West Virginia Railroad Museum

The purpose of the West Virginia Railroad Museum, Inc. is to be a cultural resource dedicated to educating visitors and the community about West Virginia’s railroad history.

This mission will be accomplished through the collection, preservation and interpretation of significant locomotives, rolling stock, artifacts, photographs and memorabilia directly related to railroads and railroading in West Virginia. In addition to static exhibits, select pieces of equipment in the collection are restored and operated throughout the year to demonstrate steam, gasoline, and diesel technology and provide visitors with a first-hand experience of our railroad history through the sights, sounds, and sensations of a train ride. The exhibit this season is called ‘20 – ‘20 Visions: 100 Years of West Virginia Railroading, and it is an ambitious, insightful, and expansive comparison of West Virginia’s railroad industry in the 1920s, and now, in the 2020s. Our exhibit features the professional railroad photography of Dr. Frederick J. Ripley as he explores the features of the railroad in West Virginia and surrounding areas, and his colorful modern images contrast our historic images and artifacts.