St. Paul Virginia Railroad Museum

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Saint Paul, VA
St. Paul Virginia Railroad Museum

Dedicated to the preservation of the history and culture of the Town of St. Paul, Virginia. Paul's popular Clinch River Days Festival. Paul.

The Railroad Museum is the oldest surviving structure in the commercial district of the Town of St. Built around 1890 by the Norfolk & Western Railway, the two-story house originally served as a site office during construction of the Clinch Valley Division of N & W. Later, the building was used as a residence by local N & W employees and their families. Following its restoration, the building is n

ow the scene of various community activities, including the reception and musicale which are the opening events of St. The museum also serves as a meeting place for community organizations and features art and artifacts relative to Southwest Virginia and the Town of St. The Railroad Museum is operated for the Town of St. Paul by community volunteer and local history enthusiast, Jerry Couch. It is open most Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon - or whenever you see Jerry's yellow truck parked out front. For best results, please plan your visit in advance by calling 276-762-5297 for an appointment, or you can contact Jerry directly by leaving a message on this page.

*******ADMISSION IS FREE********

This is a "child friendly" museum so please bring the young folks! We look forward to meeting you.

05/05/2026

MY ANNUAL SPRING CLEANING of the St. Paul, Virginia Railroad Museum is now complete. Due to an issue with the building's water supply, I'm opening the museum a little later than in previous years. The Town of St. Paul's maintenance crew have now completed their repairs, so I'll be at the museum this coming Sunday (May 10, 2026). I'll be bringing my computer along, which means you can see old photos from the Clinch Valley Times archives and the St. Paul Heritage Collection. Weather permitting, we can also sit on the museum's front porch and talk about "the good old days."

03/06/2026

Are you a model railroad enthusiast? If so, you'll enjoy this upcoming event :-) Click this link for complete details: https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2026/03/06/train-show-in-clifton-forge-va-march-21-22-2026/ It's educational, so bring you children.

The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society (C&OHS) announces its annual George Washington Train Show, a two-day fundraising event taking place March 21–22, 2026, in Clifton Forge, Virginia. T…

01/20/2026

IN THE 1930's, rail passenger service was still the preferred means of long-distance transportation for many Southwest Virginians. Old schedules of that time period list the many stops along routes, which would be time consuming. Definitely not in step with present-day expectations. Even so, trains were comfortable, reliable, and they usually got you to your destination on time.

This clipping from the April 20, 1934 edition of The Lebanon News describes how N & W was keeping pace with customers' expectations.

01/14/2026

TRAIN SCHEDULES WERE TIGHT back in the 1930's and accidents like this one did happen - with deadly consequences.

11/22/2025

SANTA TRAIN DAY is always a great day in St. Paul, Virginia. Click the link below to read about it.
https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/11/22/the-2025-csx-santa-train-in-st-paul-virginia/

If you were among the huge crowd that was present, you may see yourself in one of the photos below. And our out-of-area friends who couldn't be here can enjoy the event vicariously.

THANK YOU to the CSX employees and the volunteers who have kept this holiday tradition alive. Memories were made today.

Hundreds Turn Out For The Event Though the day began with rain and cloudy skies, by the time the CSX Santa Train rounded the curve above St. Paul, there was blue sky overhead and sunshine. Temperat…

11/11/2025

CLICK THIS LINK to read an article about bridges that spanned the Clinch River in St. Paul, Virginia: https://clinchvalleytimes.net/2025/11/11/a-pictorial-history-of-clinch-river-bridges-in-st-paul-virginia/

NOTE: Railroad trestles are not included in the article.

10/31/2025

TODAY'S PHOTO from the Clinch Valley Times' archives recalls a piece of history that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. In honor of the Santa Train's 50th anniversary back in 1992, that year's Santa Train was led by a very special locomotive. It was the Union Pacific #3985 4-6-6-4 CHALLENGER.

In the photo, the Challenger can be seen slowly rounding the curve just above the site of the long-gone St. Paul Virginia Union Depot. This magnificent locomotive had been temporarily re-numbered as Clinchfield #676 for the occasion.

Challengers were built to pull long, heavy freight trains. Extremely powerful, their dual sets of 6 driving wheels did so with ease.

At one time, the Clinchfield railway (that's how most of us still refer to it) owned 18 Challengers. They were purchased between 1942 and 1947. However, diesel motive power was coming of age, and by 1954, all the Clinchfield Challengers had been retired. Of all the Challengers that were built, only two have survived - Union Pacific #3985 and Union Pacific #3977.

There is something inherently special about a steam locomotive that's hard to define. They're almost a living thing. You'd have to see one in action to understand

10/20/2025

09/14/2025

FOR FANS OF THE N & W RAILWAY - Click this link to explore an overview of its timeline.

The Norfolk & Western was a highly profitable eastern coal-hauler that connected Norfolk with Cincinnati. It disappeared into Norfolk Southern in 1982.

09/10/2025

Would you be able to say this at the end of the day?

Address

16646 Russell Street
Saint Paul, VA
24283

Website

https://sphistory.wordpress.com/

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