Whippany Railway Museum

The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride located in the Whippany section of Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States.

History[]

In 1965, Whippany was the location of the Morris County Central Railroad, a steam excursion railroad. A group of employees of the Morris County Central Railroad came together to form the Morris County Central Railroad Museum and used half of the Morristown and Erie freight house. In 1967, the freight house was moved across the tracks to its present-day location. During the years from 1967 to 1973, the museum was visited by thousands of railfans who had come to ride the excursion trains. In 1973, due to financial pressures, the Morris County Central Railroad moved its operation to Newfoundland, NJ. One year later, the Morris County Central Railroad Museum also moved to a restored refrigerator car at the Newfoundland, NJ, location where it operated as the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum (PVTM).

The tough economics of the late 1970s, as well as several serious acts of vandalism and arson to the railroad's equipment and its facilities, caused the closure of the railroad. Morris County Central Railroad ran its last train on December 14, 1980, in heavy snow. However, the museum stayed open.

In 1983, the members of the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum began looking for a new site, preferably in a railroad structure. The freight house at Whippany was immediately considered, but it was in very bad shape, having suffered from the ravages of nature and time, as well as vandalism. The building was scheduled to be demolished but the members of the Pequannock Valley Transportation Museum began cleaning up the site, as well as restoring the freight house building itself. Restoration included lifting the building up and replacing its crumbling foundation. In January 1984, the PVTM moved the last of its property down to Whippany. During this time, the Museum was reorganized as the Whippany Railway Museum to better reflect its new location. Work continued throughout 1984 and 1985, refinishing and setting up displays, as well as creating a gift shop. Finally, on October 26, 1985, the Whippany Railway Museum had its grand opening.

The museum has continued to flourish at its Whippany location, as well as expanding its collection of New Jersey railroad history. In early 2011, the Whippany Museum was recognized for its efforts in the preservation of this history by a proclamation from the New Jersey State Assembly. This proclamation applauded the efforts of the volunteers who preserve the history of railroading in the state of New Jersey for future generations, as well as recognizing the events and excursion rides that are regularly hosted by the museum.

Rolling Stock[]

Locomotive	Builder	Type	Built	Status
United States Army No. 4039	American Locomotive Company	0-6-0	1942	Being restored to operational condition
Southern Railway No. 385	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-8-0	1907	Static display
Texaco No. 7240	H.K. Porter	0-4-0F	1937	Static display
RV 16	General Electric	70 Ton Switcher	1951	Static display
RV 17	General Electric	70 Ton Switcher	1954	Awaiting cosmetic restoration
ME 21	American Locomotive Company	ALCO RS-1	1954	Static display
M&E Section Gang Car No. TC-1	Fairmont Railway Motors Company	A6-F	1956	Static display
M&E Railbus No. 10	White Company	Rail Motor Car	1917	Operational
NYS&W No. 151	Whitcomb Company	Whitcomb Switcher	1942	Static display