Railway Museum To Host Railfair 2003 & Train Show

DANBURY — Danbury Railway Museum will host Spring Railfair 2003 on Sunday, May 4, this year including a big train show on the nearby Western Connecticut State University campus. Both activities will open at 10. The train show will close at 3 pm, while the Railfair will remain open until 5. Combined admission is $7 for adults and $3 for ages 5 to 12.

Having outgrown the space available at the museum, the train show will take place this year in WCSU’s Bill Williams Gymnasium. Vendors will have over 100 tables of railroad collectibles, gifts, models, and books for sale. Operating model layouts will also be on display and food will be available. Free parking will be available at the WCSU parking garage on White Street. A free shuttle bus will run between the parking garage, the train show, and Railfair.

Railfair 2003 will take place at the museum and railyard on White Street. Visitors to Railfair will have an opportunity to learn all about railroading at the various activities scheduled throughout the day. There will be track laying demos where kids can challenge our “Gandy Dancers” at driving rail spikes, and train operating demos including how train brakes work and how cars couple and uncouple.

The museum’s Rail Yard Local will be operating, offering short trips on a vintage train pulled by a 50 year old RS-1 diesel locomotive, with caboose rides and locomotive cab rides also available. Newly-restored New Haven RR Rail Diesel Car (RDC) #32 will also be operating.

Additional activities and displays include the 1907 B&M steam locomotive #1455 where visitors can learn all about how a steam locomotive works, other newly-arrived equipment, track car (“speeder”) rides which will take visitors to a ride on the only operating turntable in Connecticut, the under-construction N-scale display of the Danbury railyard circa 1955, model railroad clinics, a gift shop, food, and more.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history. The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street. For further information visit www.danbury.org/drm or call 778-8337.