Getting ready forthe Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Nearly 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars in Strasburg, many of them inside a 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall. Sensory bags with headphones, tactile toys, fidget toys and books can be signed out at the Front Desk, and the museum holds sensory hours with lower lights and sound when it lists them.
Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, 12 pm to 4 pm, with last entry at 3:30 pm; closed Monday and Tuesday. Closed Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov 26 2026), Christmas Day (Friday, Dec 25 2026) and New Year's Day (Friday, Jan 1 2027). Inside, Stewart Junction closes at 3:30 pm, and the Exhibit Gallery and Whistle Stop Shop at 3:45 pm. An average visit is 90 minutes to two hours.
“Now available to be signed out at the Front Desk and borrowed for use during your visit.” rrmuseumpa.org (Sensory Bags)
“Sensory bags include: headphones, tactile toys, fidget toys, and books.”
“it is a large indoor space, with large distances between the Main Lobby/Restrooms and the rest of the building and its exhibits.”
“The only restrooms in the museum are located at the front of the lobby near the Front Ticket Desk.”
“The museum will reduce lighting, sounds, and maintain a low attendance. We will have “quiet spaces” for breaks, and a few trains open with museum staff present to answer questions.” Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania on Eventbrite (Sensory Hour)
The museum strongly encourages visitors who may need accommodations to contact it before the visit to make arrangements. The Front Ticket Desk takes accessibility questions at (717) 687-8628, ext 3004, or email info@rrmuseumpa.org.
Which locomotives and cars are open to step inside changes every day and depends on staff and volunteers, so a favorite engine may be closed. The museum suggests calling ahead on the day of your visit to ask what's open; some closed cars have a virtual tour kiosk with a 360° view inside.
There are model railroads in the main lobby and in Stewart Junction, so you can see a layout in the lobby before heading into the hall.
Sensory bags with headphones, tactile toys, fidget toys and books can be signed out at the Front Desk and borrowed during your visit.
At a Sensory Hour, when the museum lists one, lighting and sounds are reduced, attendance is kept low and there are quiet spaces for breaks; everyone who attends has to pre-register.
Rolling Stock Hall is about 100,000 square feet, with long distances from the lobby to the exhibits, and the only restrooms are in the lobby near the Front Ticket Desk.
Tickets: adults (12 to 64) $10, seniors (65+) $9, youth (3 to 11) $8, and 2 and under free; groups of 10 or more adults call for discounted rates. Through Museums for All, admission is $2 per person for any visitor with an ACCESS or EBT card and a valid state ID. Personal care attendants get in free with a paying visitor. Buy online or at the Front Ticket Desk.
Re-entry: tickets are generally good for the whole day of purchase, during regular business hours. Keep your receipt and show it at the front desk when you come back.
Food: food and drinks aren't allowed in the main exhibit areas. Snack and drink machines are in the food-vending area on Platform 5 West, next to the entrance to the Train Yard; cards and cash are accepted.
For kids: Stewart Junction, on the west end of Platform One, has hands-on train play, including a mock locomotive firebox to pretend to shovel coal, mail to sort as in a Railway Post Office car, a link-and-pin coupler to try, and model railroads; it closes at 3:30 pm. The Train Yard is closed for general browsing during the Roundhouse construction, though tours there are often offered; call ahead.
Getting around: the only elevator is behind the Front Ticket Desk and goes to the Second Floor Gallery and the Observation Bridge. Wheelchairs are free to borrow at the Front Ticket Desk, first come, first served. Paper maps are at the Front Ticket Desk in English, Spanish, German, French and Italian. The restroom hallway near the Front Ticket Desk has the Women's Room, an Accessible/Family Room and the Men's Room. The main indoor spaces are heated and air-conditioned.
Parking: accessible parking is in the main lot on the east side of the museum and in the semicircle driveway on the west side; the semicircle driveway is also a drop-off and pick-up zone.
Home For The Holidays, Saturday Dec 5 and Saturday Dec 12 2026: readings of The Polar Express at 11 am and 2 pm in Reading MU car No. 800, a telegram to the North Pole, cookies in the lobby while supplies last, and live seasonal music (Temple Avenue on Dec 5 2026 from 11 am to 2 pm; the Lampeter-Strasburg Community Band on Dec 12 2026 from 11:30 am to 1 pm). Catcher, the museum's mascot, is there on Dec 12 2026.
Holiday Movie Night, Saturday Dec 5 2026: The Polar Express (rated G, 100 minutes) in the main exhibit hall, with popcorn and hot chocolate. Doors open at 6 pm and the movie starts at 6:30 pm; tickets are $10 for ages 3 and up and free for 2 and under, bought online.
