Frequently Asked Questions

Many of the Museum’s nearly 100 locomotives and railroad cars are housed inside a vast, 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall, with additional equipment stored outside in our Train Yard.

Typically, visitors can get up close to observe closed pieces from ground level. Several key pieces of our collection are accessible to the public on a regular basis, including a steam locomotive cab, a caboose, and a passenger car. Occasionally, with the help of our volunteers and staff, we open up additional pieces of equipment. And, in many cases, if we cannot allow visitors to actually walk through these pieces, stairways and special platforms allow visitors to get a close-up glimpse at the interiors through the windows of the equipment.

Yes, the Museum’s main indoor public spaces are climate-controlled and provide comfortable temperatures year-round.

Bring your camera! With the exception of our art gallery on the Second Floor, photography for personal use is welcomed, both indoors and out. Commercial photography or other unusual requests are subject to restriction. Please call us in advance if you have any questions.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania will hold any item in their Lost and Found collection for a minimum of 60 days, while items such as electronics, cell phones, jewelry, and other significant items of monetary value are kept for 1 year.  After that time, the item will be donated to a local charity organization.  The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged personal items.

Service animals, including service animals in training, are permitted inside the museum in accordance with federal and state policies.  However, the entry of emotional support animals is at the discretion of the staff.

In general, we try to keep the Train Yard open as often as possible. On a typical day, the Train Yard closes at 3:30 p.m. Ongoing restoration work on the equipment, safety concerns for our visitors, and weather are all factors in determining whether or not to keep the Yard open. Feel free to call in advance to inquire about the status of the Yard.

We have many exhibits that are both hands-on and interactive, and they are specifically designed for kids of all ages. (Yes, adults are welcome to experience these exhibits, as well!) Many of our interactive exhibits are housed in Stewart Junction, located on the west end of Platform One. However, we have interactive exhibits in other locations in the Museum, as well. There is a place where you can pretend to shovel coal into a mock locomotive firebox. There is an exhibit where you can pretend to sort mail, as in a Railway Post Office car. There’s a link-and-pin coupler you may try, and flip panels where you can explore life in a typical “railroad town” in Pennsylvania, circa 1915. We also have several model railroad displays in several locations in the Museum, including one in the main lobby and others in Stewart Junction.

An average visit is 90 minutes to two hours. Certainly, some of our guests spend longer, depending upon levels of interest.

Tickets are generally good for the entire day of purchase, during regular business hours. We’re happy to have you back if you leave to ride the train on the Strasburg Rail Road, or for any other reason. Please retain your receipt and show it to the person at the front desk when you return. Keep in mind, that we close at 4:00 p.m. daily.

Although food and beverages are not permitted in the main exhibit areas of the Museum, we do have a designated food-vending area, with snack and beverage machines, located on Platform 5 West, next to the entrance to the Train Yard. Credit/debit cards and cash/coins are accepted. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

The Strasburg Rail Road, located directly across the street from the Museum, is privately operated. For information, call the Strasburg Rail Road at 1-866-725-9666, or see their website at www.strasburgrailroad.com.

While many of the exhibits in the Museum can be experienced without a guided tour, we do make every effort to open additional locomotives and rail cars and offer tours and programs, whenever possible. A special behind-the-scenes tour of our Restoration Shop, normally off-limits to the public due to safety constraints, is also offered for an additional fee at 12:00 p.m. on most days, conditions, and staff availability permitting. Additional behind-the-scenes tours are being planned. You can always inquire about availability at the front desk, or call ahead to confirm our daily schedule before you arrive.