Virtual Tour

Observation Car

Looking out over Main St., is the City of Elkhart, a 1937 stainless steel observation car. With plenty of windows and tables and chairs, you can enjoy a snack while train-watching and comparing the views of downtown Elkhart and the passenger depot with the historic photographs displayed throughout the car. 

This space can be rented for events! Click this link to learn more. 

For more information about this and the other passenger cars in our collection, click this link. 

History Hallway/ Gallery Coach 

The History Hallway, or Gallery Coach, is the Museum's first and oldest exhibit, located at the front of the Museum inside a real passenger car. (Learn more about the St Joseph River car through this link.) This exhibit explores the early history of rail, both for the New York Central and in Elkhart. Travel through time, learning about the Clinton DeWitt train, the beginnings of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, and how Elkhart evolved into a significant rail hub. 

Freight Deck 

Exiting the History Hallway, you enter the Freight Deck. Now an indoor exhibit space, this area used to be a real functioning deck for loading and unloading goods on freight trains passing through Elkhart. 

This space is presently in a period of transition as new and updated exhibits are formed, so be on the lookout for changes! 

New: Reefer Car display

Leaving soon: Miles Medical Company wall; #3001 Mohawk bell and other parts (Click the following link to learn more about the #3001 and the American Locomotive Project: americanloco.org)

Coming soon: Elkhart Rail 175

Freight House (east)

Step off the Freight Deck into a real freight house! Built in the 1900s, this was once a functional freight house owned by the Miles Medical Company. Today, it houses the majority of the Museum's exhibits. 

• Kid's Play Area. This large space provides children with a memorable hands-on experience. Here, you can build your own trains and railroads with Legos and wooden train sets, lay a rail and drive a spike with our Gandy Dancer display, and operate a kid-size steam locomotive! 
• Station Master's Office. This room recreates the office of a station master with many items that came right out of the passenger depot across the tracks! 
• Lanterns and tools. Learn more about the daily operation of railroads through objects once used by real railroad employees. 
• The 20th Century Limited. Learn about the "world's most famous train" and the glory days of passenger train travel when Elkhart was the train's most important stop. Exhibit remodel coming soon. 
• Mohawk Interactive Display. See and run the innerworkings of a Mohawk steam locomotive. 

Coming soon: 20th Century Limited extensive remodel 

Uniform Room

Beside the Station Master's Office, take a step back onto the freight deck for a space dedicated to the employees that made all of rail history possible! See real New York Central uniforms, learn about the Elkhart Railroad Police, and discover the lasting legacy of Pullman Porters. 

New exhibit: The New York Central Athletic Association (completed September 2025) 

Leaving soon: Cardinal Train exhibit 

Coming soon: expanded Pullman exhibit, new interpretive signage

Model Trains

Step from one freight house into another to enter a room that can make anyone feel like a little kid again! The westernmost freight house, built in the 1900s, is home to the NNYCRRM's extensive model train collection and a state-of-the-art two-tier O-gauge layout. With trainsets rotated regularly and walls lined with railroad art and model trains, there is always a surprise in store. 

Beyond the Model Train room, is the Museum Event Space. Learn more about renting this space by clicking here. 

Outdoor Freight Deck

Walking out the door of the Model Train Room takes you to the Museum's outdoor exhibits and rolling stock yard. Peer inside the engine of #4085– the E-8 diesel locomotive that pulled the last eastbound 20th Century Limited– and take a seat in its cab to toot its horn! 

Station House

A brand-new addition to the museum is the NIBCO Century Flyer amusement train Station House, where passengers can wait for their rides! 

Learn more about the NIBCO Century Flyer through this link. 

Rolling Stock Yard 

Step back in time in our rolling stock yard, which once functioned as part of the freight depot. Learn about our rolling stock and equipment through this link.