Georgia State Railroad Museum, Railway museum in Savannah, United States.
The Georgia State Railroad Museum occupies the Central of Georgia Railway's Savannah Shops, a complex begun in 1851 and called the most complete antebellum railroad complex in the United States. Its partial roundhouse holds an operating turntable 85 feet long, and the site also keeps a partial machine shop, tender frame shop, blacksmith shop, boiler house, storehouse and print shop, coach and paint shops, and a carpentry shop now housing the Savannah Children's Museum.
The Central of Georgia Railway began building new shops here in 1851; the carpenters' shop was finished in 1853, followed by the original roundhouse, machine shop, tender frame shop and blacksmith shop in 1855. A major fire in 1923 led to the roundhouse and turntable being rebuilt in the late 1920s for larger locomotives. Southern Railway bought the Central of Georgia in 1963 and closed the Savannah shops, after which the complex passed to the City of Savannah. The Coastal Heritage Society opened the museum on the site in 1989.
The collection reflects how railroad workers and engineers operated on this site, with tools and spaces showing the skills required for maintaining steam locomotives. Visitors see firsthand how people worked together in the different workshop areas to keep trains running.
The grounds are easy to walk through and most buildings are accessible at ground level or via ramps, making it straightforward to view the interior spaces. Morning or late afternoon visits offer a quieter experience if you prefer to move through the site without crowds.
The museum holds the oldest portable steam engine in the United States, displayed among antique shaft-driven machinery, locomotives and model train layouts. The roundhouse turntable is 85 feet (26 m) long and still operates, and tours sometimes include a short ride around the site by rail.
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