Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum

11/22/2022

Still looking for that perfect gift for the model railroader? Stop by this Saturday at the Ag Center for the Fall Model Train Sale to finish your shopping list!

09/11/2022

The Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum is happy to announce upcoming Open Houses next Saturday, September 17, and on October 1! Please see our events list for more details!

03/26/2022

The spring model train show is planned for May 7, 2022 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please visit the events page for details. Please note COVID policy that masks are recommended indoors for anyone both vaccinated and unvaccinated. We are still watching current conditions so please check often in case there are changes in the schedule.

01/23/2022

The winter model train show is planned for February 12, 2022 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please visit the events page for details. Please note COVID policy that masks are recommended indoors for anyone both vaccinated and unvaccinated. We are still watching current conditions so please check often in case there are changes in the schedule.

12/23/2021

January Open Houses Canceled

Because of the increase in COVID cases in the county, and the concern for the safety of our members and patrons, the Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum has decided to cancel the winter open houses for January. We apologize for the inconvenience.

11/21/2021

10/16/2021

We are pleased to announce that the fall model train show is planned for November 27, 2021. Please visit the events page for details. Please note COVID policy that masks are required indoors. We are still watching current conditions so please check often in case there are changes in the schedule.

10/16/2021

Hello! Please be advised that the December 19 open house has been canceled. The event page has been updated. The open houses are still planned to begin in January however, please check often in case there are changes to the schedule.

09/28/2020

November Model Train Sale Canceled.
Because of the continued safety concerns with COVID-19 the HMRRM has decided to cancel the Model Train Sale which was scheduled for November 28. This is in accordance with state and local guidelines. We apologize for any inconvenience and we will advise for the next event which is scheduled for February 2021.

07/03/2020

September Model Train Sale Canceled.
Because of the continued safety concerns with COVID-19 the HMRRM has decided to cancel the Model Train Sale which was scheduled for September 12. This is in accordance with state and local guidelines. We apologize for any inconvenience and we will advise for the next event for November.

03/17/2020

*****Antietam Station Closed*******

After review of the current recommendations from the governor and the state, as well as the continued rise in Corona virus cases in the area, the Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum at Antietam Station will continue to be closed to the public until further notice. All events and programs will be postponed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience and we hope everyone stays healthy and safe.

02/14/2020

Wow! That's a lot of candy!

01/30/2020

A must see!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday is your last chance to enjoy Christmas at the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum until next November. Enjoy the Trains of Christmas, the Polar Express, the Midwood Junction Display, O and HO scale trails, trains for kids and more! 12-4pm.

01/30/2020

More local history!

01/06/2020

We also want to send a very belated THANK YOU to our vendors and patrons who helped make our Summer and Fall Model Train Sales last September and November successful events. As always, we are extremely appreciative for the support!!!

01/06/2020

If you do not receive a printed copy of the Herald-Mail newspaper, please check out their website to read a wonderful story about our open house event by Dave McMillion. We very much appreciate the Herald-Mail coming out to cover our events and help us get the word out about our efforts. THANK YOU!!! here is the link:
https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/brightside/railroading-stays-alive-at-old-station-near-sharpsburg/article_6848a9d1-4e9f-5bc4-8c04-18e1b46197aa.html

01/01/2020

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! In 1946, the Central of Georgia Magazine featured Chester D. Warner, Jr., as Baby New Year. He was “truly a Central of Georgia baby.” His grandfather, Edward W. Warner, worked as a foreman in the Stores Department in Savannah. Other family members worked for the railroad, among them his great-aunt Lillian Winkers, a chief pass clerk in Savannah; his great-uncle Alex R. Winkers, a roundhouse clerk at the Macon Shops; his aunt Elizabeth Warner, a clerk in the Car Accounting Office in Savannah; and his cousin Joan Winkers, an employee in the General Claim Office.

The Central of Georgia—a Norfolk Southern predecessor—entered the New Year of 1946 with confidence. The company’s optimistic outlook was based on “experience and past performance.” Nearly one-sixth of Central of Georgia employees (approximately 1,100 men and women) enrolled in the armed forces during World War II. These experienced personnel returned to a postwar railroad with modernized equipment and expanded facilities. This combination of manpower and machine power gave the Central the essentials necessary to provide efficient, dependable service to its customers.

Then and now, is an important part of the Norfolk Southern story.

12/18/2019

Don't miss this!

Experience the magic of the holiday season with Christmas at the Roundhouse, featuring the Trains of Christmas. The Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum features O and HO scale layouts, the Polar Express, railroad artifacts, a gift shop and trains for kids!

12/12/2019

If you get a chance, check this out!

11/26/2019

OOH! Something to look forward too! Must check this out!

Working on setting up here for a display in the month of December.

11/15/2019

OOOH! Look at this! Some local connection!

On November 14, 1955, the Norfolk & Western Railway inaugurated piggyback service between Bristol and the northeast. That afternoon, 16 motor truck trailers on eight flat cars moved out of Bristol on N&W Train No. 88. “The first piggy-backers,” the Bristol Herald Courier reported, “are ready to roll.” The train picked up six more trailers in Roanoke, then headed north to Hagerstown, Maryland.

The Norfolk & Western worked in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Railroad on the first joint line piggyback service offered to motor common carriers in the South. This early intermodal service—called TrucTrain—was a progressive step to improve efficiency and diversify traffic.

The average time for loading and tying down a trailer was less than six minutes. Equipment used in securing the cargo (shown in today’s photograph) travelled with each 75-foot flat car. The side curbs were used both as guides to loaders and as tie-down anchors.

In 1960, N&W launched piggyback service from Norfolk to the Midwest. The first trailer contained canned Dole pineapple.

has long been an important part of the railroad. Behind every Norfolk Southern train is an extensive network of track and terminals, a fleet of sophisticated locomotives and freight cars, and a team of dedicated employees who work around the clock to provide safe and reliable rail .

10/13/2019

Hey history buffs! Coming this Thursday evening, Oct. 17, at 7:00 pm, our historian will be at the Sharpsburg Library to present a talk and photos about railroad history in the area. See below for more information and check out their website here: https://wcfl.librarymarket.com/node/3056

Presented by local railroad historian, Rick Morrison. Rick will share approximately 50 images of the station, railroad and construction of the 34 underpass. He will also discuss how the railroad came so close to Sharpsburg and what was shipped to and from the station.

10/13/2019

check this out!!

09/02/2019

Mark your calendars! The Model Train Sale is this Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Ag Center. Hope to see you there!

08/01/2019

History!

It’s Throwback Thursday!

It was a busy day in Atkins—a town about 50 miles east of Bristol, in southwest Virginia—when this photograph was taken in 1894.

Bill Blackard, the conductor of engine 81, was a blurry image near the center of the scene. Mr. Thomas, who stood nearby with a pile of newspapers under his arm, was a news butcher—a vendor who sold newspapers and candy on a train. Hoover Dreasy was the locomotive’s fireman.

Commerce and industry expanded in southwest Virginia after the opening of the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad in 1849. Railroads rushed to carry resources from the western frontier to the east coast, where shipping points and manufacturing centers were located. Smyth County’s industries included salt works, iron works, and gristmills. Residents in Atkins processed lumber and manufactured furniture, while local farmers grew crops including rutabagas and cabbages. By 1881, Norfolk & Western owned the line, and the era of freight transportation was underway.

Then and now, railroads provide economic opportunities, stimulate the development of communities, and tie the country together. Norfolk Southern trains transport the nation’s goods to businesses and communities across our 19,500-mile rail network, passing through small towns, big cities, and everywhere in between.

07/06/2019

This is a neat story!

06/20/2019

It’s Throwback Thursday! A yard crew in Bluefield, West Virginia, stopped in 1906 to pose for a photograph with Norfolk & Western locomotive #806. Pictured (from left) are yard conductor William Doak; yard engineer Eggleston Price; yard fireman William Neal; and yard brakemen John R. Price, John H. Bowling, and William J. Schoonover.

At 2,750 feet above sea level, Bluefield was the highest point on the N&W main line. The Norfolk and Western Magazine described the natural gravity yard as “modern and complete in every detail . . . one of the most up-to-date freight handling plants in the United States.”

Then and now, is an important part of the Norfolk Southern story. NS has served the freight transportation needs of America for nearly two centuries—creating jobs, supporting economies, and transporting goods on safe, environmentally friendly rail.

To learn more about what Norfolk Southern moves by rail in the Mountain State, visit

http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/about-ns/ns-state-facts/west-virginia-statefacts.html

Norfolk & Western Historical Society

06/20/2019

This is a must see! Visited this little gem a few weeks ago and learned a lot about the trolley and local history. Make it a destination this weekend!

05/29/2019

That's a big locomotive!

On May 28, 1946, Robert H. Smith became Norfolk & Western’s seventh president.

Smith and his management team supported an experimental new type of coal-burning, steam turbine, electric drive locomotive. The N&W received a prototype turbine engine from the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation in 1954.

The engine—numbered 2300—was 106 feet long (plus a 55-foot water tender), carried 20 tons of coal in a large bunker at the front, used a reaction turbine to drive DC generators, and weighed 1 million pounds with tender. Today’s photograph shows the turbine engine next to a J class locomotive.

Steam turbines like N&W’s No. 2300 could pull heavy trains economically, but they were also expensive to purchase and maintain. Despite Smith’s support for steam and interest in experimentation, N&W began ordering diesels in 1955 and retired No. 2300 in 1957.
Norfolk & Western Historical Society

05/27/2019

American railroads have supported U.S. combat efforts since the Civil War, moving huge numbers of troops and supplies while also creating new railcars.

05/26/2019

05/23/2019

05/05/2019

Awesome!

04/24/2019

Nice!

04/16/2019

Check this out!

04/16/2019

Whoa!

04/06/2019

Looking good!

Getting set up for this train show this weekend

04/05/2019

A little local history.

It’s Throwback Thursday! Boyce, Virginia, was founded in 1880 at the intersection of the Millwood-Winchester Turnpike and the newly-built Shenandoah Valley Railroad. The town became a major commercial center and shipping point for local farmers in Clarke County.

The Norfolk & Western acquired the Shenandoah Valley Railroad in 1890 and replaced the town’s depot in 1913 with “a handsome railroad station” — seen here in the 1920s — that had running water, a Western Union telegraph office, and a Railway Express Agency.

Then and now, railroads provide economic opportunities, stimulate the development of communities, and tie the country together. Norfolk Southern has served the freight transportation needs of America for nearly two centuries, connecting businesses and communities to the marketplaces of the world — creating jobs, supporting economies, and transporting goods on safe, environmentally friendly rail.