7th Annual Danbury Railway Day – Free Train Rides

The Danbury Railway Museum is pleased to host the 7th annual Danbury Railroad Day on Saturday, August 3. A day full of educational activities and FREE train rides for the whole family is planned. The fun will begin at 10am and end at 4:00 PM, with train rides hourly from 10:25 to 2:25. Admission to the museum is $7.00 for ages 3 and up. The museum will be operating the Railyard Local a short FREE trip being pulled by the GE 44-Ton switch engine, built in 1947, with locomotive cab rides available. Ride in vintage caboose or a 1920's coach. The train will stop at the old New Haven RR turntable, built circa 1914, where visitors can detrain and take a ride on the only power-operated turntable in Connecticut. Leaving the turntable, take a tour of the Tonawanda Valley, a 20th Century Limited observation car a restoration in progress. This car recently took part in the Parade of Trains display for the Grand Central Terminal centennial celebration. As a special visual treat, periodically during the day a vintage freight train will be running. At 11:25 and 1:25, visitors can ride in a special caboose train. In the Danbury museum building, visitors can explore railroad history exhibits, operating electric train layouts, static model displays of the station and railyard, many one-of-a-kind artifacts of railroading history, a wonderful gift shop, and many other items of interest. Outside in the historic railyard, guests will find walk-through exhibits, an operating New Haven RR forge with a blacksmith on duty and a vast assortment of train cars and locomotives, many that ran in Danbury during its railroading heyday. A recent restoration project, the old water tank pump house and water pump originally situated near the Danbury Fair Mall, will be open for inspection. About the Danbury Railway Museum 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 info@danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Steamin with Sadie at the Railroad Museum of New England

This June, Steamin' With Sadie will be the star attraction at the Railroad Museum of New England's Thomaston Station as restored Lehigh Valley Coal Company Engine #126 leads weekend trips over our scenic railroad between June 8 through 23, including Father's Day Weekend. Sadie, an 0-6-0 coal-fired steam engine and big sister to Hank the Tank, will be pulling their vintage train cars on hour-long trips along the Naugatuck River. For more information http://www.rmne.org.  For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

All trips are on Saturdays and Sundays for three weekends beginning June 8 at 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM, boarding at historic 1881 Thomaston Station. They will also have extra displays, story book readings, live music and activities for kids of all ages at the Station. Tickets are Adults $20 and Children $15 (ages 3 – 12), age 2 and under are free. Purchase tickets online or call (860) 283-7245 to purchase from their agent. This is a special event you will not want to miss!

Between the 1830s and 1960, steam locomotives carried passengers and freight to every corner of America. They became part of our national history, a symbol of mobility and change. Over the years, steam locomotives became larger and more efficient. But technology advances after World War II changed the face of railroading forever. By 1948, steam engines were gone from the Naugatuck Valley, replaced by modern diesel locomotives on the New Haven Railroad from Bridgeport to Winsted, ending an important era in modern industrial history.

Lehigh Valley Coal Company #126 is a 40 ton coal-fired steam locomotive built by Vulcan Iron Works and put in service in 1931. It worked in Pennsylvania coal mines and was purchased by father and son team John and Barney Gramling from Indiana in 1993. Gramling Locomotive Works fully restored #126 to operating condition, completing it June 2011. Since then, #126 has traveled as far as Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and now to Connecticut as a living, breathing Ambassador of Steam.

About the Railroad Museum of New England

The Railroad Museum of New England is a not for profit historical and educational organization and an all-volunteer organization. We are located in historic 1881 Thomaston Station at 242 East Main St., Thomaston, CT. Our mission is to tell the story of the region's rich railroad heritage through our educational exhibits and operation of the Naugatuck Railroad. The museum concept is more than artifacts; it's also the story of the region and the development of society around the railroad. We offer an entertaining and scenic train ride along the Naugatuck River with vintage locomotives and restored passenger cars, also featuring displays of freight equipment and cabooses.