Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso

The Railroad and Transportation Museum in El Paso displays locomotives, rail cars, and documents from the region's railway history. The collection shows the technical progress and growth of the transportation system across generations.

The collection centers on Locomotive Number 1 from 1857, one of the oldest steam engines in the western United States. This engine marks the earliest years of organized rail service in the region.

The museum shows how rail lines connected El Paso to the wider world and shaped daily life in the city. Exhibits tell stories of the workers and travelers who depended on these routes.

The museum building is currently in transition, but the main exhibits remain accessible to visitors. Tours can be arranged by contacting staff directly for a more detailed look at the collection.

The 1857 locomotive represents an era when engineers built steam engines with entirely mechanical solutions and simple, direct designs. Studying it reveals how differently people approached transportation challenges back then.