The Whippany Museum is located in Morris County, New Jersey. If you’re into trains, there’s a railway museum nearby. There’s even a train excursion that takes you there! Here are some things you’ll want to know about this museum and its exhibits. In case you’re planning a trip to Morris County, the Whippany Railway Museum may be worth the visit. It’s located in the Whippany section of Hanover Township.
Anthracite coal advertising signs
The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride in the town of Hanover, Morris County, New Jersey. It features an extensive collection of locomotives and advertising signs, including those for anthracite coal. The museum is also a popular destination for people who enjoy trains. A visit to the Whippany Railway Museum is an excellent family outing. During the summer, you can take an excursion train ride to the museum.
The museum recently acquired a replica of anthracite coal advertising signs donated by the Old Company of Lehigh. The museum added the sign to the retail coal office exhibit. The museum’s staff was able to photograph the sign to help visitors understand what it meant to the workers at the coal company. The museum is located at 1 Railroad Plaza in Whippany, near Route 10. The museum houses the largest collection of historic railroad equipment in NJ, including locomotives and trucks. It also displays anthracite coal memorabilia and a collection of old farm tractors.
1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway Class H4 2-8-0 No. 385
A historic steam locomotive has been repainted into its Morris County Central scheme fifty years after it was built. This 1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway Class H4 2-8-0 No. 385 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It rolled out in November 1907. It was 82.4 tons and featured 57-inch driving wheels and 21-inch cylinders. The tender was large enough to haul 12 1/2 tons of coal or 6,500 gallons of water.
The Society for Preservation of Unretired Railfans purchased the locomotive in 1967 and transported it to Decatur, Illinois. The steam cranes from the Southern Railway unloaded the locomotive from the flat car and trucked it to Decatur Yards. From there, the locomotive was stored in the Decatur Yards. The SPUR purchased grounds from the Illinois Terminal Railroad near Monticello, Illinois for a museum and later changed the organization’s name to the Monticello and Sangamon Valley Railway Historical Society.
1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway caboose
The Whippany Train Museum in Whippany, NJ is an excellent place for a family day out. The museum is located at 1 Railroad Plaza, near Routes 24, 80, 287 and 280. There is a gift shop and snack depot on site. A picnic area is also available. This attraction is free to the public. There are also restroom facilities. The museum offers train rides, too.
The museum also has a 5,000-year-old locomotive that was once used to speed trains. The locomotive was originally a Baldwin 4-2-2 “bicycle” design. Electric railroading was a relatively new concept in the United States, but Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric locomotive, demonstrated the new technology in his Menlo Park laboratory. By the end of the century, the electric locomotive was the most popular form of transportation in the U.S., and the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad was able to use it to haul a passenger car at up to 40 mph.
1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway dining car
The Morris County Central’s 0-6-0 No. 4039 was repainted to its Morris County Central scheme 50 years ago at the Whippany Railway Museum. This car was the only surviving passenger coach on the Morris County Central. It was built in 1907 by Baldwin and was donated to the museum by the Newfoundland Station property owners. It was trucked to Whippany on Aug. 30, 2021. During the visit, the coaches were coupled for the first time since October 1978 when the Morris County Central went out of business.
The exhibitions were well organized and included information on equipment for trains and lighting, the menus for the dining car, and the manners of luxury rail travel. These exhibits give visitors a sense of the history and progression of rail travel, as well as the evolution of railcars, communication methods, and uniforms. The museum also houses a collection of 1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway dining cars.
