Rolling stock
VGN Caboose #308
The VGN 308 was one of twenty-five cabooses built by the St. Louis Car Company for the Virginian Railway, numbered 300–324. West Virginia's Department of Tourism dates No. 308 to 1949; the museum's earlier record describes the order as built in 1948–49. It was donated by Norfolk Southern to the City of Princeton in 1989 and, in the fall of 2010, brought to its new home here at the museum.
We've had the floor repaired and the caboose repainted — did you know there's a special shade of red just for cabooses? It's called “caboose red,” appropriately. Come by and see it in person. Thanks to Bo Barker and the men of the Princeton Public Works Department for the hard work.
Artifacts
Lanterns, Lights & Lamps
The museum holds an extensive collection of lanterns, lights and lamps — electric lamps, gas lamps, steel lamps and brass lamps. What you see on display is only a small sample of the full collection. Come by the museum to see these and many more.
True blue
A fresh coat of Princeton blue
The museum wears a fresh new coat of paint — a deep, confident blue chosen to reflect the city of Princeton, WV itself. Our thanks to Bo Barker and the crew of the Princeton Public Works Department for all their hard work.
Come see the color in person, then read the full history of the Virginian Railway that gave the building its purpose.
Living history
Mark Twain rides again
On our anniversary celebrations, living figures from history step off the page. Mark Twain, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, Chief Seltoe’e and Harriet Eliza Lathrop are all brought to life by local reenactors along Mercer Street.
Their stories connect to our own: Twain’s closest friend was Henry Huttleston Rogers, the Standard Oil magnate who financed the Virginian Railway — so the author’s tale and the railroad’s are, fittingly, entwined.
In the news
Open again — and growing
After more than a year closed during the pandemic, the museum reopened in July 2021 with big plans: a new model-train room featuring passenger, coal and timber trains, historical markers along Mercer Street, and a 15th-anniversary celebration.
“Without the railroad, Princeton's history would be very different.” — the museum on the line's role in founding the city. Come see what's new.
Gallery
Railroad Art
Fine pieces of railroad art are on display throughout the museum and can be viewed during our normal hours — a painting hanging downstairs, a sculpture upstairs, and more. Original works that capture the romance of coal, steam and steel.
Security on the rails
Locks, keys & badges
Safety and security went hand in hand on the railroad. The museum houses a collection of locks, keys, badges and other security essentials that railroad police used to keep the railways safe. See these and many more security tools on display.
