Phillipsburg Railroad Historians

Phillipsburg Railroad Historians Local history museum and operator of the historical Centerville & Southwestern miniature railroad. Located at 10 Pine Alley, Phillipsburg, NJ. All aboard!

PRRH is a nonprofit, all-volunteer group of rail-interested folks whose mission is to preserve the rich railroad history of the Phillipsburg area. We maintain a collection of full-sized railroad artifacts significant to Phillipsburg and the local railroad industry. Recently we were recognized for the full restoration of Lehigh & Hudson River Railroad caboose #18, a historic WWII-era railroad caboo

se. (https://www.wfmz.com/news/piece-of-restored-wwii-history-chugs-into-phillipsburg/article_8f3887cf-7ca7-51fb-b0b0-3a2071dfe3f9.html). Our current restoration project is Lehigh & Hudson River #105, a wood-bodied flanger car built in the 1870's, and originally from the New York, Ontario & Western Railway. We also operate the historic Centerville & Southwestern miniature railroad, a 1/6 scale railroad originally created on Becker's Farm in Roseland, NJ in 1938. The trains are equipped for automatic air brake operation and are conducted with full hand signals and rules designed after prototype railroad practice. Although short, the C&S is Phillipsburg's authentic "mainline in miniature," and it's a ton of fun! Please visit us at our free open houses offered 6-9 times a year, or consider joining our forces as a volunteer! You can learn how to restore rolling stock, conduct the C&S, and more. Whatever your age, skill level, or experience, we need you!

Due to the rainy weather, we will be closing down the open house early. Thank you to those who braved the weather to sto...
05/23/2026

Due to the rainy weather, we will be closing down the open house early.

Thank you to those who braved the weather to stop by. Our next open house will be our Ice Cream Train on June 19th.

Today is our first open house of the year!Don’t mind the rain today as we’ll still be open to provide fun and history to...
05/23/2026

Today is our first open house of the year!

Don’t mind the rain today as we’ll still be open to provide fun and history to all who come by. We will be open from 10am - 4pm as we’ll have the Centerville & Southwestern running, restored equipment on display, and the museum for folks to look through.

As a reminder for everyone who will be traveling to our museum from the west. The Main St bridge (Black Bridge) is still closed for repairs so you will be required to take a detour. This can be accomplished by turning onto Hudson Street before crossing the bridge, then following it to Chambers Street where you should make a right turn. Afterwards you should then travel down to and make a right onto Stockton Street. After you pass under the railroad, make a right turn onto Main Street and follow it down to our usual entrance across the way from Joe’s Steak Shop.

As always our events are free but donations are greatly appreciated!

Last Sunday us at the PRRH were the setting for little two year old Jasper Tavarez Simoes as he, his mom Vivianna, and h...
05/21/2026

Last Sunday us at the PRRH were the setting for little two year old Jasper Tavarez Simoes as he, his mom Vivianna, and his friends and family celebrated his birthday with a fantastic railroad themed party. This included special rides on the Centerville & Southwestern!

We are always grateful to host such special events like this whenever the chance arises. If you or someone you know may be interested in chartering you can contact us at the phone number: 610-826-2580

We would be delighted to have you and make your event memorable!

One more week until our first open house! Make sure to come on out between 10am-4pm for some good ole fashioned fun next...
05/16/2026

One more week until our first open house!

Make sure to come on out between 10am-4pm for some good ole fashioned fun next Saturday the 23rd. The Centerville & Southwestern will be running, we’ll have our restored equipment on display, and the museum will be open. Make sure to tell your friends!

As always our events are free, but donations are greatly appreciated

Sitting since 1992 and awaiting their new home….While the exterior of the new Becker Car House has been finished for abo...
05/07/2026

Sitting since 1992 and awaiting their new home….

While the exterior of the new Becker Car House has been finished for about a month now, we are still working hard on finishing up the inside. This includes setting up electric, a new shop for the C&S, and the laying of a new yard and the track inside the building.

As you visit and take a ride on the Centerville & Southwestern this year, keep an eye out for all the changes and progress we make!

Don’t forget folks, later this month is our first open house of the year! After a long, cold, and very snowy winter it’s...
05/02/2026

Don’t forget folks, later this month is our first open house of the year! After a long, cold, and very snowy winter it’s time to fire everything back up and stretch its legs. Make sure to come on out and see us!

04/19/2026

What’s it like having a museum next to an active freight mainline?

Well it looks quite like this! During all of our open house events, you can sit back and enjoy seeing heavy tonnage roll by on Norfolk Southern’s Lehigh Line. These lines built America and are still the lifeblood of the country over 150 years later.

Make sure to come on out to our events this year so that you can experience this for yourself!

What are the three most important components of railroad track?Drainage, Drainage, Drainage!Without proper drainage, wat...
04/13/2026

What are the three most important components of railroad track?

Drainage, Drainage, Drainage!

Without proper drainage, water can pour and puddle into any component of the track. At that point it doesn’t matter how perfect the track was beforehand, it will deform, resulting in multiple defects.

We found out recently that the rainwater off the new car shop wasn’t draining properly and was pooling around the C&S next to it. On Saturday we perform what is called a “Cross Track Dig” in order to place a new storm water pipe under the track from the car shop gutters. This should greatly increase drainage and prevent any washouts appearing in that area.

While we dug out the track, we also shifted it over away from the building a little to allow for more clearance between the C&S and the side of the building. Adding to the safety we strive for on the railroad.

Want to take part in these work sessions? Become a volunteer! You can do so by visiting our website at www.prrh.org

02/01/2026

The winter months are always tough to do work in, especially with around a foot of snow on the ground. That’s one of the many reasons why our Facebook account has declined in the amount of posts. But not to worry, we’re still trying to do all we can during these frigid times.

So let’s go back to when we only had a slight dusting of snow on the ground (in the shadows) as the C&S pulls into the station after another run.

Address

10 Pine Alley
Phillipsburg, NJ
08865

Telephone

+19088591146

Website

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