Museum Info
Welcome to the Kentucky Railway Museum...
America fell in love with the railroad long before it became infatuated with the automobile!
Kentucky Railway Museum, just off the beaten path in New Haven, Kentucky, (see map) seeks to preserve that relationship. Recapture the gentle excitement of the local passenger train when it was small-town America's link with the world. Turn the clock back fifty years, riding through forests, fields, and farmlands, through the scenic and historic Rolling Fork River Valley. (A view from the train) Boarding at New Haven, just fifteen minutes south of Bardstown, your twenty-two mile journey takes an hour and a half.
On selected weekends and major holidays the only restored Louisville and Nashville steam locomotive, No. 152 powers your train. Built in 1905, it was at the head of passenger trains on this railroad when it was the L&N Lebanon Branch, once a vital artery through central Kentucky. A thirteen-year volunteer restoration effort brought this beautiful locomotive back to life. On other days, first-generation diesels provide motive power for the authentic day coaches on our Lebanon Branch. These include locomotives from the Monon, Santa Fe, US Army, and US Air Force railroads.
Visit the Museum's collection of railroad artifacts and memorabilia, housed in a replica of the original New Haven depot. Browse in our museum store for a gift item with a railroad theme. Sit in the shade of the station yard and sip a cool drink. Truly, "return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear!"
Central Kentucky is a land of history...
Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace
and Lincoln's Boyhood Home...
My Old Kentucky Home
State Park at Bardstown ...
the Maker's Mark Distillery at Loretto ...
Mammoth Cave National Park...
Ft. Knox and the Patton Museum...
these are just a few of the outstanding historic attractions within a short drive of the Kentucky Railway Museum.
The railroad itself is rich in history...
The Lebanon Branch was one of the first built by the old Louisville and Nashville as it worked south toward Tennessee in the 1850s. Tracks reached Boston in November, 1856, New Haven in July, 1857, and Lebanon later that year. Much of the work was done by farmers who lived along the line, eager for the benefits the railroad would bring. The new railroad was a vital artery during the Civil War, making it a target for Confederate raiders. Several skirmishes were fought along the line, and the bridge at New Haven was destroyed at least once. On selected weekends through the year, re-enactments of skirmishes and train robberies are staged by the Wiggington Guerillas, a local re-enactment group, with the proceeds donated to charity.
Crossing Through Our Area?
