Museum of the American Railroad

UPDATE

Age of Steam Railroad Museum now has a new name: Museum of the American Railroad.

Published on GuideLive.com: 12.01.06

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In the United States, train travel has gone the way of the caboose, but the Age of Steam Museum transports visitors back to an era that put Dallas on the map.

This landlocked city grew up around tracks that crisscrossed the area, and the vintage cars in this old rail yard, maintained by the Southwest Railroad Historical Society, comprise one of the finest collections of steam and early diesel trains in the United States. Visitors to the Age of Steam enter through the oldest depot in Dallas, opened in 1903, and board vintage locomotives (including Big Boy, one of eight remaining of the world's largest steam engines) and Pullman sleeping cars on a self-paced tour. Guided group tours are available by appointment, and the dining and parlor cars can also be rented for private parties.
- CATHERINE CUELLAR
The Age of Steam Museum has added a 1942 diesel engine, an ALCO 539 series RSD-1 number 8000 diesel electric locomotive. The locomotive, one of the reliable "Iron Camels," hauled supply trains during World War II. It was acquired by TXI and been in service at the Midlothian plant for almost 25 years.