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National New York Central Railroad Museum

Located at 721 S Main St, Elkhart, IN 46516. In the heart of downtown the National New York Central Railroad Museum is a museum dedicated to the preservation of the history and heritage of the New York Central Railroad. It offers free tours and hosts approximately 3,000 students each year. The Museum’s exhibits include locomotives, railroad art, Amtrak, and railroad history. Visitors can learn about the local rail roots that led to the New York Central Railroad, as well as learn about the role of the railroad in the United States and the world. The Museum also provides field trip assistance to school groups and offers interactive exhibits.

…more museums… The museum has a large collection of vintage rolling stock including locomotives, boxcars, and railroad post office vehicles. A 150 ton crane is also on display. Visitors can also find a video-room with historic footage of railroad work, as well as a playroom with train-themed toys. The Museum is open year-round.

The current Amtrak station was built in 1900 by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, which later became part of the New York Central System. The station is located across the tracks from the museum. It was originally built to buffer downtown streets from train noise. The station was also the location of the famous pram scene from the movie The Untouchables.

The museum also has a rolling stock collection, including steam locomotives, diesel-electric locomotives, railroad post office vehicles, and boxcars. Visitors can view these trains, which include the New York Central E8 diesel-electric locomotive, which was acquired by the Museum in 1987. The locomotive was originally painted in the Lightning Stripe livery.

In the 1950s, the New York Central built a hump yard in Elkhart. The yard sorts freight cars by destination. The Elkhart Classification Yard is now operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. The yard also houses the New York Central E8 diesel-electric passenger locomotives. The locomotives are painted in the Lightning Stripe livery. (family services for parents and kids Michiana)

Visitors can also see the NYC Caboose Museum, which is open year-round. The museum has a video-room, as well as a gift shop. Visitors can also view the collection of historic rolling stock, which includes a Penn Central (PC) 4882 locomotive. This locomotive was built by Altoona Works in 1939. It was also painted in PC livery.

Another locomotive on display is the L-3a class Mohawk 3001, which was delivered to New York Central in Elkhart in October 1940. It was the only L-3a class Mohawk to survive the railroad. It was displayed in Dallas city park in 1957, before being acquired by the Lakeshore Historical Foundation in 1984. The locomotive was a dual-service 4-8-2, which was used on mountain grades and in the Water Level Route.

The Museum also has a model locomotive made of toothpicks. Visitors can view an interactive railroad art exhibit, as well as learn about the history of the New York Central Railroad. The Museum also offers free tours and field trip assistance.

The Museum’s rolling stock collection also includes a 150 ton crane, which is the largest piece of equipment on display in the museum. Visitors can also check out the museum’s collection of vintage rolling stock, including locomotives, boxcars, and locomotive repair shops.