevator-museum.

Visit Atlanta, Illinois.  You will not see the Coca-Cola Company or the Olympics, but you will see the J. H. Hawes Grain Elevator and Agriculture Museum.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum, Portland, Maine

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Maine is the largest of the New England States, the states that make up the northeastern region of the lower 48 states.  The state is famed for its wild open wilderness, its coastline, its lighthouses, and, for you seafood lovers, its lobster rolls.  One thing that the state is not known for is its railroads of which there are many in the state.  In the city of Portland, which is the most populated city in the state.  It is here where you will find the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum.

What is the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh!  It is a narrow gauge railroad company in the state of Maine that has a museum.”

Yes.  It is a narrow gauge railroad company in Maine, but why would you want to visit this railroad?

Let us first ask what a narrow gauge railroad is.  Yes, it is a railroad with a narrow gauge, but what do we mean by narrow gauge?

As you see trains today, they are what you called a standard gauge railroad.  On a standard gauge railroad, the rails are four feet and eight and one-half inches apart.  In the early days of railroading, there was what was called a narrow gauge railroad where the rails were three feet apart.  Although the narrow gauge railroads were cheaper to fund and faster to build, they could not carry the weight that a standard railroad could carry.  Today, narrow gauge railroads only exist as tourist railroads like the East Broad Top Railroad in Rockhill, Pennsylvania and the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad that runs between the U.S. states of New Mexico and Colorado.

The state of Maine had many narrow gauge railroads where the tracks were two feet apart.  Like other narrow gauge railroads, they went into decline.  While some of the railroad equipment was destroyed, some of the equipment was spared.  Some of this equipment was bought by a man named Ellis D. Atwood.  It is the equipment that was owned by Ellis D. Atwood that ended up at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company which began operation in 1992.

What is special about the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum?

Let us first begin with the route itself.  The original route was a standard gauge built by the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad in 1846.  In 1853, the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad leased the section going to the city of Portland, Maine to the Grand Trunk Railway.  Even though the Grand Trunk Railway was nationalized into the Canadian National Railway, it was still referred to by the locals as the ‘Grand Trunk’ line.  It is this very route that the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad follows today.

As you arrive at the train station, you find yourself within a short distance from the harbor.  You enter the train station, which does not look like your average train station, but it houses a small museum and the gift shop, and it is here where you buy your ticket.

You did not come here to see the harbor or the gift shop.  You came to ride the train.

Yes, you see a narrow gauge railroad line, but before it was the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, it was a standard gauge railroad.  The train comes, and you get aboard.  The train pulls away from the station.  You have been on many railroads that follow rivers and pass by big lakes.  With the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, its entire route, following a route originally laid out by the Canadian National Railroad, you get a view of Casco Bay.  Yes, you see a large body of water along the entire route.  The ride ends at a place where you can see an old turning drawbridge where the railroad crossed the bay.  (Only the drawbridge remains as the rest of the bridge has been demolished.)  It is a short ride, but it is definitely a ride that you will enjoy.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum is located 65 Thames Street in Portland, Maine.  The train runs seasonally between May and October with Christmas trains in late November and December.  The train is wheelchair accessible.  Please note that they do not have their own parking.  Parking is only available on the street or at nearby parking facilities.  You can read more into the history of the railroad, get tickets and directions, and get more information at https://mainenarrowgauge.org/.

The state of Maine has natural beauty.  It has lots of coastline and lighthouses.  You can enjoy the lobster rolls.  Most important of all, it has many railroads, and you will enjoy your ride on the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and Museum.

Calvin B. Taylor House, Berlin, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Historic Site, Historic Structure

The U.S. state of Maryland is a state that is famous for many things.  It has the Chesapeake Bay which splits the state in two parts.  Baltimore, the state’s largest city, is famous for the National Anthem of the United States of America, known as the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, which was written by Francis Scott Key as he was a prisoner of war as he watched the British Navy bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 only to see the flag still waving.  Baltimore is where the oldest Catholic Church in the nation, and it was here where the first railroad began operation in the Western Hemisphere.  In College Park, the home of the University of Maryland, is also the home of College Park Airport, the oldest continuous operating airport in the world.  You have Annapolis, the state capital, the home of the Naval Academy and the only capitol dome made with wood and has no marble or stone like most capitols.  The state of Maryland is loaded with historic sites, and it has small towns.  One of these small towns is the town of Berlin.  Located on the Delmarva Peninsula near the coastline, the town is considered as one of the best small towns in the nation.  The movie ‘Runaway Bride’ starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was filmed here, and Seabiscuit, a famous racehorse who won the Triple Crown (meaning that he won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year), was raised in a barn in the area.  (The barn is now on a golf course and houses a restaurant.)  One thing you will not see in this town is the Berlin Wall, but you will find the Calvin B. Taylor House.  What is the Calvin B. Taylor House?  Yes, it was the home of Calvin B. Taylor who was the second owner of the home.  After Calvin B. Taylor’s ownership, the house was divided into apartments.  It was saved from demolition, restored, and made into a museum which is seasonally open for tours.

Who is Calvin B. Taylor?  That is a good question.  Calvin B. Taylor made a big influence on the town of Berlin.  He was an educator and a lawyer, and he was the founder of the Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company in the town of Berlin.  Today, his home is a museum that tells the story of the town of Berlin.  If you want to learn more about an amazing small town, you must visit the Calvin B. Taylor Museum.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  Every time I think about Berlin, I think about Germany and the Berlin Wall.  I would not think about a small town in Maryland.  As for the Calvin B. Taylor House, well, it is nice to see that he was a great man who did great things for the town.  There is a very big problem.  Calvin B. Taylor is not a railroad man and has nothing to do with the railroad, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I will not be running away to the town of Berlin, Maryland to visit this house.”

Calvin B. Taylor was not a railroad man, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland?

What is now the Calvin B. Taylor House was built in 1832.  Before it was called the Calvin B. Taylor House, the home had former owners.  One of the former owners is a man named Robert J. Henry.  Who is Robert J. Henry?

When you visit the town of Berlin, Maryland, you see a charming small town with historic buildings.  Although a railroad line passes through the town, the town has never been a big railroad town nor does the town have a big history of the railroad.

So what is the big deal?

In the early days of railroading, the railroad served many cities and towns.  Robert J. Henry was the man who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the town of Berlin.  Being on a large peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, you wonder if anybody rode the train here.

Well, they did.  Where did they come from, and where did they go?

The town had a train station that was called Berlin Union Station.  Why the name Union Station?  It was located at a junction of another railroad line.  People came from Baltimore by way of a ferry that went across the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore Harbor and Love Point, a point on the east side of the bay near where the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Others came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and rode a train down the peninsula.  The Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Atlantic Coast Railroad and the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad had passenger service to the town.  Today, the train station is long gone, and there is no passenger railroad service on the Delmarva Peninsula. Only freight service by Norfolk Southern and smaller railroads today.  Today, you can ride a rail bike along the tracks through the town.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the man who brought the railroad to the town once owned the house, but that is not a reason to visit.”

Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House?  The home is left in the way it is as the second owner, Calvin B. Tayler, left it as he added additions to the home.  With a tour of the house, there is an exhibit gallery that displays artifacts and items from the town of Berlin.  There is a small exhibit on the old train station to include a sign from the station, the only surviving part of the station, and pictures of the train station.  There are also old train schedules on display.

You see.  You do have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House.  While you are here, you will find other reasons to walk around the town and maybe visit the Mermaid Museum and the Old Atlantic Hotel where many of the railroad passengers spent the night.

The Calvin B. Taylor House is located in the town of Berlin, Maryland at 208 N. Main Street (Maryland Route 818) just north of the town center and one mile south of U.S. Route 50.  It is open seasonally from April to October on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm.  Only street parking is available.  Due to the age of the home, it is not wheelchair accessible.  You can read more into the history of the house and checkout the events at https://www.taylorhousemuseum.org/.

Now you have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland.  It is a great place to runaway to.

The National Museum of Transportation, Saint Louis, Missouri

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The city of Saint Louis in the U.S. state of Missouri, a city located on the Mississippi River, is commonly known as the ‘Gateway to the West’.  The city’s most famous landmark, the Gateway Arch, is a monument to those who went west to seek opportunities.  It is here in this city that you will find the National Museum of Transportation.

What is the National Museum of Transportation?  Well, of course, it is a museum of transportation from automobiles to planes to boats, but the majority of what you will see here is trains.  As you enter the museum parking lot, you must cross a set of railroad tracks.  This is just the beginning.

You park your car and walk to the Visitor Center where a Wabash Railroad Caboose sits outside.  You enter the museum, and you see automobiles on display.  Yes, it is a transportation museum.  As you walk around, you see a model train display, and you see model trains encased in glass.

Be warned.  You have not seen anything yet.

Remember when you crossed the railroad tracks as you entered the parking lot?  Well, you can take a ride on the miniature train that circles that parking lot.  You see aircraft on display and a tanker truck.  As you take a ride, the narrator tells you of each locomotive, mining equipment, and rolling stock you pass by.

In case you are wondering, there is much more to see.

You walk through the Earl C. Lindberg Automotive Center seeing the old cars, and then you see an old train station.  On the outside, you see a model train display.  On the inside, you see models of locomotives and rolling stock to include a model of the ‘General’, a steam locomotive that was part of a chase in the U.S. state of Georgia during the American Civil War.

Now you think that you have seen a lot of trains so far.  At this point, you have not seen much.

Why should you visit the National Museum of Transportation?  Ladies and gentlemen, this museum boasts a large collection of railroad rolling stock.  No, it is not just from the railroads that are particulate to the Saint Louis region.  You have rolling stock from the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the Georgia Railroad, the Northern Pacific Railway, the Burlington Route, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway to include Locomotive Number 2156, a locomotive that was originally at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia, and the Santa Fe Railroad just to name a few.  The collection includes locomotives, boxcars, passenger cars, trolleys, and other rolling stock.

The National Museum of Transportation is located at 2933 Barrett Station Road in Saint Louis, Missouri.  It is open year round, but the miniature train only runs seasonally.  The entire museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information about admission, hours, and events at https://tnmot.org/.

The city of Saint Louis, Missouri is the Gateway to the West, and it is the home of a great museum known as the National Museum of Transportation.  Let us say that it is a gateway to transportation in the nation.

Maybrook Railroad Museum, Maybrook, New York

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New York is known as the Empire State.  Why?  Most people would think that it is because of the World Famous Empire State Building located in New York City, but the name was actually coined by George Washington, a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War because of the role the U.S. state played in the war to include the Battle of Saratoga which was the turning point of the War, and the name stuck as New York City remains the financial capital of the world, and, in the early years of the twentieth century, was called the Gateway to North America with the influx of immigrants entering the city.  Most people think about New York City as it is the most populated city in the United States of America and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, but there are other famous cities in the state like Rochester and Buffalo where, in the suburbs, you will find one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls.  The state has many great small villages.  One of this villages is Maybrook.  Located in the southeast region of the state about seventy miles north of New York City, the small village of Maybrook is a small, charming village that makes the state of New York special.

Some of you are saying, “I love New York.  There is so much great history and nature area in the state.  I enjoy the skyline of New York City with the high rise buildings to include the Empire State Building.  I love Niagara Falls.  There is so much in this state.  As for Maybrook, there is really nothing to see there.  Therefore, I will not be visiting this village of Maybrook.”

So, you do not see a reason to visit the small village of Maybrook.  What is special about this small village?

As you exit Interstate 84 and drive south on New York Route 208, you come upon a caboose from the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.  I know.  There are many lonely cabooses on display across the country, but this is not your average lonely caboose.  What makes the village of Maybrook so important?  It was here where the largest railroad yard in the state of New York where the town saw the largest number of trains, about fifty two trains a day, during the height of World War II which had to move quickly to supply the troops.  Sadly, the yard nor the Maybrook Railroad Line no longer exists.  The old railroad line crossed the Hudson River going towards Connecticut.  The bridge, called the Walkway over the Hudson, is now a pedestrian bridge where you can get exceptional view of the Hudson River.

Some of you are saying, “Well then.  If the railroad yard is no longer there, there is no reason to visit Maybrook.”

Ladies and gentlemen, there is more to the story.

Drive one mile south on New York Route 208 into the village of Maybrook, and you will see the Government Center.  Yes, it is where the government of the village of Maybrook meets, but there is also another important place here.  What is this important place?

Welcome to the Maybrook Railroad Museum.  When you arrive, you will not see a locomotive or a caboose or any kind of rolling stock.  Why visit the museum?  As a place where the largest railroad yard in eastern America was once located, the small museum tells the story of how this small village played a big role in the railroad history of the United States of America.  Although you cannot see the actual railroad yard itself, you can see pictures and artifacts and books of the railroad yard.  Yes, it is a small museum, but there is much railroad history inside, and for a little excitement, there is a model train that runs road above you.

The Maybrook Railroad Museum is owned by the Maybrook Railroad Historical Society, and it is operated by volunteers, and they are open to anyone who is willing to volunteer.  It is located inside the Maybrook Government Center located at 111 Schipps Lane just off of New York Route 208 and a short drive south of Interstate 84.  It is open seasonally from the first Sunday after Easter April to the Last Sunday in October from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.  Admission is free, but they gladly accept any donation to keep the museum open for many generations to come.  Parking is on site, and the museum is wheelchair accessible.  You can read more about the Village of Maybrook and it role in the region at https://www.villageofmaybrook.com/.

Maybrook, New York is a small village with a big railroad past.  The Maybrook Railroad Museum preserves and honors that past.  You love New York, and you will love the Maybrook Railroad Museum.

Manassas Museum, Manassas, Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Many people in the United States of America and around the world have heard of the town of Manassas in the U.S. state of Virginia.  The town is rich in history and is most famous for being a major player in the American Civil War.  The most famous thing about Manassas is that it is the only place where two major battles of the American Civil War took place.  The first battle, commonly called the First Battle of Manassas, is where a Confederate General named Thomas Jackson was issued the name ‘Stonewall’ after he continued to fight the Union Army as much of the Confederate Army was retreating, a stand that gave the Confederate Army a victory.  Although the American Civil War dominates the town’s history, that town is known for many things.  The best way to learn the story of Manassas, Virginia is to visit the Manassas Museum.  Located in the Old Town (the original part of the town), the Manassas Museum tells the story from the very beginning to the present day.  If you want to know everything about Manassas, Virginia, the Manassas Museum is a place that you must visit.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  I have been to many town museums, and they all talk about their town.  As for Manassas, the town is truly about the American Civil War and the two battles.  There is a problem.  Manassas is famous for the American Civil War and not railroads.  Therefore, I will not be battling my way to visit this museum.”

You are exactly right.  Manassas, Virginia is dominated by American Civil War history.  What is the point of visiting Manassas or the Manassas Museum.

Even though the history of Manassas, Virginia is dominated by the American Civil War and the only place were two major battles of the war took place, the history of Manassas does not start there.  How did the town start?  Well, it was originally called Manassas Junction.  How did the name Manassas Junction come about?  Even though the town is famous for the American Civil War, it began as a railroad town.  A display at the Manassas Museum tells the story of Manassas as a railroad town which features a step for passengers from the Southern Railway, a railroad that served Manassas.  There is also a conductors hat and a replica railroad lantern.

If that is not enough, the First Battle of Manassas was the first war in American history to use the railroad as General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson and his troops arrived by train at a location near the museum and marched up to the present day battlefield to fight the war.  The first railroad built specifically for military use ran from Manassas to a town called Centreville.  If that is not enough, all of the railroad tracks with the exception of the military railroad which was short lived still pass through Manassas today and is owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway today.  If that is not enough, the Manassas Railroad Festival takes place on the first Saturday in June every year.

As mentioned, the Manassas Museum tells the story of Manassas.  The railroad is a big part of the history of the town from the very beginning as a junction on the railroad to it days as a suburb of Washington D.C.  Manassas has a history that continues to this day.

The Manassas Museum is located at 9101 Prince William Street in Manassas, Virginia just blocks from Virginia Route 28 and across the street from the Manassas Train Station.  Parking is available at the museum.  It is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Saturday and 12:00pm to 5:00pm on Sunday.  Admission is free, and the museum is completely wheelchair accessible.

Come to the Manassas Museum.  See the story of Manassas from the beginning to the present day.  See how the railroad started a town that continues to transform the United States of America to this present day.

Hinton Railroad Museum, Hinton, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

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.

Erb’s Coleman Museum, Sugarcreek, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Ohio is a state with major cities and small towns.  Among those small towns is the town of Sugarcreek.  Located within the largest Amish region in the United States of America, it is famous for the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock and the Age of Steam Roundhouse, an active railroad roundhouse that is also a museum.  Just a short drive from the Age of Steam Roundhouse is Erb’s Coleman Museum.  What is Erb’s Coleman Museum?  It is a collection of Coleman products mainly lamps.  The Coleman Company is known for camping products including lamps, coolers, tents, and other things, but there is also a collection of lamps used in homes.  Once you complete you visit to the Age of Steam Roundhouse, make a short trip to Erb’s Coleman Museum.

Some of you are saying, “This is great.  I love Ohio, and I definitely love the Age of Steam Roundhouse.  As for Erb’s Coleman Museum, well, I am not really a camper or an outdoorsman.  Since it is not a railroad place like the Age of Steam Roundhouse, you will not find me camping out here.”

You are right.  It is not a railroad museum.  Why visit Erb’s Coleman Museum?

As you approach the museum, you will see a tent and maybe an Amish buggy.  It is Amish Country.  As you enter, you see a collection of lamps used for camping and for living and bed rooms.  When you go upstairs, you see coolers, old radios, gas stoves, railroad flatcars…

Some of you are saying,  “Railroad flatcars?”

You will see railroad flatcars across the tops of the exhibition cabinets.  Sadly, they are not on a track, but there are plenty to see.

Whether you are an outdoors person or not, Erb’s Coleman Museum is a great place to visit, and it is a great compliment to your visit to the Age of Steam Roundhouse.  It is located at 149 Seldenright Road SW south of the town of Sugarcreek.  Please note that that property is not wheelchair accessible and requires that you climb a flight of stairs to the second floor.  They also do not have a website, and only cash is accepted.  What you will see is over 3,000 items on display.

The Lincoln Depot, Springfield, Illinois

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Illinois is commonly known as the ‘Land of Lincoln’.  Even though Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States of America, was not born in the state, (born in Kentucky) he spent much of his public life here as a lawyer and a politician.  In Springfield, the state capital of Illinois, you can visit and tour his home that is owned and operated by the National Park Service.  It is also where he is buried along with his wife and son in a tomb in a cemetery on the northwestern area of the city.  He is one of the most honored politicians in U.S. history, but when it comes to the railroad, most people would associate him with the railroad more than any other president.  Without Air Force One, the railroad was the fastest mode of travel in his day.

This brings us to an old train station in the capital city that is known as the Lincoln Depot.  Originally called the Great Western Depot, it was originally built in 1852, and it was repaired in 1857 after a fire destroyed parts of the station.  It was here on February 11, 1861, where Abraham Lincoln made what would be his final speech in the capital city before he departed on a train for another capital city, Washington D.C., to begin his life as the President of the United States of America.

Around 1900, passenger and freight service ceased.  The depot when through many ownerships before it was bought by a local group in 1960 to preserve the depot, and it was eventually made into a museum.  There was another fire in 1968.  (Arson was suspected but not proven.)  The museum was closed in 1977, but it was reopened as a museum in 1980 when a new owner took over.  The museum was closed in 2011, and it was sold again to be a law office, but the lawyer was a descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s law partner.  In 2014, it was a museum again, and it remains a museum today.

Today, the Lincoln Depot in Springfield, Illinois in on the National Register of Historical Places.  The trains that pass by the station are freight trains from the Norfolk Southern Railway.  (Amtrak service is in the center of the city just blocks from the State Capitol.)  It is open Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.  Please note that only the first floor is open to the public, and admission is free.  It is also wheelchair accessible.  The museum does not have its own parking.  There is metered parking on the street or you can park at a parking garage.  You can get more information on the depot at https://www.lincolndepot.org/.  On the website, you read Abraham Lincoln’s farewell speech, read more into the history of the train depot including a timeline, and see photos of the depot.

When in Illinois, visit the capital city of Springfield.  Visit an old train depot where the journey of a man on his way to a house called the White House, began.

The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, Wheeling, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

There are so many things about the U.S. state of West Virginia.  It is a state that has so much natural beauty.  You have the New River Gorge.  You have Dolly Sods, the largest unspoiled natural area east of the Mississippi River.  You have the many mountains and valleys.  Are you thinking about the coal mining industry?  You can visit the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, a once active coal mine in Beckley that is now open for public tours.  What about railroads?  You have the Cass Scenic Railroad in the town of Cass that takes you to the top of the second highest point in the state.  Also in Cass, you can take a ride on the Durbin Rocket.  You have the city of Elkins that was once a major railroad city with only excursion trains today.  Elkins is also the home of the West Virginia Railroad Museum that tells the history of the railroad in the state.  There is so much to the state of West Virginia from small towns to natural beauty to railroads to its cities with the largest city being Charleston, the state capital.  A city that is very often overlooked is the city of Wheeling.  How is it overlooked as Interstate 70 and the National Road (U.S. Route 40) passes through this city which happens to be on the Ohio River and borders Ohio?  Once known as the ‘Gateway to the West’, it was once a big railroad town with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad having a presence here, but it has a great little treasure known as the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum.

What is the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum?

Some of you are saying, “Well, duh, it is a museum of toy and trains that happens to be on Kruger Street.”

You are exactly right.  It is on Kruger Street.  It is about toys and trains.  Well, it is about model trains of which there are plenty here.  Yes, there are plenty of museums about toys and about trains, but what makes this place different?

It all began with a father and son who collected toy trains.  The collection grew, and they decided to display their collection in a museum, but where?

As you arrive at the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, you notice that it looks like a school.  That is because it was a school.  It was bought through an auction, and the Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum was opened in September of 1998.

Before you enter the old school, you notice a yellow caboose.  Yes, there are cabooses everywhere, but this particular caboose is from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a memorial to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s influence to the city of Wheeling.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is just the beginning.

You enter the museum, the very first thing you see… is a model train, but there is much more.

The museum features rooms dedicated to different toys, and there are rooms dedicated to different model trains.  You have the O Gauge Room.  (O Gauge is a size of the model train.)

Then there is the Ohio Valley History Room which has a model train display of the Ohio River Valley of which Wheeling is a part of, and there is a display in honor of Chuck Yeager, a famous jet pilot from the state who is famous for breaking the sound barrier.

What is a train museum without the Historic Train Room?  The room has a collection of historic model trains from Lionel.

You have the HO Gauge Room.  Yes, it features a HO Gauge model train display, but it also displays locomotives in brass and model trains from all gauges.

Yes this is a museum about toys and trains.  For those who are a fan of Peanuts (the cartoon and not the food item), the museum features a collection of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and other Peanuts characters that was donated by a local doctor named William Mercer so that many would enjoy the collection for years to come.  Yes, it is about Peanuts, but there is also a model train display here as well.

The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum is a very special museum in a not-so-famous part of West Virginia.  A visit here is a visit you will cherish.  For those of the older generation, it will bring back memories of your childhood.  For the younger ones, they will see the toys that the children played with before them.

The Kruger Toy and Train Museum is located at 144 Kruger Street in Wheeling, West Virginia.  It is less that a miles from Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40, and West Virginia Route 88.  The museum is open year round, but hours do vary due to the time of the year.  Parking is on site.  Due to the age of the structure, the museum is not wheelchair accessible.  You can learn more about the museum and its exhibits, the history of the museum and the building, and get information on hours and admission at https://www.toyandtrain.com/.

They call it wild and wonderful West Virginia, but the state has much to offer.  The city of Wheeling has the Kruger Toy and Train Museum.  When you visit, you will have a wonderful time.