Ever wished you could step back in time and ride the rails? At the Historic Railpark & Train Museum in Bowling Green,Kentucky I almost felt like I had traveled into the past. We began our visit in the Gift Shop where a huge model train is displayed. We took turns pressing the buttons to make the train travel around the tracks before heading inside to the museum. We stopped at the Ask The Engineer interactive exhibit to learned facts I never knew before. Did you know time zones were invented by the nation’s railroads to help standardize the schedule of arriving and departing trains? Or the engineer recommended wearing cloth gloves instead of leather when operating the train because the leather gloves would melt onto your hand when handling hot equipment?
After exploring the museum we went downstairs to what was once the segregated waiting area to begin a guided tour of the museum and the box cars. Burned during the Civil War, the next depot was delayed due to lack of capital. Later, Milton Smith, president of L& N, angry with the citizens of Bowling Green, moved railroad operations to Paris, Tennessee. Shortly after his death, the railroad moved back to Bowling Green. The present depot was opened in 1925.
The Vintage Railroad Car tour is fascinating and allows hands on opportunities for everyone. Our tour on the cars began in the engine room, with the kids on the tour sitting in the engineer’s chair. We continued into the Mail Car, where as many as four clerks could be found at once. The narrow, cramped quarters allowed little room to maneuver! Included in the mail car was a small stuffed dog, a tribute to a dog who had ridden the rails years ago and was said to have brought good luck to the mail clerks.
Next, we stepped into the Pullman Dining Car to sit at the tables just like customers of old. The Pullman Dining Cars were independently owned by the Pullman company, never the railroads. They hired their own employees and named their cars after members of the food service industry. We sat in the Duncan Hines car, yes, the man the cake was named after, who was a renowned food critic. The sleeping cars made me thankful for hotels when I am traveling! The seats were converted into bunks at night and folded up in the morning. I can’t imagine trying to move from the top bunk to the bathroom located at the end of the car. Private bunks were available in another car, which also included a toilet. The worst part was the bed covered the toilet at night!
We made our way through the kitchen and the former L&N railroad president’s private car. As much as he disliked the citizens of Bowling Green and tried to make the city suffer, the citizens got the last laugh with his car at their museum!
If you go: Allow at least one and a half to two hours for the tour. The guided tour lasts 30 to 45 minutes and the last tour leaves between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. Several cars including a WWII Unit Hospital car and a rare 3-section Segregation rail car are in the process of being restored.
This looks like so much fun, I love traveling and exploring new places — especially when there are trains involved! 🙂
My kids would have a blast exploring this museum. That mail car section would be a favorite with my 4 year old while Hubs would just love to crash on that bed!
My daughter adores riding on and learning about trains. It’s funny how they fascinate her at such a young age.
Oh how fun! Our family enjoys taking trips like this!
We have been seriously considering taking a trip by train since my 7 year old is obsessed with them.
Wow that looks wonderful! Great photos. My sons would be all over this!
Sometimes I’d like to travel by train. Don’t they just look so fun!
My son would love this! He is obsessed with trains!
My son would have gone nuts for that train museum! He loves anything trains
He’s probably rolling in his grave like crazy now. 😉 That’s really neat about the time zones having to do with trains!
What a beautiful place to go to! I hope that you had a fun time. 😀
I love visiting historic sites. The WWII hospital care would neat once it is done.
That looks like a great museum to visit. My boys love trains. They would be all over that.
What a fascinating trip! The floor in the main lobby of the station is breathtaking. I can’t believe they have kept it up so darn well.
What a cool place to visit. We love trains, especially old ones, and this looks so well preserved.
My son would love this. He loves trains and everything associated with them!
This is really cool. I’ve never ridden a train before, but my grandma has (across country, no less.) Looking at the different cars here makes it seem like it would have been a lot of fun to travel by train!
I really have had a love affair with trains my whole life. I think it started when I was a little kid and we would get to ride some of the old trains in the area for our school field trips. About 20 years ago I took Amtrack cross country with my young boys by myself. Yikes! My husband had to work and I was visiting family. We actually had a great time and they loved it. I would like to do it again with my husband and my now adult sons.
This looks so beautiful. I have never been on a train or ridden a train or toured a train. They seem fascinating and I have to wonder how the comfort was back them back in the days.
How cool! I’d love to go see this museum. I love historical sites that you can tour like this.
The floor in the main depot is beautiful. This makes me want to take a train somewhere.
Wouldn’t it have been great to be able to have traveled on this train. I love museums like this.
I am a huge fan of rail museums and trains. We really enjoy the train system here as they have some fun little family days for a decent price and they’ll drive to a cute little town for a festival or something.
This is just the kind of place I love to visit. The pictures are great, and I bet it was an awesome place to see.
What a neat place to visit. I like the fact that it is hands on. My son would love it, he has been into trains since he was little.
That is really cool. My friends son loves trains all the time.
Bowling Green looks like a perfect stopping location on our trips. We have driven through but never stopped. We will be stopping the next time we travel
My son would love this. he recently is into trains! Also my grandfather and his two generations before him were railroad workers.
That is SO cool! Not only would I love to visit, but my boys would totally enjoy that museum.