The Lake Shore Railway Museum occupies a former New York Central passenger depot in North East, Pennsylvania. The society that runs it was founded in 1956 and focuses on railways in northwestern Pennsylvania and adjacent parts of New York and Ohio. That regional approach brings together the history of trains that served the area and the history of equipment built there. The depot and the larger vehicles on the grounds show different sides of the same railway economy.
The collection places special emphasis on General Electric rail transportation products, an important connection with manufacturing in the Erie area. Diesel-electric locomotives offer a way to consider a major industrial change. A diesel engine generates electricity, and electric motors provide the power at the wheels. Different builders and customers made distinct choices about the bodies and equipment surrounding that system. The museum’s emphasis on one manufacturer helps visitors see those details across generations of equipment.
Other collecting interests include products of Heisler Locomotive Works and Pullman Standard. A geared industrial locomotive and a railway car come from very different branches of manufacturing. A locomotive works had to assemble machinery that could put power onto the rails. Car builders addressed the needs of people or freight behind the engine. Looking at builders’ plates, exterior details and descriptions can reveal the industrial origin of a vehicle even when its later owner repainted it.
The station preserves a more public part of railway life. Its former passenger setting connects the vehicles with the people who traveled between communities around Lake Erie. Archival coverage follows the society’s particular collection interests, and the museum advises that it does not hold the former Lake Shore & Michigan Southern company papers. Consult the society before traveling for a specific research question. Where a vehicle was built can tell as much about the museum’s purpose as where it later ran.
Visitor information
Researched November 2026.
Sources
More railroad museums in Pennsylvania
- Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site — Gallitzin: Railroad engineering and transport historic site
- Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark — Altoona: Railroad engineering landmark and visitor site
- Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania — Strasburg: Major railroad museum
- Steamtown National Historic Site — Scranton: Major railroad museum and national historic site
- Colebrookdale Railroad — Preservation Collection — Boyertown: Operating railroad preservation collection
- East Broad Top Railroad & Friends’ Robertsdale Museum — Rockhill Furnace / Robertsdale: Narrow-gauge railroad museum and preservation collection
- Gallitzin Tunnels Park & Museum — Gallitzin: Railroad engineering site, caboose and community museum
- Harris Tower Railroad Museum — Harrisburg: Railroad signal-tower museum
- All 12 railroad museums and sites in Pennsylvania
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — museums, stations and landmarks
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region