O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, Virginia

Oct 19

Roanoke, Virginia · Updated October 19, 2026 · 10 min read

Museum with a major rail exhibit

The O. Winston Link Museum preserves and shares the photographs, sound recordings and films O. Winston Link made of the last days of steam on the Norfolk & Western Railway, shown inside the railroad's own restored passenger station in downtown Roanoke.

Opened in 2004
In the former N&W passenger station
Station designed by Raymond Loewy
1950s steam era photography
Interactive exhibits and train viewing

O. Winston Link Museum at a glance

Hours: Not posted online; call (540) 982-5465 before you go
Admission: Not posted online; call to confirm ticket prices
Best for: Photography lovers, rail fans and older kids
Best ages: Ages 7 and up

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

Contact and directions

Museum website(opens in a new tab)Directions(opens in a new tab)Call

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to O. Winston Link 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 Roanoke.

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.

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

A photographer's last look at N&W steam

O. Winston Link set out in the 1950s to record the final years of steam on the Norfolk & Western Railway. His black-and-white photographs paired the big locomotives with the rural communities they ran through, and he gathered sound and film as well as pictures. Those images are now known around the world, and Link is widely considered the master of showing steam railroading and country life in the same frame.

Link wanted his work to stay accessible to the towns he had photographed. In 2000 he began talks with Roanoke's Historical Society of Western Virginia and personally chose the setting: the former N&W passenger station in downtown Roanoke, a building designed by Raymond Loewy. The museum opened there in 2004. The museum does not post its current hours or prices online in an easy-to-find place, so call (540) 982-5465 before you visit.

Galleries in a restored railroad station

The galleries in the restored station present Link's photographs of 1950s life along the N&W: the steam locomotives themselves and the people, towns and communities that lived beside the line. The museum also collects and interprets his audio and video work, so a visit is about sound as well as pictures. Interactive exhibits and a spot for watching trains round out the experience, so ask staff when a train is likely to pass.

Don’t miss

Link's steam era photographsThe black-and-white images of N&W steam among small towns are why the museum exists, and they are best seen large and in person.
The passenger station itselfLink chose this restored N&W station, designed by Raymond Loewy, as the home for his work.
Train viewingThe museum sits beside the tracks, and it lists train viewing among its draws.

Big pictures and real trains outside

This is a quieter gallery museum, which tends to suit school-age kids and teens who can enjoy looking at photographs and hearing the stories behind them. Younger children usually respond best to the interactive exhibits and to watching trains go by. Pair it with the hands-on Virginia Museum of Transportation nearby for a full train day.

Plan your visit: tips for O. Winston Link Museum

Call (540) 982-5465 to confirm hours and prices before driving in.
Plan a downtown Roanoke rail day with the Virginia Museum of Transportation.
Ask staff about the best spot and time for train viewing.

Keeping Link's work in the towns he loved

The museum grew from Link's own wish, worked out with the Historical Society of Western Virginia, that his Norfolk & Western images stay in the communities he photographed. Buying a ticket and spreading the word about the collection are simple ways to support it; call the museum to ask about membership or donations.

Roanoke's rail cluster

The Virginia Museum of Transportation is right in Roanoke and is home to many of the N&W locomotives Link photographed. The N&W Historical Society Archives are also in town, and the C&O Railway Heritage Center is about 38 miles away. See the full Virginia train museum guide for more.

Every train museum in Virginia

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of Rally the corgi dreaming about his toy turtle, green bone and yellow ball — From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Link cared so much about where his pictures would end up that he chose this station for them himself. That reminds me of Rally packing for the trip in our book: his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball all go in the suitcase, because the things we love should travel with us and land somewhere safe. My mom dreamed up that packing scene. Little ones can color Rally on our coloring pages.

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

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)

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Work or volunteer at O. Winston Link 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

O. Winston Link Museum official website(opens in a new tab)

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

O. Winston Link Museum: 20 questions before you go

What is the O. Winston Link Museum?

The O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, Virginia, is dedicated to the photographs, audio and video of O. Winston Link, who documented the last days of steam on the Norfolk & Western Railway in the 1950s. It presents his black-and-white images of locomotives and small-town life in the restored N&W passenger station.

Where is the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, VA?

The museum is at 101 Shenandoah Avenue NE, Roanoke, Virginia 24016, in downtown Roanoke. It occupies the former Norfolk & Western passenger station beside the tracks. Call (540) 982-5465 if you need directions or help finding the entrance.

What are the O. Winston Link Museum hours?

The museum does not post its current hours in an easy-to-find place online. Call (540) 982-5465 before you go, especially on Mondays and holidays, so you can confirm it is open and plan around any closures or special events at the station.

How much are O. Winston Link Museum tickets?

Ticket prices are not clearly posted online. Call (540) 982-5465 to confirm current admission and ask about any family, senior or combination rates. The Historical Society of Western Virginia page about the museum at roanokehistory.org is another place to check before your visit.

Is there parking at the O. Winston Link Museum?

The museum does not list parking details online. It is in downtown Roanoke on Shenandoah Avenue, where public parking is available nearby. Call (540) 982-5465 ahead of time if you need accessible parking close to the door or want advice on the closest lot.

Is the O. Winston Link Museum the same as the O. Winston Link & Roanoke History Museum?

Visitors often search for it under that combined name. The Historical Society of Western Virginia, which worked with Link to create the museum, presents it on roanokehistory.org. Call (540) 982-5465 to ask what is on view at the station and whether one ticket covers both collections.

Who was O. Winston Link?

O. Winston Link was a 20th-century photographer famous for his black-and-white pictures of steam railroads. In the 1950s he documented the last days of steam on the Norfolk & Western, setting locomotives against the rural communities they passed through. Many regard him as the master of that pairing.

When did the O. Winston Link Museum open?

The museum opened in 2004 in the former Norfolk & Western passenger station in Roanoke. Link himself began talks with the Historical Society of Western Virginia in 2000 and personally chose the station as the museum's home, so that his work would stay in the region he photographed.

What building is the O. Winston Link Museum in?

It is in the restored Norfolk & Western Railway passenger station in downtown Roanoke, a building designed by Raymond Loewy. Link selected it himself, which means his photographs of N&W trains hang inside one of the railroad's own stations.

What can you see at the O. Winston Link Museum?

Expect galleries of Link's 1950s photographs of life along the Norfolk & Western Railway, along with his audio and video work and interactive exhibits. The museum also lists train viewing, since the station stands beside active tracks.

Are there O. Winston Link Museum photos online?

Visit Roanoke, Downtown Roanoke and the Historical Society of Western Virginia all feature the museum on their websites, and travel listings show the restored station. To see Link's photographs at full size, though, the galleries in the station are the place to go.

Is the O. Winston Link Museum good for kids?

It suits school-age kids and teens best, since it is mainly a photography gallery. Younger children usually enjoy the interactive exhibits and watching trains pass. Pair it with the hands-on Virginia Museum of Transportation, also in Roanoke, for a full family rail day.

How long should I plan at the O. Winston Link Museum?

The museum does not suggest a visit length online. As a gallery museum focused on one photographer, it usually fits into part of a morning or afternoon, which leaves time for another downtown Roanoke stop. Call (540) 982-5465 to ask about guided tours.

Can you ride a train at the O. Winston Link Museum?

No train rides are offered. The museum is a photography gallery inside a former passenger station, though it does list train viewing among its features because it sits beside the tracks. For a ride, look at the Virginia Scenic Railway in Staunton, about 76 miles away.

Can groups visit the O. Winston Link Museum?

The museum does not post group tour details online. School classes, clubs and tour groups should call (540) 982-5465 ahead of time to ask about scheduling, group rates and whether a guide can lead the visit through the galleries.

Is the O. Winston Link Museum accessible?

The museum does not list accessibility details online. Because it is in a historic railroad station, call (540) 982-5465 before your visit to ask about entrances, elevators and seating, so you can plan for wheelchairs or strollers.

Does the O. Winston Link Museum have a gift shop?

The museum does not describe a gift shop online. Call (540) 982-5465 to ask whether prints, books or postcards of Link's photographs are for sale, since many visitors like to take one of his images home.

How can I support the O. Winston Link Museum?

Visiting, buying a ticket and recommending the museum are the simplest ways to help. To ask about membership, donations or volunteering, contact the museum at (540) 982-5465 or reach out through the Historical Society of Western Virginia at roanokehistory.org.

Is the O. Winston Link Museum near the Virginia Museum of Transportation?

Yes. Both are in downtown Roanoke, very close together, which makes it easy to see Link's photographs of N&W steam in the morning and then walk among real N&W locomotives at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in the afternoon.

What other train museums are near the O. Winston Link Museum?

Besides the Virginia Museum of Transportation and the N&W Historical Society Archives in Roanoke, the C&O Railway Heritage Center and the Historic C&O Depot in Clifton Forge are about 38 miles away. The Hinton Railroad Museum in West Virginia is about 59 miles away.

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Kelsey Cecil