Railroad Museum of Long Island

Railroad Museum of Long Island in Riverhead, New York is one of Long Island’s Treasured jewels. The museum is dedicated to showing and preserving the history of Long Island Railroading. The Railroad Museum has a large collection of artifacts which include: locomotives, old railway equipment and memorabilia, scale models and exhibits on how railroads transformed Long Island at the turn of the 20th century.

The first major division point for LIRR was in Riverhead where Fairchild Engine & Repair Company provided steam engine repair service through the 1960s. At its peak, Fairchild employed more than 2200 men. Today you can see local shops, roundhouse turntables, coaling towers, dormitories & railroad structures that have been preserved as part of Fairchild Engine & Repair Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Many of the locomotives on display at Railroad Museum of Long Island were built in Riverhead and shop buildings still exist today. Visitors can easily see how things work thanks to well-labeled exhibits and video monitors which show how workers repaired and maintained steam engines. Begin your visit at the Museum’s library for a detailed history of Long island Railroading and its impact on the nautical community.

The Railroad Museum offers an educational experience for all age groups with special events, teacher resources, workshops & interesting lectures throughout the year such as Annual Train Show, Halloween-themed “Haunted Trains” and Kids Day celebrating “G” scale model trains just to name a few.

The picturesque grounds located along historic tracks offer picnic areas, gift shops and snack bars. Visitors can take a ride on the Riverhead Station & Freight House Car #357 which has been restored to its original 1890’s Victorian style or have lunch in the “1940’s Style” Streamline Moderne waiting room adjacent to the Museum.

The Railroad Museum of Long Island is open 7 days a week from May 1st through October 31st. It is closed November-April. The Museum offers special events, group tours for schools, scouts, daycare centers & senior citizens’ groups, or individuals by appointment so everyone can experience an important part of America’s past along with our largest historic artifact – Peconic Bay.

One of the pros of visiting the museum with the family is hours of fun for young children at Kid Works which is a hands-on, interactive section of the Railroad Museum. Kids can watch videos of children having fun at the museum on a monitor at Kid Works while playing a matching game or creating their railroad track masterpiece.

Visitors will find shopping for unique gifts and souvenirs including books, DVDs & CDs to commemorate their visit to the Railroad Museum of Long Island in Riverhead with friends and family available in the gift shop located adjacent to the Museum.

There’s an immersive indoor train city with interactive buttons so children feel they’re “part of the action” as they drive a train around the village. Or check out miniature trains that wind through a forested landscape with flowers, trees, and animals. The exhibits at the Railroad Museum of Long Island highlight how railroads affected the growth and development of Long Island. Come visit the Museum today, you’ll be glad you did.

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