BACK ON TRACK The recently reopened Roscoe O&W Railway Museum on Railroad Avenue. Teresa Tulipano photo
All aboard! O&W museum reopens
TRAIN TREASURES Karil Davidson, right, explains train-related items on display at the recently reopened Roscoe O&W Railway Museum. Below, the museum on Railroad Avenue in the hamlet. Ethan Sprouse photo
By Ethan Sprouse | Manor Ink
Roscoe, NY – Trains, they’re one of the great innovations in transport. Moving everything from people to freight, they could do it all. Now, though they are still very much used for transporting goods, trains are used less often by people due to the ease and convenience of air travel. But have you ever wondered what train travel was like in the old days? With the Roscoe O&W Railway Museum recently reopening, now you can find out!
The O&W museum was originally opened by Roscoe resident Wilmer Sipple in 1984, and is located in the hamlet on Railroad Avenue, adjacent to where the railbed once ran. It had been closed since 2006 due to flooding, but repairs and salvaging of objects that had been moved to the second floor for safekeeping started in April of this year. The restoration project was a group effort by the museum’s board, which is led by Karil Davidson.
The museum had been renovated enough to open to the public in May, and is now open on weekends. Davidson spoke with Manor Ink about her hopes for the future of the museum. “We’d like to extend the hours and days, and it needs some heating,” she said.
The museum features a large collection of relics from the railroad’s past, ranging from actual train parts to model train sets to worker uniforms. It also features antiques found in Roscoe from the O&W period, from household objects to children’s toys. The museum is impressive to walk through, and the board is hoping to one day add a gift shop by the entrance. There is still a lot of work to be done, but in time the museum could be a must-see attraction in Roscoe for families as well as dedicated train buffs of all kinds.
With all this said, why wait to visit? And if just visiting isn’t enough for you, the museum could always use volunteers to help with restoration work. If that isn’t your thing, donations are always a huge help. To date, local businesses like Thompson Sanitation and Buckle & Sons have been instrumental in assisting with cleaning, painting and more.
