The James H. Andrew Railroad Museum and History Center gives a Boone railway visit a dimension that cannot be obtained from a train window alone. Associated with the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, it preserves the objects, records and memories behind Iowa’s railway development. The emphasis reaches from the state’s earliest railway construction in the 1850s to more recent operations. It is a place to discover how train travel was organized, marketed and maintained, as well as how railway companies shaped the communities along their routes.
The museum’s namesake brought an unusual personal history to collecting. James H. Andrew was born in Greene County in 1921 and combined farming with a long military career. His service included work as a quartermaster and troop-train commander during the Second World War. Managing military railway shipments helped develop his interest in trains. After retiring from farming, he assembled railway memorabilia that became an important foundation for the museum, connecting a personal enthusiasm with a much larger public resource.
The approximately nine-thousand-square-foot museum includes historical displays, a theater and a research library. Lanterns and track equipment introduce railway work at ground level, while dining china and timetables suggest the passenger’s experience. These objects repay close attention. A timetable represents a coordinated system of routes and connections; a lantern belongs to a working language of signals; railway-branded tableware shows how companies carried their identity into the dining car.
The collection policy gives the institution a clear geographical focus. Iowa railway operations, stories and people come first, with material from out-of-state railroads included where those companies also operated in Iowa. Documents and artifacts are preserved together rather than treated as separate kinds of history. The library offers a route into deeper research, but anyone hoping to consult particular material should arrange that in advance.
Combine the indoor museum with a scheduled Boone & Scenic Valley journey if both are available. Looking through the exhibits first can turn the ride into a more informed experience: watch for the infrastructure and working practices that the smaller objects explain.
Visitor information
Researched November 2026.
Sources
More railroad museums in Iowa
- American Passenger Train History Museum — Charles City: Passenger-train museum and restoration collection
- Hub City Heritage Railway Museum — Oelwein: Railroad museum and equipment collection
- Illinois Central Railroad Depot Museum — Independence: Depot and railroad history museum
- RailsWest Railroad Museum — Council Bluffs: Depot museum and rolling-stock collection
- Sioux City Railroad Museum — Sioux City: Railroad museum and historic shop complex
- Union Pacific Railroad Museum — Council Bluffs: Railroad history and archival museum
- All 7 railroad museums and sites in Iowa
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — museums, stations and landmarks
- Midwest — the trains you can ride in the region