At the center of it all was the New York Central Railroad. Elkhart's National New York Central RR Museum recaptures the days when locomotives were symbols of progress, and ambassadors of goodwill across the country. The Museum was founded in 1987 and is an ever growing preserver of both local and national railroad heritage. Elkhart is a natural home for the museum; its railyard is among America's largest. Then, just as it is today, Elkhart was and is a vital link between East and West during our country's growth. Visitors enter the Museum through a 1915-built passenger coach. This area introduces a timeline to the local railroad history beginning in 1833 with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RR, and tracing it through 1914, when the New York Central gained control of the LSMS. At the end of the coach, the path leads through the Central System Gift Shop and into the Museum's main gallery located in a 100 year old freight house complex.

This area, (the old freight house), features the history of the New York Central on the local and national level. There are numerous hands-on exhibits to help visitors "live" railroad history.

• A Gandydancer display lets the visitor "construct" railroad track.
• The Interactive Mohawk, 3001, Steam Engine display, with bell, whistle, and throttle sounds, letting every visitor live their dream of becoming a locomotive engineer.
• A video room permits one to sit and enjoy many railroad related videos.
• Exhibits will also take visitors through the creation of Penn Central, Amtrak, Conrail (and in the future, Conrail's division by CSX and Norfolk Southern), to complete their railroad journey.
• The new O'gauge train layout is housed in an adjacent room and is open to the public year round.

A second passenger coach along the freight house serves as the Museum's archives, library and offices. Upon leaving the freight house complex, visitors exit through the Central System Gift Shop and can follow the dock down past our E8 and on out to the rolling stock collection.

Once outside, visitors will view rolling stock which include an L3a "Mohawk", 4-8-2, steam locomotive, #3001 built in 1940, it is the largest piece of NYC steam equipment left in existence. The Museum also has an E-8 diesel-electric built in 1953, that will be painted in the lightning stripe motif. This locomotive, NYC #4085,was the lead locomotive of East bound 20th Century Limited when it left Chicago bound for New York City for the last time on December 3, 1967. The 4085 as she was during Penn Central.

The Museum also has a PRR, GG-1 electric locomotive built in 1939 that has been painted in Penn Central livery, the only known locomotive to have been done so. In the future #4882 will be returned to its original Pennsylvania RR livery. (click here to see a photo of it)

Among the other pieces is a 150 ton crane, from Harmon,NY, built in the 1920's for the New York Central Railroad. A 1920's wooden PRR boxcar. Two B&0 steel boxcars. A 250T Self-propelled crane, ex-NYC from Selkirk, NY. A New York Central Lines, Railroad Post Office, as well as a PRR Diner.