Our Vision - The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum

The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum’s theme is “The Reading Railroad Shaped Communities”. The theme guides the development of the Museum as it follows its mission to interpret the significance of the Reading Railroad to the public.

Our Progress to Date

The Museum opened in 2008. Both permanent and changing indoor exhibits showcase the importance of the Reading Railroad to Southeast Pennsylvania and the nation. The exhibits use items from the Museum’s large collection of artifacts. Knowledgeable docents lead outdoor tours among over 70 pieces of historic diesel locomotives, freight and passenger equipment now part of the Museum collection. The Munchkin Railway, a hand-powered miniature railroad, is a favorite of younger visitors. The extensive archive of Reading Railroad drawings, photographs and documents is available for researchers. Publications, books, clothing, souvenirs, toys and more are available in the Museum Store. The Museum also hosts several special events each year.

Current Project

The Railcar Protection building has been contructed. The building is 70 x 150. Our current project is to lay 4 tracks approaching and into the building. After the track is built, the rolling stock will be repositioned to interpret the collection more completely for visitors.

Future Site Development

While we hope that the Museum will never truly be "finished," the current plan calls for improved indoor and outdoor storage of rolling stock, working facilities for our volunteer restoration crew, enlarged storage areas for artifact and archive collections, flexible exhibit space for Museum exhibits, and areas for public events such as receptions and conferences. The plan is shown below.
 

The final site plan for the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum