A trip to Arizona Railway Museum

For our 6th Semester Summer project, we were asked to make a detailed report on locomotives. So my friends and I decided to take a trip to the Arizona Railway Museum. As engineering students, we had a deep interest in the working of various modes of transport, especially trains. Therefore this trip was really memorable for us, and we enjoyed every bit of it. It was one and half hour’s drive from our college, and we reached the place at about 1:00 PM. There was a humble entry fee of $2 per person and the experience gained by investing it was really worthwhile. The museum is run by very skilled volunteers and is open till 4:00 PM only during the weekends.

Arizona Railway Museum was established in 1983 and is located at 330 E. Ryan Rd, Chandler, Arizona. It has a huge collection of railroad rolling artifacts and stocks. The museum itself isn’t that huge, but it provides you with a lot of information. It is very well maintained and has a separate parking lot. Railroad Steam Wrecking Crane and Tool Car and the Southern Pacific Railroad Locomotive No. SP 2562 is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The first thing that we did was taking an educational tour around the place looking at the mechanical aspects and constructions of the engines. The walk through a refurbished 1900’s passenger train was very informative. There were coaches who showed how distinction was made between the rich and the poor travelers during those times. The big engines kept our mouths gaped wide in astonishment. There were lovely passenger cars from the late 1800s along with locomotive units, maintenance units, and old trolley cars. It is a fully functional rail yard so we could see onsite work being done by the volunteer staff.

After jotting down the important mechanical aspects of the locomotives, we decided to sit and have a talk with the other visitors. People of various age groups had come to visit the museums. The old was nostalgic while the youngsters were very enthusiastic about walking through the trains. There was an interactive display for the kids, and the kids enjoyed spending their time. The elderly people reminisced their old days and shared their stories with us. One of the passenger cars was used in a slasher movie that starred Jamie Lee Curtis in her younger days.

We were lucky since a special event was organized on that day. Not only could we walk through the trains but also we were allowed to ring the bell of an old steam engine and blow the horn of a modern-day diesel engine.  My ears were ringing all the way home after that.

All in all, the day was fun and informative, and we will surely love to take a trip to the place again.

Check this place out for another exciting location in Chandler, AZ called KOLI Equestrian Center.