Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum in North East, Pennsylvania

Written By Kelsey Cecil

North East, Pennsylvania · Updated October 19, 2026 · 13 min read

Railroad museumMuseum open weekends from May to October, plus Fridays in summer; grounds open year-round

The Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum preserves the railroading of northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York and northeastern Ohio on the grounds of the former New York Central passenger depot in North East, with a collection built around locomotives from nearby Erie General Electric.

  • Founded in 1956
  • All-volunteer nonprofit
  • Former New York Central depot
  • Admission by donation
  • Beside the CSX main line
  • Grounds open year-round

Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum at a glance

Hours
Museum 12 pm to 4 pm: weekends May to mid-June, Friday to Sunday mid-June to Labor Day, weekends Labor Day to November 1. Grounds open daylight to dusk year-round.
Admission
By donation at the door
Plan for
About 1 to 2 hours
Best for
Rail fans, train watchers and families on a Lake Erie road trip
Best ages
All ages, especially kids who love watching real trains

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to North East.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

Seventy years of volunteers keeping the Lake Shore story alive

The Lake Shore Railway Historical Society was founded in 1956, and it is still run entirely by volunteers. The society is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit governed by a board its members elect, and that board meets every month to steer the museum. Its home is the former New York Central Railroad passenger depot in the borough of North East, in Erie County, on 2.5 acres that sit right alongside the CSX main line.

The society's name reaches back to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, the railroad that ran along this stretch of Lake Erie shoreline before the New York Central took it over in 1914. The line later passed through Penn Central and Conrail, and in 1999 it was split between Norfolk Southern and CSX. The museum is honest about one thing: none of those companies handed over their old records, so it does not hold LS&MS employee files or company paperwork.

What the volunteers have gathered instead is a collection with a strong local thread. The society focuses on General Electric rail products, many built just down the road at Erie General Electric, along with Heisler Locomotive Works and Pullman Standard equipment and anything tied to the railroads that shaped this corner of three states. Members have restored small industrial locomotives to running order, repainted big ones, and turned the old depot grounds into what the society calls a neighborhood anchor for its part of North East.

Erie-built locomotives and a front-row seat to the main line

Most of the collection sits outdoors on the depot grounds, where you can walk among locomotives that were built a few miles away in Erie. Highlights include the only surviving Ford-style center-cab locomotive, a South Shore "Little Joe" electric, New York Central U25b No. 2500 and Norfolk Southern Dash 8-32B No. 3563. Smaller industrial switchers from Erie City Iron Works and National Forge round out the roster, and some of them still run to shuffle cars around the property.

The site is also a favorite spot for watching modern freight trains, since the grounds border the CSX line with Norfolk Southern close by. Trains Magazine has pointed to it as a safe, open place to see railroad operations. Inside, a gift shop stocks railroad books and magazines, T-shirts, caps and memorabilia.

Don’t miss

  1. WAG No. 1700 (Ford No. 1006)Built by Erie General Electric in 1940 with styling meant to echo a 1937 Ford car, this 132-ton center-cab locomotive is the last of only eight ever built.
  2. South Shore No. 802 "Little Joe"One of only three Little Joe electrics known to survive out of 20 built, and part of the last mainline electric freight operation in North America, retired in 1983.
  3. New York Central No. 2500The first U25b built for the New York Central and one of two former NYC U25bs known to exist. Trains Magazine ranked it sixth on a 2013 list of preserved diesels to see.
  4. Norfolk Southern No. 3563A 1989 GE Dash 8-32B donated in 2013, it was the first Dash 8 locomotive preserved at any museum, and one of just 49 of its model.
  5. National Forge No. 392A 15-ton Plymouth switcher that helped build Kinzua Dam in Warren, Pennsylvania, and still runs today.
  6. Erie Dock Co. No. 7An unusual-looking electric locomotive from around 1910, believed to have been built by the Atlas Car Company of Cleveland.

Big locomotives and real freight trains rolling past

For train-loving kids, the best part may be that the trains are not all in the past. The museum grounds border the CSX main line, so freight trains rumble by while families walk among the preserved locomotives. Children who like comparing old and new can spot how the modern units passing through differ from the 1940s and 1950s GE locomotives on display.

Most of the collection is outdoors, so dress for Lake Erie weather and bring sunscreen in summer. Because the grounds are open from daylight to dusk year-round, a short stop to look at the equipment and watch a train can work even outside museum hours.

Plan your visit: tips for Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum

  • Plan around the 12 pm to 4 pm museum hours if you want to see inside and visit the gift shop.
  • The outdoor grounds are open daylight to dusk all year, weather permitting, so you can still see the equipment on off days.
  • Bring cash for a donation at the door; it helps the volunteers keep the collection going.
  • Watch for CSX and Norfolk Southern freight trains, which pass close to the grounds.
  • Check the museum's Facebook page for special event hours, which can differ from the regular schedule.

An all-volunteer society since 1956

Every part of this museum, from repainting locomotives to staffing the gift shop, is done by volunteer members of the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society, a nonprofit with a member-elected board. Donations at the door are how most visitors help, and buying a book, shirt or cap in the gift shop supports the work too. To ask about joining or volunteering, use the contact form on the museum's website or call (814) 725-1911.

More rail stops around the Lake Erie shore

Just across the New York line, about 17 miles away, the Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany County railway history collections make an easy add-on. Heading west, the Conneaut Railroad Museum in Ohio is about 41 miles away, and the same distance south takes you to the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad for a ride. You can find more ideas on our list of train museums across Pennsylvania.

Every train museum in Pennsylvania

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of Rally the corgi looking out an arched train window at the ocean and a white bird
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

In our book, Rally presses his nose to an arched train window and says hello to a white bird over the ocean. I love that families here can stand beside the depot and watch real freight trains go by on the Lake Erie shore, a whole different kind of window seat. If your little one wants to color a train of their own after a visit, our free coloring pages are a good place to start.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Work or volunteer at Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

Lake Shore Railway Museum: 20 questions before you visit

Where is the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum?

The museum is at 31 Wall St, North East, PA 16428, on the grounds of the former New York Central Railroad passenger depot. North East is a borough in Erie County, roughly 14 miles northeast of the city of Erie, and the museum property sits right beside the CSX main line along the Lake Erie shore.

What are the Lake Shore Railway Museum hours?

As of October 2026, the museum posts hours of 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from May 9 to June 14, Fridays through Sundays from June 15 to Labor Day, and Saturdays and Sundays from Labor Day to November 1. Special events can change those times, so check the website or Facebook page before you go.

Can you visit the Lake Shore Railway Museum grounds in winter?

Yes. The museum says its outdoor grounds are open to the public from daylight to dusk all year, weather permitting. The indoor museum and gift shop keep seasonal weekend hours, so a winter visit means looking at the equipment outside rather than going inside. Lake Erie snow can be heavy, so dress warmly and watch your footing.

How much does the Lake Shore Railway Museum cost?

As of October 2026, admission is by donation at the door. There is no fixed ticket price posted, but the volunteers say donations are encouraged and greatly appreciated, since the all-volunteer society relies on them to care for its locomotives and grounds. Bringing some cash is the easiest way to give.

Who runs the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society Museum?

The Lake Shore Railway Historical Society, Inc. runs it. The society was founded in 1956 and is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer educational organization, governed by a board of directors elected by its members. The board meets monthly, and volunteers handle everything from locomotive restoration to staffing the museum on open days.

What locomotives are at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

The roster leans heavily on equipment built by Erie General Electric. It includes WAG No. 1700, a 1940 Ford-styled center-cab; South Shore Little Joe electric No. 802; New York Central U25b No. 2500; Norfolk Southern Dash 8-32B No. 3563; and smaller industrial switchers from Ellwood National Forge, Erie City Iron Works, National Forge and the Erie Dock Company.

What is the Ford locomotive at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

WAG No. 1700, originally Ford No. 1006, was built by Erie General Electric in 1940 and styled to resemble a 1937 Ford automobile. It is a 132-ton center-cab locomotive first built for the Ford Motor Company and later used on the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad. Only eight were built, and this is the only one left.

What is the Little Joe locomotive in North East, PA?

South Shore No. 802 is a rare Little Joe electric locomotive built by Erie General Electric in 1949. Only 20 were built and just three are known to survive. Nos. 802 and 803 on the South Shore were the last mainline electric freight locomotives running in North America when they retired in 1983.

Why is NYC 2500 at the Lake Shore Railway Museum special?

New York Central No. 2500 was the first in a series of U25b diesels GE built for the railroad in 1963, and it is one of only two former NYC U25bs known to exist. Conrail last used it in 1982, and it was repainted at Erie GE in 1993. Trains Magazine named it sixth on its 2013 list of preserved diesels to see.

Can you watch trains at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to visit. The museum's 2.5 acres sit right next to the CSX main line, with Norfolk Southern close by, and Trains Magazine has described it as a safe, open place to watch railroad operations. Freight trains pass regularly, so plan to linger near the tracks for a while.

Can you ride a train at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

The museum does not advertise public train rides. A few of its small industrial locomotives, including Ellwood National Forge No. 188 and National Forge No. 392, are operational, but the museum says they are used to move rolling stock around the property. For a ride, the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad is about 41 miles south.

Can you go inside the trains at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

The museum does not spell out online which locomotives or cars are open to step inside on a given day. Volunteers are on hand during open hours from 12 noon to 4 pm, so that is the best time to ask what you can board. Call (814) 725-1911 ahead if seeing a cab is important to your group.

Is the Lake Shore Railway Museum good for toddlers?

It can be a nice short outing for little ones who love big trains, since most of the collection is outdoors and live freight trains roll past the grounds. Keep small children close to you near the active CSX line. Admission by donation also makes it easy to leave early if a toddler runs out of steam.

How long should I spend at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

Plan on about one to two hours to walk the grounds, see the locomotives, browse the gift shop and catch a passing freight train or two. Rail fans who want to photograph the main line can easily stay longer. Since the museum opens at noon, an afternoon visit fits well with lunch in North East.

Is there a gift shop at the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

Yes. The gift shop carries railroad publications of many kinds, along with T-shirts, caps and railroading memorabilia. It is open during the museum's regular hours of 12 noon to 4 pm on open days. Purchases help support the all-volunteer society that maintains the collection.

Does the Lake Shore Railway Museum have Lake Shore and Michigan Southern records?

No. The museum says it holds no Lake Shore and Michigan Southern company paperwork or employee records. The LS&MS was taken over by the New York Central in 1914, and its documents went into New York Central files, which later passed through Penn Central and Conrail. None of those railroads gave their records to the society.

How can I contact the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society?

Call (814) 725-1911 or use the contact form on lakeshorerailway.com. The museum does not list a public email address, and it asks people using the form to type their email carefully so volunteers can reply. You can also send a message through the museum's Facebook page.

How can I volunteer at or support the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

The society is all volunteer, so help is the backbone of the museum. It does not post a detailed volunteer page online, so call (814) 725-1911 or use the website's contact form to ask about membership and volunteering. You can also support it with a donation at the door or a purchase in the gift shop.

Does the Lake Shore Railway Museum hold Christmas or Halloween events?

The museum does not list Christmas or Halloween trains in the information it publishes online. It notes that hours can change for special events, so check its Facebook page for anything planned. For holiday rides elsewhere in the state, look at Pennsylvania's Christmas and Halloween train listings.

What train museums are near the Lake Shore Railway Museum?

The Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany County railway history collections in western New York are about 17 miles away. The Conneaut Railroad Museum in Ohio and the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad in Titusville are each about 41 miles away, and the Salamanca Rail Museum in New York is about 58 miles away.

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Kelsey Cecil
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