Governor Rendell Releases $5 Million for Major Improvements at Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Project Will Help Boost Tourism, Preserve State's Railroad History

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the release of $5 million in state funds for major improvements at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Lancaster County. This investment of capital funds will help boost Pennsylvania's tourism industry while preserving the state's storied railroad history.

Barbara Franco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), said $500,000 will be used for the design of a 16,000-square-foot roundhouse that incorporates the museum's existing turntable and will be able to house a significant number of the museum's extensive collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock currently stored outdoors. Many of the locomotives that will be preserved in the new building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are among the only surviving examples of their kind. The Governor's Office anticipates releasing an additional $6.1 million for the elements. 

Franco said $4.5 million is allocated for the design, fabrication and installation of new permanent exhibits that examine Pennsylvania's railroading history from its earliest beginnings to the present day. The exhibits will explore the social, economic, and technological history of Pennsylvania railroading, using the museum's collection of artifacts and rolling stock to illustrate the story. Together, the new roundhouse and new exhibits will make the Railroad Museum even more attractive to families and visitors of all ages.  

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, which opened to the public in 1973, is one of the nation's premier railroad museums and is among the most visited sites along the Pennsylvania Trail of History.

The museum is administered by the PHMC with the active support of the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Visit the museum online at www.rrmuseumpa.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor