Moving day: Railroaders museum launches rail yard renovations | News, Sports, Jobs

The work is part of several significant projects underway this year at the museum’s 1200 Ninth Ave. complex, the museum announced.

One project includes an overhaul of the rail yard event space that Frederick said will create “a unique and accessible venue to celebrate and remember local railroaders.”

While museum staff didn’t want to divulge the complete remodel plans, saying it will be a surprise saved for a later date, the project is made possible thanks to a donation from a nonprofit foundation, which organizers also declined to name, stating that, too, will be revealed later.

“I’m hoping that when it’s completed it’ll be something everyone can enjoy,” said executive director Joe DeFrancesco. “The final product will be something that complements the museum being a world class facility.”

Bryce Saylor & Sons employees used cranes to lift and turn rail cars on the grounds of the Railroaders Memorial Museum.
Courtesy photo

He said the final result will be a “more sustainable setup than what we had previously.”

The overhaul of the rail yard is needed as the plan is to make the space better for the many people who will use it.

“We want to make it more user friendly for rentals, special events and educational programming,” Frederick said.

Work on the outdoor space includes a new covered stage — that will complement the historic architecture of the museum’s 1882 Master Mechanics Building — concrete walkways, knee walls, outdoor lighting and picnic tables, he said.

“So it’s better for festivals, rentals, weddings and all sorts of things going on out there,” he added. “The possibilities are endless for what we can do on this new stage. We finally have the funding available.”

Renovations to the rail yard at the Railroaders Memorial Museum are underway.
Courtesy photo

“The yard space here has been pretty stagnant over the years,” said museum curator Andrew Brumbaugh.

When complete, he said the space will “probably be one of the best sites in the county.”

Renovations and improvements will take place at least through the rest of the year, organizers said, and include the relocation of rolling stock.

“Not only is the building important and artifacts within it, but the rolling stock is worthy of preservation and there are not many pieces of these left,” Frederick said. “There are several components to slowly restore pieces themselves and the big thing is preserving the rail cars currently sitting out there.”

According to Frederick, five railcars and a signal bridge are being moved or repositioned; they’ll be restored and remain on the property. Some of the work to move the cars began earlier this week when Bryce Saylor & Sons Inc. brought in cranes to lift and turn the pieces.

The cars being repositioned include the PRR D78 Dining Car, PRR N5 Cabin Car, PRR R50b Refrigerator Car, PRR X29 Boxcar, and the repositioning of a PRR Tender. In addition, the former Horseshoe Curve four track signal bridge will be moved beside the roundhouse. The PRR FD2 “Queen Mary” depressed center flat car will be restablized onto a new parallel display track.

The repositioning of the equipment is beneficial to the preservation of the rolling stock as the new configuration will provide a way to move the cars inside for restoration and proper storage.

The Benzel’s Pretzel caboose was moved to the museum from the pretzel maker’s Sixth Avenue location several weeks ago.

“We worked with Benzel’s Pretzels and they decided their car was worthy of preservation and they themselves couldn’t do it, so we kind of struck a deal,” Frederick said. “It’s still kind of settling into its new home a little, but the plan is to restore it fully in the near future.”

While work is ongoing at the museum, some areas will be closed to the public, including the roundhouse. But the museum itself will remain open Wednesdays through Sundays, and Frederick said it will be business as usual to the greatest extent possible.

Limited guided tours of the roundhouse and rail yard will be offered to museum visitors, depending on staffing and rail yard availability, he said.

“We’re going to remain flexible and work with the public so they can get access,” Frederick said.

And the museum will continue to host the history after hours lecture series, which is held on the first Thursday of each month, and will host the Blair County African American Heritage Festival in its parking lot July 23-24.

“Even though we lost access to the rail yard and having the possibility of events there, we are still having plenty of events you can come to,” Frederick said. “There are plenty of things in the works.”

According to a news release, the work at the museum is designed to create a unique and accessible venue to celebrate the industrial heritage of Central Pennsylvania.

“It’ll be a lovely space when all is said and done,” Frederick said.

Mirror Staff Writer Andrew Mollenauer is at 814-946-7428.