Museum Summer Tours Announced
This summer, beginning Memorial Day and running through Labor Day, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s visitor services department will be offering our guests more ways to enjoy and to experience the Museum. In addition to our regular interpretation of the Museum’s rolling stock, our visitor services staff will begin to expand our programming with a consistent schedule, allowing our guests to plan their visits around them. Our expanded programming will include a daily 15-minute orientation tour during the week, a restoration shop tour offered Thursdays and Sundays, an escorted tour of the outdoor yard, subject to staff and volunteer availability, and a new weekly program called Trackside Chats: A Lecture Series.
Orientation Tour. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Free with Museum admission. Departs from the Museum lobby. The Orientation Tour is a 15-minute guided tour over the Museum’s observation bridge, where a trained guide will talk about the history of the Museum, the Museum’s collection, what equipment may be available to step inside of, and to answer any questions regarding the Museum or its collection. The tour is subject to staff and volunteer availability on Saturdays and will not be available on Sundays. Depending on visitation volume and interest in the tour, group sizes may be limited.
Restoration Shop Tour. Thursday at 12:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. $10.00 per person in addition to Museum admission. Departs from the Museum lobby. The Restoration Shop Tour is a 60-minute guided tour of the Museum’s Restoration Shop, with a peek into the outdoor yard, subject to weather. This tour, led by a trained guide, will take visitors through the restoration shop, discuss the process of restoration, what it takes to successfully restore historical equipment, the plans for future restoration and previously completed restoration projects. Visitors will get an up-close view of the current project(s) being worked on in this behind-the-scenes tour. This tour is restricted to visitors ages 12 and over and group sizes are limited.
Outdoor Yard Tour. Daily: subject to staff and volunteer availability and weather. Free with admission. Departs from the Museum lobby. Due to the active construction going on in building the Museum’s new roundhouse, access to the outdoor yard is currently restricted. In order to provide access to the yard for visitors, staff and volunteers have been trained to provide escorted tours within the accessible area of the yard. These tours vary in length, typically between 15 and 20 minutes. Tours are subject to the availability of both staff and volunteers, as well as the conditions of the yard and the weather. It is recommended to call in advance to inquire about tour times and availability.
Trackside Chats: A Lecture Series. Friday at 1:30 p.m. Free with admission. Rotating departures/locations. Trackside Chats is a new addition to the visitor services programing. A member of the visitor services department will host a 15 to 20-minute presentation on a locomotive or railroad car of their choosing. This presentation will discuss the equipment’s history, how it helped in transforming Pennsylvania and America in terms of connecting people, moving goods, or innovation, while discussing any cultural relevance today, and unique insights or stories connected to the piece. Please ask a staff member where the location of the presentation will be, as presentations will be rotated each week.
The visitor services department is excited to be offering more consistent programs throughout the summer of 2026, as well as introducing a new program for our guests of all ages to experience and enjoy.
