hagerstown roundhouse museum

Changes have been made since last year. The building is cleaner and the museum store is vastly improved. The lower level Christmas display is basically unchanged. The upper level HO layout has been modified and is still under construction. The new "O" scale layout is in the framework stage with two tracks in operation but no scenery. This layout has been built rather large and does not have the widest aisles but are adequate.

I've been a railfan since I was a little kid and regularly visit different railroad museums when I travel. I've been meaning to see Hagerstown for a while and decided to drive about 2.5 hours over to see the museum. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.This museum is much more tailored towards kids than adults or railfans. They three operating layouts (holiday themed Lionel, under construction O gauge, and mostly done HO gauge) that were interesting to see but very little in the way of artifacts or displays. I was in and out in 30 minutes, which is rare for me at a railroad museum.I salvaged the trip by stopping down the street at The Train Room. I found their Lionel museum a lot more interesting, although HRM is probably better for kids.

It's not large, but you have to appreciate what is offered. A real cab you can sit in, a lot of ephemera, and three gigantic model railroad layouts with some interactive features. There's a lot of play stuff for kids, and trains out back you can climb on. The docents know a lot of Western Maryland Railroad history. If you are just looking to see a lot of trains, go to the B&O Museum or Smithsonian, but if you are interested in getting hands on with the history of railroads as they built the region this is an enjoyable and friendly place with plenty to keep kids fascinated.

Our 3 little boys LOVE trains and we are always on the lookout for a new place to let them explore and watch live models at work. The Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum was a great little find that my husband came across. A little over an hour from where we live in Columbia MD. We ventured out for a Saturday afternoon visit (they are only open I believe on weekend afternoons, possibly run by volunteers) their was on site parking as well as an actual train station and track next to the museum where we got to observe an actual CSX train in action. Inside the museum there is both an informative section downstairs as well as an upstairs room with several HO Scale layouts and even a smaller (18 inches off the floor) layout that the children could flip switches and make the trains move (Race each other) which my boys enjoyed very much. They have a wooden train that the children can play on and have imaginative play, as well as 3 train activity tables for the youngest train enthusiasts. Plenty of space for about a 1 hour visit with the Children guiding the experience. They have bathrooms (which could use a serious facelift but were functional) and they are working on a lower level Christmas display. We would return again. Admission is reasonable $5 for adults and 50 cents for children. There is a train themed gift shop as well.

A two floor Museum First floor is a small. has many real railroad artifacts of the area. Second floor has model trains for the kids to enjoy. Be aware there is no Roundhouse to look at. It was torn down. There are real trains outside but it a working railroad. so you can't get to close.

We expected to see more than is offered at this museum. We did enjoy several other sites in town to help salvage the trip.

Nice little small town train museum. Took my 2 yr old he loved the hands on trains. Awesome model train set up very lifelike. Small building but a neat stop and cheap to get in. Large older trains outside to check out too. Worth the stop if your in town.

This roundhouse museum is average. Good for train lovers and people fascinated with trains. The cost is average. Plan on 1-2 hrs seeing everything. On the second floor they have a big display of model trains in action. This is very kid friendly. Lots of pictures to see.

I have been bringing my 2 young sons here for years and they love it. There is a train layout upstairs which the kids control with switches,then the regular train layouts are great for them to observe. They also have a Thomas the Train table for kids to play with. At Xmas time, the Xmas train layout in the back is great and my kids love it with they turn out the lights and the entire scene is illuminated. They recently remodeled the facility and it's brighter inside. My only complaints are that there is no where to change a diaper, the layouts are so high with no ground level action that we see at other train shows, and the room with the Xmas trains is too small. That being said, we return here several times a year and we recommend it to all families with kids who love trains.

Everyone there was friendly! It is a little rundown looking, but my son loved watching the Christmas trains. They even changed the trains during the time we were sitting there.

If you love trains, this is a great place to take a visit...especially for children. We did this when our kids were smaller, not recently, We would recommend for young and old alike.

Hagerstown is called the Hub City because of all the railroads that once came through the city. This museum is a tribute to the history of railroads and the men and women who worked for the B&O and the Western MD RR. They often have great displays for the children during the Holiday Season. Nice place to spend a couple of hours.

The Roundhouse Museum was a great little place with tons of history. The workers were extremely knowledgable and willing to answer any questions we had. On the first floor there were lots of old displays of trains and buildings, with lots of pictures on the walls of the old trains and train stations. On the 2nd floor there were more displays, including trains that kids could control with the push of a button. It was nice to see all the history of the town, and the kids loved it!