Richmond, Virginia, took its classic, domed ACL Union Station and used it to house a beautiful Museum of Science. One of the best parts, at least in my opinion, is three quality tracks, each about 500 feet long, were left in place, complete with platforms and elegant iron stanchions, hold up a class platform shelter. On one track are three passenger cars, one being an RF&P observation, and two stainless steel cars. At the far end of the display yard stands C&O 2732, a 2-8-4 that once stood neglected and partially stripped, in a park near the Interstate. Today, stripped of asbestos, but needing some professional attention, she sits one a display plinth. Her jewelry has been reattached, and she is well fenced in, with property guards. The remaining tracks beg for additional railroad displays, although I have no idea what the museum intends to do with them. Perhaps, groups with restoration work might persuade the Museum to perform restoration as a display, where the public could watch and learn, and your charges would be secure? Just a thought.

As I'm now heading back to Maine, this will probably be my last "treasure" on this trip. I hope the reports have been fun, if not informative.

Quality track? Do my eyes deceive me, or is that 2-8-4 sitting on a piece of track with concrete ties? Quality track indeed!

I'm glad to see some things like this in Virginia; if only more could be done. For some reason, despite all the things that happened in Virginia and elsewhere later, scenery, tourism efforts, historic attractions, and history itself all seem to end with Appomatox Court House in 1865.

It would make a great rail museum and AMTRAK station. With the growth of rail service to Richmond. Amtrak keeps spending money to upgrade the Richmond station. Which when I was there last was a little bigger than a shoebox. It's time for Amtrak to get a property that is set up for their business. That is Richmond Union Station. The museum that is there now could stay or move on. Public interest demands it. (As the railroads used to say)

The Kanawha is on an isolated piece of track, but the rest of the yard is platform track, nice and level, and the platforms are the originals, kept in lovely condition. That is why I recommended that the track space be used for either display or renovation that shows the public how it's done.

I'm not sure if Broad Street station is usable today for intercity passenger service due to routing changes, but you may be interested to know (if you didn't already) that the Main Street station has been restored, and sees Amtrak trains.

http://www.richmondgov.com/MainStreetStation/index.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Stree ... _(Richmond)

http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/richmondmain.htm

Enjoy.

The science museum's "about" page gives a little history of this wonderful domed building.

http://www.smv.org/aboutus.html

Here's Google's aerial view showing the engine, platform, and tracks (still connected to the outside world).

http://tinyurl.com/google-smv-aerial-view

The Google Streetview camera car has gone all the way up to the end of Terminal Place so use your mouse to drag the little gold man over so the green dot is at the end of the road, and Streetview will open. Mouse around the point of view and you can see the 2-8-4 from ground level.

Steve