Wichita Falls Railroad Museum, Texas

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Wichita Falls, Texas · Updated October 19, 2026 · 11 min read

Railroad museumWorking toward a full reopening; contact the museum for current hours

The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum keeps the city's railroad story at Depot Square, on the site of the former Union Station, where Fort Worth and Denver steam Engine 304 leads a collection of locomotives, railcars and artifacts that volunteers are bringing back to life.

  • Founded in 1980
  • Steam Engine 304, built 1906
  • KATY NW2 switcher No. 1029
  • On the old Union Station site
  • Historic ironwork entrance gates
  • Reopening with community support

Wichita Falls Railroad Museum at a glance

Hours
Contact the museum for current hours and tour availability
Admission
Not yet posted; the museum's ticket page says tickets are coming soon
Plan for
About 1 hour
Best for
Rail fans and local history lovers
Accessibility
Contact the museum for accessibility information before visiting.

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

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Wichita Falls Railroad 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 Wichita Falls.

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.

From the first train in 1882 to a museum fighting its way back

Wichita Falls owes a great deal to the railroad. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway was chartered in 1873, but a financial panic and frontier conflict stalled it for years. When construction finally pushed north from Fort Worth in 1882, the survey missed Wichita Falls by seven miles. Citizens insisted the tracks come to town, and J. H. Barwise, whom the museum calls the father and architect of the city, donated 80 acres to make it happen. The rails arrived on September 21, 1882, and the first passenger train rolled in on September 27 with about 250 riders. For the next 20 months the town was the end of the line, and it prospered.

The museum was founded in 1980 to preserve railroad, streetcar and pioneer history. It began in historic Depot Square, moved over the years, and returned to Depot Square in 1992, settling on the site of the former Wichita Falls Union Station.

The last few years have tested it. The museum closed in November 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for a time the plan was to end its city lease and move the collection elsewhere. That plan never became final, and the museum board won a new one-year lease from the city council by unanimous vote in 2023, followed by another in 2024. Since then, volunteers have taken on restoration projects and fundraisers, floated lively event ideas from staged bank robberies to Christmas parades, and proposed a brick platform to recall Union Station. The museum says community support is what keeps its locomotives, railcars, gates and stories available for future generations.

Engine 304, the KATY switcher and the railyard at Depot Square

The collection is mostly outdoors. You enter through the historic gates, with ornate ironwork and brick columns that are part of the preserved character of the city's railroad district. Inside, Fort Worth and Denver Engine 304 is the centerpiece, and the museum invites visitors to see equipment from the engineer's point of view, with a look inside the cab of 304 and a closer look at locomotive 1029.

Beyond the two locomotives, the rolling stock includes commuter cars, Pullman troop sleepers, dining cars, Railway Post Office and baggage cars, and cabooses, along with railroad artifacts that tell how the line connected North Texas to the rest of the nation. School visits and group tours can be arranged by asking the museum.

Don’t miss

  1. Fort Worth and Denver Engine 304A B-4-R steam locomotive built by Brooks Locomotive Works in 1906, converted to burn oil in 1929, and given to the Wichita Falls Rotary Club in 1955 before coming to the museum.
  2. KATY NW2 No. 1029Built by EMD in 1947, it was the first diesel switcher the Missouri-Kansas-Texas assigned to Wichita Falls. The railroad bought it back from scrappers so it could be donated to the museum.
  3. The historic gatesIronwork and brick columns that frame the entrance to the museum grounds and the old railroad district.
  4. Pullman troop sleepersPart of a passenger car lineup that also includes dining cars and commuter cars.
  5. Post Office and baggage carsEquipment that shows how mail and freight moved on passenger trains.

Big engines to stand beside

The museum's motto is history you can stand beside, and for children that means full-size locomotives and railcars up close. A look into the cab of Engine 304 gives kids the engineer's view. Because the collection is outdoors, plan for North Texas weather with hats and water in warm months.

Visiting arrangements are still taking shape as the museum reopens, so email contact@wfrrm.co to ask about hours, tours and accessibility before bringing young children. Schools can ask about class visits.

Plan your visit: tips for Wichita Falls Railroad Museum

  • Email contact@wfrrm.co to confirm hours and entry before you go.
  • Ask about school visits and group tours ahead of time.
  • Follow the museum's Facebook page for reopening news and events.
  • Most of the collection is outdoors, so dress for the weather.

Volunteers bringing it back

The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum is a nonprofit, and its board and volunteers have kept it alive through a difficult stretch, restoring equipment and raising funds toward a full reopening. The museum is still looking for volunteers and donations. Write to volunteer@wfrrm.co to help, or give through the museum's support page and local campaigns like Texoma Gives.

The closest rail stops to Wichita Falls

Wichita Falls is a long drive from other rail museums. The Fort Worth Stockyards Trinity River Train is about 102 miles away, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad about 106 miles, and the Historic Katy Depot in Denison about 113 miles. Browse more in our list of Texas train museums.

Every train museum in Texas

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of a dad lifting Rally the corgi up the big stairs of a red train car
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

The museum invites people to look at Engine 304 from the engineer's point of view, and I love that idea for little ones. Those cab steps on a 1906 steam engine are steep, and in our book Rally's short legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. Every small explorer deserves that kind of lift. You can read how Rally's story came to be on our story page.

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 Wichita Falls Railroad 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.

Wichita Falls Railroad Museum: 20 questions answered

Is the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum open?

The museum closed in November 2020 during the pandemic, won new city leases in 2023 and 2024, and is working toward a full reopening. Its website asks visitors to contact the museum for current hours, tour availability and entry information. Email contact@wfrrm.co or check its Facebook page before you go.

Where is the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

The museum is at Depot Square in Wichita Falls, Texas 76301, on the site of the former Wichita Falls Union Station. The museum does not post a street address, so email contact@wfrrm.co or check the museum's Facebook page for directions to the entrance gates.

What are the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum hours?

The museum does not currently post regular hours online. Its website asks visitors to contact it before coming for current hours, tour availability and entry information. Email contact@wfrrm.co, and watch the museum's Facebook page for open days and events as reopening progresses.

How much does the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum cost?

Admission prices were not posted as of October 2026; the museum's tickets page simply says tickets are coming soon. Email contact@wfrrm.co to ask about entry, tours or a donation-based visit, and check the website again for ticket details as the museum reopens.

What is Engine 304 at the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

Engine 304 is a B-4-R steam locomotive built in 1906 by Brooks Locomotive Works for the Fort Worth and Denver Railway. It was converted to burn oil in 1929, donated to the Wichita Falls Rotary Club in 1955, and later given to the museum, where it is the signature locomotive.

What is KATY locomotive 1029?

No. 1029 is an EMD NW2 diesel switcher built in 1947 for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, and the first KATY diesel switcher assigned to Wichita Falls. The railroad bought it back from scrappers so it could be donated, but the scrappers kept the engine and traction motors, so it is now a dummy unit.

What can you see at the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

The outdoor collection includes steam Engine 304, KATY diesel switcher 1029, commuter cars, Pullman troop sleepers, dining cars, Railway Post Office and baggage cars, cabooses and railroad artifacts. The historic iron and brick entrance gates are also part of what the museum preserves.

When was the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum founded?

The museum was founded in 1980 to preserve railroad, streetcar and pioneer history. It started in Depot Square, moved locations over the years, and has been back in Depot Square since 1992, on the site of the former Union Station.

When did the railroad come to Wichita Falls?

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway's tracks reached Wichita Falls on September 21, 1882, and the first passenger train arrived on September 27, 1882, carrying about 250 passengers from the Fort Worth area. The town remained the end of the line for the next 20 months.

Why did the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum close?

The museum closed in November 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A plan to end its lease and move the collection to the Museum of North Texas History was never finalized, and the city council later granted the museum new leases in 2023 and 2024 so it could work toward reopening.

Is the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum good for kids?

Children who like big machines enjoy standing beside full-size locomotives and railcars, and the museum highlights a view inside the cab of Engine 304. Because visiting arrangements are still taking shape during reopening, email contact@wfrrm.co to plan a family visit.

Can schools or groups tour the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

Yes, the museum invites schools and groups to ask about visits and group tours. Since hours are by arrangement while it reopens, reach out well ahead of your preferred date. Email contact@wfrrm.co with your group size, ages and the date you have in mind.

Is the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum wheelchair accessible?

The museum asks visitors to contact it for accessibility information before visiting. The collection is mostly outdoors around historic railcars, so conditions vary. Email contact@wfrrm.co to ask about paths, steps and the best way to see the equipment.

Where can I see Wichita Falls Railroad Museum photos?

The museum's website has a gallery page, and its Facebook page, The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum, posts photos of Engine 304, restoration work and events. Those are the best places to see the collection before a visit.

What do Wichita Falls Railroad Museum reviews say?

Because the museum has been closed or on limited access since 2020, recent visitor reviews are scarce. The museum's Facebook page, where it shares updates and restoration progress, is the most current source of what visitors and volunteers are saying.

Are there events at the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

Part of the museum's revival plan has been special events to draw people back, with ideas such as staged bank robberies, shootouts, murder mysteries and Christmas parades proposed. Watch the museum's Facebook page for the events it actually schedules.

How can I volunteer at the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

The museum is actively looking for volunteers to help with restoration and reopening. Email volunteer@wfrrm.co to get involved, or use the Get Involved section of the museum's website. No experience requirements are posted, so ask what roles are open.

How can I donate to the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum?

Donations help the nonprofit restore its locomotives and railcars and move toward a full reopening. Give through the Connect and Support section of wfrrm.co or through local campaigns such as Texoma Gives, which the museum features on its website.

Is there a train museum in Wichita Falls?

Yes. The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum at Depot Square is the city's train museum, with steam Engine 304, diesel switcher 1029 and a collection of railcars. It is working toward a full reopening, so contact it at contact@wfrrm.co before visiting.

What train museums are near Wichita Falls?

The nearest rail attractions on our site are about 100 miles away: the Fort Worth Stockyards Trinity River Train about 102 miles, the Grapevine Vintage Railroad about 106 miles, the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco about 109 miles, and the Historic Katy Depot in Denison about 113 miles.

Keep exploring

More family train guides from Rally

Kelsey Cecil
Previous

Tucumcari Railroad Museum, New Mexico
Next

Arizona State Railroad Museum in Williams, Arizona