Railway Post Office Dog Day at the Danbury Railway Museum

On Saturday, July 19, the Danbury Railway Museum will host a celebration
honoring the legacy of Owney, the Railway Post Office dog.  A centerpiece
of the day will be the museum’s fully-restored Pennsylvania Railroad
circa-1910 Railway Post Office (RPO) car.  The museum at 120 White Street
is open from 10am to 4pm.  Admission for this event is $8.00 (under 3 is
free) which includes a train ride, access to all activities, and a free hot

dog!

 
Owney was a stray dog which found its way into the Albany, NY post office
in 1888 and was soon adopted by the Railway Mail Service clerks and became
the mascot of this elite government service.  He traveled throughout the
state, and then all over the country, in the RPO cars, eventually venturing
around the world as a U.S. Post Office Department “emissary” in 1895.  In
2011, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp to honor him.  Owney
has been preserved and is on display at the National Postal Museum in
Washington, DC.  Visitors to the museum on the 19th will hear the true
story of Owney, the mascot of the U.S. Railway Mail Service, and can tour
the lovingly-restored RPO car.   

The “Railyard Local” – a short train ride in a 1920's passenger coach or a
vintage caboose pulled by a 1947 GE "44-Tonner" or ALCo RS-1 locomotive –
will take visitors through the historic rail yard and past over 60 vintage
railroad cars and locomotives, including a Boston & Maine steam locomotive
built in 1907.  Riders will have an opportunity to “go for a spin” on the
operating turntable.  Trains depart hourly from 10:30 to 2:30.  Of course,
the fascinating exhibits inside the restored 1903 Danbury station will be
open, along with a fully-stocked gift shop.  The model train layouts inside
will also be operating.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by
volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about,
railroad history.  The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury
Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT.  For further
information, visit the Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org, email to
info@danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.