Pennsylvania’s railroad museums follow several different railroads, and no two tell quite the same story. The Pennsylvania Railroad is the thread through Altoona, where Horseshoe Curve and the Railroaders Memorial Museum sit near the Gallitzin tunnels, and through Harrisburg’s Harris Tower and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania at Strasburg. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western left its roundhouse at Scranton, now Steamtown National Historic Site, and the Reading Company is remembered at Hamburg. Earlier than any of them, the Allegheny Portage Railroad carried passengers and goods over the mountain section of the Main Line Canal from 1834.
Smaller collections reward a closer look: a signal tower in Harrisburg, a New York Central depot in North East, a narrow-gauge coal railroad’s company town at Robertsdale, and Baldwin No. 60000 inside Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute. Each listing below links to a full guide with the history, what to look for and how to reach the operator, and the railroads you can actually ride in Pennsylvania are listed at the end of the page.
Railroad museums & collections — 6
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania preserves more than one hundred historic locomotives and railway cars, offering an extensive survey of the state’s railroading. The collection connects machinery with the people and industries that depended on it, allowing comparisons across different eras and types of service. Its Strasburg location is close to several other rail attractions, but they are separate institutions. Visitors should distinguish this full-size museum from excursion tickets and neighboring model or toy-train venues. The museum’s access guide is particularly useful when planning a visit around vehicle interiors. It identifies equipment opened by staff or volunteers and distinguishes actual entry from virtual-viewing kiosks. Examples include a railway post-office car and several locomotive types, allowing visitors to investigate different railway jobs without assuming every historic vehicle can be entered.
Read the guide →East Broad Top Railroad & Friends’ Robertsdale Museum
The East Broad Top preserves an exceptional narrow-gauge railway environment, while the Friends of the East Broad Top museum at Robertsdale explains the railroad, its coal business and the people it served. The distinction between locations matters: museum exhibits at Robertsdale complement the operating railway and shop setting at Rockhill Furnace. Together they connect trains with industrial work and community life. Parts of the collection are at different stations, so each has its own visitor directions.
Read the guide →Harris Tower Railroad Museum
Harris Tower was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1929 and opened in 1930. Preserved by the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society after its purchase in 1992, it offers a different perspective from a locomotive museum: the control of train movements. The tower’s historical setting helps visitors understand the operating decisions behind a busy railway. It is especially useful for readers interested in signaling, dispatching and the less visible systems that kept trains moving safely.
Read the guide →Lake Shore Railway Museum
The Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East preserves the railway heritage of northwestern Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. Its collection connects the local transport corridor with the broader history of railway equipment and work. The historical society’s mission emphasizes both preservation and sharing the experience of railroading, giving the site a clear regional purpose. Visitors interested in a particular vehicle should consult the collection information directly rather than assume every commonly associated train is held here.
Read the guide →Railroaders Memorial Museum
Altoona’s Railroaders Memorial Museum emphasizes the people who built, maintained and operated the railway. Its location in a former railroad industrial community gives that human story particular weight. The organization also works with historic rolling stock and preservation facilities, linking interpretation with practical care of railway equipment. This is a useful counterpoint to museums described mainly by locomotive counts: the central question is how railroad work shaped Altoona and the lives of its residents.
Read the guide →Reading Railroad Heritage Museum
The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum serves as the education center of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Its focused collection allows the history of one railroad to be explored in more depth than a general transport museum usually provides. Equipment, artifacts and historical interpretation connect the Reading with the industries and communities it served. The museum is a strong addition for readers interested in a particular company’s identity, operations and preservation rather than a broad national survey.
Read the guide →Operating & preservation collections — 1
Museums with railroad collections — 1
Historic railway sites — 4
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the final link in Pennsylvania’s Main Line Canal system and the first railroad to cross the Allegheny Mountains. Its story shows a transitional transport system in which railways and canals worked together rather than simply competing. The national historic site preserves the setting and interpretation of that engineering achievement. It is particularly valuable for readers interested in early rail technology, difficult terrain and the development of cross-state travel.
Read the guide →Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark
Horseshoe Curve is a major example of railway engineering used to overcome mountain terrain near Altoona. The curve’s shape makes the railway’s relationship with the landscape immediately visible, while interpretation explains its role in the larger route. It is an engineering landmark and train-viewing site rather than a conventional collection museum. It is separate from the Railroaders Memorial Museum downtown, and the viewing area has its own access arrangements.
Read the guide →Steamtown National Historic Site
Steamtown National Historic Site preserves the history of steam railroading in downtown Scranton. Large railway equipment is interpreted alongside the industrial setting and the people whose work kept trains moving. The site’s history museum and introductory film provide context before visitors explore the collection. Operating experiences and access to working areas depend on the current park program, so a particular locomotive or train ride is not guaranteed on every visit.
Read the guide →Gallitzin Tunnels Park & Museum
Gallitzin Tunnels Park and Museum connects railway engineering with local community history. Beside the mountain tunnels, the park displays a restored Pennsylvania Railroad caboose from 1942, while the museum occupies a nearby community building. The combination lets visitors explore the route’s physical challenges and the town shaped by the railway. It is best described as a mixed outdoor heritage site and small museum, with different access arrangements for the park and indoor exhibits.
Read the guide →Ride a train in Pennsylvania
Museums are for walking around; these operators run trains you can ride.
- East Broad Top Railroad — Rockhill Furnace: narrow-gauge heritage railway
- Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad / Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway — Jim Thorpe: scenic railway
- Strasburg Rail Road — Strasburg: heritage steam railway
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — flagship sites and state guides
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region
- Railroad museums in Connecticut
- Railroad museums in Delaware
- Railroad museums in District of Columbia
- Railroad museums in Maine
- Railroad museums in Maryland
- Railroad museums in Massachusetts
- Railroad museums in New Hampshire
- Railroad museums in New Jersey
- Railroad museums in New York
- Railroad museums in Vermont