Visited a new-to-me train museum today, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA.
It has quite a collection! Here are some highlights:
1939 Replica of the circa 1825 John Stevens locomotive built with the remaining pieces and the recollections of Stevens's grandson. Note the strap rails (lumber rails with iron strapped on top) with a cog rail in between.
Circa 1838 0-4-0 "Rocket" built by Braithwaite & Co in England for the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. With a domed firebox and 0-4-0 configuration, it was a classic Bury style locomotive for the time, though the connecting rods seem to have disappeared at some point, much like John Bull.
Circa 1940 replica of the 1831 "John Bull" built by Robert Stevenson & Co for the Camden & Amboy Rail Road. The actual John Bull was originally a virtual clone of the Liverpool & Manchester's "large luggage locomotives", 0-4-0 modifications of the 2-2-0 Planet, the first modern steam locomotive. Over its life, John Bull acquired a pony truck, cowcatcher, and enclosed tender, etc, which marked as one of the first Americanized locomotives. The original is the Smithsonian.
Circa 1836 Pennsylvania Rail Road passenger car, one the first ever built with bogies/trucks and full longitudinal seating. There wasn't really any suspension though, so would've been a rough ride.
1875 2-6-0 "Tahoe" built by Baldwin for the Virginia & Truckee Rail Road (Nevada). Beautifully restored.
PRR G5 #5741, circa 1923. The G5 class were the largest and most powerful production 4-6-0 locomotives ever built.
