ROSENBERG, Texas — On its two acres right alongside four active railroad tracks, the Rosenberg Railroad Museum uses a variety of spaces to bring the history of railroading to life.
"For so long, people traveled by horse and buggy or by boat, but really, to develop the United States, it took railroads to get people where they needed to go," said Rainey Webster, the museum's executive director. "We like to preserve that history and tell the story of how it’s impacted us today."
Some of it is on display inside its education station, which houses the museum's model train exhibits. Seven different layouts feature gauges of train and very different landscapes.
The largest track is outside.
"It has what we call a G-gauge model train on it," Webster said. "It’s a depiction of Fort Bend County in the 1950s."
The garden track is connected to the gallery building, which houses the story and history of railroading in Fort Bend County..
"Our staff here are all trained to deliver that history in an educational and fun way and to really relate to our guests, whether they’re 2 years old or 65 years old," said Webster.
Admission includes a tour with a docent, who will take you through those buildings, as well as to the historic Tower 17, which was decommissioned in 2003.
"It's the only surviving rail structure in Rosenberg, Texas," Webster shared. "It basically controlled the flow of traffic, if you will, on the tracks for 100 years, which is amazing because it has all the technology from the electro-manual computer, so you’re pulling levers to control signals and tracks, to telegraphs to candlestick phones to technology in the early 2000s."
It's in between two railcars that you can tour on-site. One is a 1970s MOPAC caboose. The other is a private business car called The Quebec, which has been restored to its 1920s glamor.
"It’s really neat to see," said Webster.
There are so many other interesting stops on the property. You can check out an old bath house, the only spot where rail workers could bathe. Take the kids to the discovery room to learn and play. Tour a collection of antique speeders used to cart crews along the tracks.
"We hope when people visit us, they take away information about how railroading has impacted the area, the development of so many areas," Webster said.
For more information about when you can visit the Rosenberg Railroad Museum, click here.
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