Train Museums in New Jersey: Every Railroad Museum by Town
- 11 museums
- 10 towns
- 7 with train rides
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In New Jersey you can ride excursion trains over a Hunterdon County line laid in 1854 that still carries freight today, and the state's other rail stops are just as tied to working railroads. This page is part of our guide to train museums across the country, and it gathers 11 New Jersey museums, excursion railroads and rail collections in about 10 towns and regions, from Bergen County down to Cape May County. Type your town into the finder to see what is closest.
Many New Jersey stops are run by volunteers and open on set days rather than every afternoon. The Pine Creek Railroad and the Paterson Museum keep regular hours, the excursion lines run on weekends and holidays, and places like Boonton Yard and Maywood Station open for scheduled events. Check each museum page for current hours before you load up the car.
Look inside the book
Big engines, little legs. 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 a New Jersey train museum.
Rally Takes the Train
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Quick picks: where to start in New Jersey
Best first visit with a toddler
New Jersey Museum of Transportation / Pine Creek Railroad
Wall Township
The narrow gauge ride lasts about 15 minutes, trains leave every half hour on weekends, and riders under 3 pay just $2.
Best fall train ride
Delaware River Railroad Excursions
Phillipsburg
Every child on The Great Pumpkin Train can pick a free pumpkin, and the mine stop adds gem panning to take home.
For rail fans
Black River & Western Railroad
Flemington
Excursions run on an 1854 line that still hauls freight, with a baggage car museum at the stations.
Biggest collection
United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey
Boonton
Boonton Yard holds more than 60 historic locomotives and cars, open to the public on scheduled event days.
Rainy day pick
Paterson Museum Locomotive Works
Paterson
The indoor Locomotive Works exhibit sits inside an old locomotive shop, next to silk, firearms and mineral galleries.
Locomotive spotting on a budget
NJ TRANSIT Heritage Fleet and Historic Collections
Statewide and regional groups
Heritage painted NJ TRANSIT engines pull regular trains, so a station platform or a regular fare is all you need.
Shore vacation side trip
Cape May
Diesel excursions roll through Atlantic and Cape May counties on a short line that still carries freight.
Every train museum in New Jersey, town by town
11 museums in 10 towns, A to Z by town. Tap any museum for its own page: the full story, what to see, what kids can do, hours, tickets, contact details and 20 answers to the questions families ask.
Berkeley Heights
Rail preservation group
Liberty Historic Railway
Not a museum you can walk into: Liberty Historic Railway is a nonprofit that funds New Jersey rail and transportation preservation projects. Visit the groups it supports, and donate or apply for grants through its website.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsBoonton
Rail preservation group
United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey
The state's largest collection of historic locomotives and railroad cars, kept at Boonton Yard by a mostly volunteer nonprofit. The yard is not open daily; plan around open house days such as Railroad Museum for a Day.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsCape May
Heritage railroad with a museum
Cape May Seashore Lines
A South Jersey short line that runs freight and passenger excursions in Atlantic and Cape May counties, including trips between Richland and Tuckahoe. Schedules change, so check the Seashore Lines passenger page before planning a ride.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsFlemington
Heritage railroad with a museum
Black River & Western Railroad
Vintage train rides between Flemington and Ringoes on a real working freight railroad, with themed trains from the Easter Bunny Express to the Santa Express. Check your confirmation email: trains leave from two different stations.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsMaywood
Depot museum
Maywood Station Museum
An 1872 railroad station saved by volunteers, restored with its potbelly stove and agent's desk, plus a caboose with a model train layout and a 1942 locomotive outside. It opens periodically, so check the schedule first.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsPaterson
Museum with a major rail exhibit
Paterson Museum Locomotive Works
A city museum of Paterson's industrial past, housed in an old locomotive shop, with a permanent Locomotive Works exhibit alongside silk, firearms and geology displays. Check hours before visiting, as the museum has posted heat closure warnings.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsPhillipsburg: 2 train museums
Phillipsburg has two rail stops a short walk apart on the Delaware River: the weekend excursion trains that leave from Market Street and the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians museum with its miniature railroad. Check the museum's open house dates and you can do both in one day.
Heritage railroad with a museum
Delaware River Railroad Excursions
Weekend train rides along the Delaware River from Phillipsburg, with gem panning at the Susquehanna Mining Company, a winery train, free pumpkins in fall and The Polar Express. Trains run Saturdays and Sundays at 10, 12, 2 and 4.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsRailroad museum
Phillipsburg Railroad Historians Museum
A volunteer-run museum of Phillipsburg and Warren County railroad history, with equipment under restoration and rides on the Centerville & Southwestern miniature railroad. It opens only on select spring and summer weekends, so check dates first.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsWall Township
Heritage railroad with a museum
New Jersey Museum of Transportation / Pine Creek Railroad
A volunteer-run narrow gauge railroad in Wall Township, inside Allaire State Park, where a 15-minute train ride is the main event. Trains run weekends every half hour, and tickets are sold only at the ticket booth.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsWhippany
Heritage railroad with a museum
Whippany Railway Museum
A volunteer-restored freight house, stone station and water tank along the Morristown & Erie in Whippany, with rolling stock outside and themed train rides in spring and fall. Normally open Sundays April to October; closed now until 2027.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsStatewide and regional groups
Rail preservation group
NJ TRANSIT Heritage Fleet and Historic Collections
Not a museum, but a set of working NJ TRANSIT locomotives painted in classic Pennsylvania Railroad, Erie Lackawanna, Jersey Central and NJDOT colors. Spot them on regular trains across the state, any day they are in service.
Hours, tickets, contact and 20 FAQsCompare every New Jersey train museum side by side
Type, train rides, admission, hours and who each one suits, in one table. Tap a column to sort it, or a museum to open its page.
| Hours | Best for | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Historic RailwayBerkeley Heights | Preservation group | No | Not applicable | No public site or visiting hours | Preservation groups seeking grants and donors who want to support NJ rail history |
| United Railroad Historical Society of New JerseyBoonton | Preservation group | No | Varies by event; check the society's events page | Open on scheduled event days only; tours of Boonton Yard by inquiry | Rail fans and families on open house days |
| Cape May Seashore LinesCape May | Heritage railroad | Yes | Fares not posted on the main pages; check when booking | Excursion dates vary; check the Seashore Lines passenger page | Shore vacationers and rail fans |
| Black River & Western RailroadFlemington | Heritage railroad | Yes | Fares vary by ride; book through the website | Trains run on scheduled dates, mostly weekends; see the website's ride calendar | Families with young kids and railfans |
| Maywood Station MuseumMaywood | Depot museum | No | Not posted online; email the museum | Open periodically through the year; see the operating schedule on maywoodstation.com | Families with young train fans and local history lovers |
| Paterson Museum Locomotive WorksPaterson | Rail gallery | No | Not posted with the exhibit; check the museum's website | Weekday hours; check the museum's website before you go | School-age kids, history fans and anyone curious about how locomotives were built |
| Delaware River Railroad ExcursionsPhillipsburg | Heritage railroad | Yes | Fares vary by trip; buy online at 877trainride.com (some events carry a separate charge) | Saturdays and Sundays, May 2 to November 1, 2026; trains at 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm | Families with young kids |
| Phillipsburg Railroad Historians MuseumPhillipsburg | Railroad museum | Yes | Not posted online; check before you go | Select spring and summer weekends; check the museum's website or Facebook page | Families and local history fans on open house days |
| NJ TRANSIT Heritage Fleet and Historic CollectionsStatewide and regional groups | Preservation group | Yes | A regular NJ TRANSIT fare if you want to ride | Any time the locomotives are in regular service; no set heritage schedule is posted | Rail fans, photographers and kids who love spotting locomotives |
| New Jersey Museum of Transportation / Pine Creek RailroadWall Township | Heritage railroad | Yes | $6 per person age 3 and up, $2 under 3 (special events priced separately) | Weekends, trains every half hour from 11 am; the contact page lists 11 am to 3:30 pm Saturday and Sunday | Families with toddlers and young kids |
| Whippany Railway MuseumWhippany | Heritage railroad | Yes | Museum: adults and teens $5, ages 6 to 12 $3, 5 and under free with an adult; train fares separate | Normally Sundays, April to October, noon to 4 pm; closed for the season until 2027 | Families with young kids and New Jersey rail fans |
No museum on this page matches every filter you picked.
Map of every train museum in New Jersey
How railroads shaped New Jersey
New Jersey sat between New York and Philadelphia, and its railroads grew up carrying people and goods across that corridor and out to the hills, farms and shore. The Pennsylvania, the Erie, the Lackawanna, the Jersey Central and the Susquehanna all left their mark, and Paterson built steam locomotives that were shipped around the world. When NJ TRANSIT set out to retire much of its older equipment in the 1980s, preservation groups joined forces to save it, and those cars and engines became the core of the state's historic collection.
Today the story is spread across small museums rather than one big hall. The Paterson Museum covers locomotive building from inside an old locomotive shop, and the United Railroad Historical Society keeps more than 60 locomotives and cars at Boonton Yard, including Pennsylvania GG1 electrics. The Maywood Station Museum shows small town depot life in an 1872 Susquehanna station.
For a ride, the Black River & Western Railroad runs on a working short line, Delaware River Railroad Excursions follows the old Bel-Del route along the river, and the Pine Creek Railroad has carried riders on narrow gauge track since 1952. NJ TRANSIT even paints some working locomotives in the colors of the old railroads, through its heritage fleet.
Day trips that pair New Jersey rail stops
Trip 1
A Phillipsburg double
- Delaware River Railroad ExcursionsPhillipsburg
- Phillipsburg Railroad Historians MuseumPhillipsburg
The two Phillipsburg stops sit side by side in town. Ride the River Train or Mine Train in the morning, then visit the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians for a miniature railroad ride if it is an open house weekend. Confirm the museum's dates on Facebook first.
Trip 2
Morris County rail day
Whippany and Boonton are about 5 miles apart. Time a visit for Morris County's Pathways of History weekend in early October, when Boonton Yard opens, and pair it with Whippany once that museum reopens in 2027.
Trip 3
North Jersey depots and locomotive builders
- Maywood Station MuseumMaywood
- Paterson Museum Locomotive WorksPaterson
Maywood Station and the Paterson Museum are about 6 miles apart. Start with the Locomotive Works exhibit on a weekday, or save Maywood for one of its scheduled open days when kids can climb into Caboose 24542.
Drive times from Newark, Trenton and Atlantic City
Times are approximate, without traffic, and the shore traffic of a summer weekend can add a lot.
| Museum | From Newark | From Trenton | From Atlantic City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maywood Station MuseumMaywood | 20 min | ||
| Paterson Museum Locomotive WorksPaterson | 20 min | ||
| United Railroad Historical Society of New JerseyBoonton | 25 min | ||
| New Jersey Museum of Transportation / Pine Creek RailroadWall Township | 55 min | 45 min | 1 hr 20 min |
| Delaware River Railroad ExcursionsPhillipsburg | 1 hr 15 min | 55 min | |
| Black River & Western RailroadFlemington | 25 min | ||
| Cape May Seashore LinesCape May | 55 min |
Holiday trains and seasonal days at New Jersey museums
Fall and winter are the busiest times on New Jersey's tourist lines. Delaware River Railroad Excursions turns every train into The Great Pumpkin Train from September 19 to November 1, with a free pumpkin for each child, and runs The Polar Express in winter. The Black River & Western runs a Pumpkin Train from Flemington Station to Everitt Farms and a Santa Express with a story on board and photos with Santa in Ringoes Station. For dates and more options, see our New Jersey Christmas train rides and New Jersey pumpkin and Halloween trains.
Good to know before you go
- Pine Creek Railroad tickets are sold only at the booth and are good only for the day you buy them, so come early on busy days.
- Black River & Western trains leave from two stations, Flemington and Ringoes, so check your confirmation email for the right one.
- Delaware River Railroad Excursions cars have no air conditioning, and there is no station building; allow time to find the boarding area at 38 Market Street.
- Bring a bag for the gemstones kids pan at the Susquehanna Mining Company stop.
- Boonton Yard, Maywood Station and the Phillipsburg museum open only on set dates, so do not drive over without checking.
- Whippany Railway Museum is closed for the season until 2027, and it is not connected with the for-profit Whippany Polar Express.
- The Paterson Museum has posted closures on very hot days, so check before a summer visit.
Train museums in nearby states
Pennsylvania is right across the river, and from Trenton it is about 1 hr 45 min to Strasburg, home of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania; see our Pennsylvania train museums. From Newark, the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn is about 15 minutes away without traffic, one of many stops on our New York train museums page. Families near the shore can drive about 1 hr 35 min from Atlantic City to the Wilmington & Western Railroad, listed with our Delaware train museums.
A note from Rally's family
So many of these New Jersey trains are kept running by volunteers, and that makes me think about how much care goes into a single ride. In our book, Rally packs his suitcase the night before: his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball, because a corgi needs his things for a big train day. My kids are learning to read now, and they love pointing at each one. If yours like to plan ahead too, our train coloring pages are a nice quiet thing to pack. My mom dreamed up Rally's trip long before we wrote it down, and you can read how the book came to be.
A train book for the drive
Amtrak trains cross New Jersey on the Northeast Corridor, and our guide to the Northeast Regional with kids covers riding it as a family.
Free for train families
Print the Rally coloring pages before you go
Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. They fit in a folder with a few crayons for the drive to the museum or the wait for the next train ride.
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)More for train families
- Train museums in every state: search all 50 by town
- Christmas train rides in New Jersey: Santa trains and holiday rides
- Halloween train rides in New Jersey: pumpkin trains for next October
- The Northeast Regional with kids: ride a real Amtrak train
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find a train by city or station
- Train books for toddlers for the drive home
New Jersey train museum questions
What is the biggest train museum in New Jersey?
The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey has the largest collection, with more than 60 historic locomotives and cars at Boonton Yard. The yard is a working restoration site, not a daily museum, so it opens to the public on scheduled event days such as Railroad Museum for a Day. The society's long-term goal is a permanent, full-time railroad museum in the state.
Are there free train museums in New Jersey?
No New Jersey listing on this page is fully free, but Whippany Railway Museum lets children 5 and under in free with an adult. Spotting the NJ TRANSIT heritage locomotives from a station platform costs nothing, and riding behind one takes only a regular fare. Pine Creek Railroad rides cost $6 for ages 3 and up and $2 for younger children, as of October 2026.
Where can you ride a train in New Jersey?
The Pine Creek Railroad in Wall Township, the Black River & Western in Flemington and Ringoes, and Delaware River Railroad Excursions in Phillipsburg all run train rides for the public. Cape May Seashore Lines runs diesel excursions in South Jersey, and the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians give miniature railroad rides during open houses. Most rides run on weekends, so check each schedule.
What is the best New Jersey train museum for toddlers?
The Pine Creek Railroad in Wall Township is the easiest toddler pick, with a ride of about 15 minutes that suits short attention spans. Trains leave every half hour on weekends from 11 am. Children under 3 pay $2, and the museum rents Freneau Station for birthday parties with paper conductor hats for each child.
Is there a train museum in Phillipsburg NJ?
Yes, Phillipsburg has two rail stops: Delaware River Railroad Excursions and the Phillipsburg Railroad Historians Museum. The excursions run weekend trains along the Delaware River from Market Street, with a gem mine stop. The museum, founded in 1990, opens on select spring and summer weekends and gives rides on the Centerville & Southwestern miniature railroad.
Train museums near Newark NJ?
Maywood Station Museum and the Paterson Museum are each about 20 minutes from Newark without traffic. Boonton Yard, home of the United Railroad Historical Society, is about 25 minutes away, though it opens only on event days. Newark Penn Station is also a good place to watch for NJ TRANSIT heritage painted locomotives.
Is there a train ride near Cape May NJ?
Yes, Cape May Seashore Lines runs passenger excursions in Atlantic and Cape May counties. Recent listings describe a round trip between Richland and Tuckahoe using diesel power. The railroad is a working short line that also hauls freight, and routes have changed over the years, so confirm the boarding point when you book.
Is there a train museum in Paterson NJ?
Yes, the Paterson Museum has a permanent Locomotive Works exhibit about the city's steam locomotive builders. The museum has been run by the City of Paterson since 1925 and sits inside an old locomotive shop. It keeps weekday hours, and it has posted heat closure warnings, so check its website before visiting.
What can you see at Maywood Station Museum?
Maywood Station Museum fills an 1872 New York, Susquehanna & Western depot restored with its potbelly stove, agent's desk, telegraph keys and freight scale. Outside, kids can climb into Caboose 24542, which holds a working model train layout. ALCO S-2 locomotive No. 206, built in 1942, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
How long is the Black River and Western train ride?
The Black River & Western currently uses about six miles of track between Flemington and Ringoes, and visits run about 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the ride. The classic Black River Limited is a simple round trip through Hunterdon County farm country. Themed trains such as the Pumpkin Train add stops and activities.
Does Delaware River Railroad Excursions have gem panning?
Yes, many Delaware River Railroad Excursions trips stop at the Susquehanna Mining Company at Snyders Station, where kids pan for gemstones to take home. The stop includes a picnic grove and lawn games such as cornhole and tetherball. Plan about 3 to 4 hours for a trip with the mine stop.
When is Whippany Railway Museum open?
Whippany Railway Museum is closed for the season until 2027, as of October 2026. In a normal year it opens Sundays from April to October, noon to 4 pm, with event trains in spring and fall. Admission is normally $5 for adults and teens, $3 for ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under.
Can you see a GG1 locomotive in New Jersey?
Yes, the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey lists Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotives at the top of its Boonton Yard roster. The yard opens to the public on scheduled event days. NJ TRANSIT also painted ALP-46A No. 4636 in Pennsylvania Railroad Tuscan Red as a tribute to the GG1, and it runs in regular service.
What are the NJ TRANSIT heritage locomotives?
NJ TRANSIT painted several working locomotives in the colors of earlier railroads, starting with its 40th anniversary in 2019. Watch for No. 4636 in Pennsylvania Railroad Tuscan Red, No. 4519 in Erie Lackawanna colors, No. 4109 in Jersey Central paint and No. 41O1 in the NJDOT Bluebird scheme. They run on regular trains with no posted heritage schedule.
Is there a Polar Express train ride in New Jersey?
Yes, Delaware River Railroad Excursions in Phillipsburg runs The Polar Express in winter. Tickets are sold online, and visitors say popular trains sell out, so book early. The Black River & Western also runs a Santa Express, with a story read on the moving train and photos with Santa in Ringoes Station.
Are there pumpkin trains in New Jersey?
Yes, Delaware River Railroad Excursions runs The Great Pumpkin Train from September 19 to November 1, and every child can pick a free pumpkin. The Black River & Western runs a Pumpkin Train from Flemington Station to Everitt Farms with pumpkin picking and a hay ride. Whippany's Pumpkin Patch Train is paused while that museum is closed until 2027.
Why was New Jersey important to railroad history?
New Jersey sat between New York and Philadelphia, and railroads like the Pennsylvania, Erie, Lackawanna and Jersey Central crossed it. Paterson built steam locomotives shipped around the world. The United Railroad Historical Society calls New Jersey the birthplace of the railroad industry, and it saved much of the state's historic equipment in the 1980s.
Train museums near Trenton NJ?
The Black River & Western Railroad in Flemington and Ringoes is about 25 minutes from Trenton without traffic. The Pine Creek Railroad in Wall Township is about 45 minutes away, and Delaware River Railroad Excursions in Phillipsburg is about 55 minutes north. All three run train rides, mostly on weekends.
Is the Pine Creek Railroad part of Allaire State Park?
No, the Pine Creek Railroad runs inside Allaire State Park in Wall Township, but the New Jersey Museum of Transportation has always been separate from the park and Historic Allaire Village. It is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers with no state or federal funding. Ride tickets and birthday parties help keep the trains running.
Can you visit Boonton Yard in New Jersey?
Yes, but only on scheduled event days, since Boonton Yard is a working restoration and storage site for the United Railroad Historical Society. Railroad Museum for a Day happens once a year, usually in late summer or September, and the yard also opens for Morris County's Pathways of History weekend in early October. Tours can be requested through the society's contact form.
Keep exploring
More family train guides from Rally
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- OctoberHalloween Train RidesPumpkin trains and not-too-spooky rides for little ones, by state.
- NovemberThanksgiving Train RidesHoliday weekend train trips the whole family can share.
- AmtrakAmtrak With KidsWhich Amtrak routes work best with babies, toddlers and big kids.
- Plan a tripTrain Trips With KidsEvery Amtrak route, stop by stop, planned for families.