Learn more about this business on Yelp.
“The Commonwealth's Official Transportation Museum”
The Roanoke Transportation Museum, originally formed as a partnership of the Norfolk & Western Railway and the City of Roanoke, first opened its doors in 1963 in Wasena Park along the Roanoke River. Although all modes of transportation were represented, the Museum focused on telling the story of Roanoke’s rich rail heritage. In 1976, a private non-profit corporation was established to operate the Museum, and in 1983 the Museum was designated as the Official Transportation Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Subsequently, the Museum was renamed the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Disaster struck the Museum in 1985, when floodwaters surged through the Museum leaving behind $1.4 million in damages. Norfolk Southern came to the rescue, generously donating the 1918 vintage N&W freight station to be used as the Museum’s new home. The Museum is now housed in a 45,000 square foot building adjacent to active Norfolk Southern mainline tracks on 5.75 acres of land in downtown Roanoke. The Museum’s collection includes approximately 2,500 objects, including more than 50 pieces of rolling stock—locomotives and other rail cars—including the largest collection of diesel locomotives in the South. The Museum has expanded its collection to include automotive, aviation, transit, and other artifacts and frequently exhibits loaned objects.
Do you like Trains, Planes, and Automobiles - well you'll get 2 out of 3 here. Home of 2 of the last Norfolk & Western (now Norfolk Southern) steam engines, a Loewy-designed GG1 electric... Read more
I got there today around 3:20pm, and there weren't a lot of people there. I expected to see more train engine/cars open. It was a very nice visit. Read more
My two-year-old is obsessed with trains, and we actually travel to Roanoke just to visit this place. There were so many exhibit and it was clean inside. The staff was friendly. Tickets were not... Read more
Virginia Museum of Transportation
Hours
- Sun: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Tue - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Problem with this listing? Let us know.
Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
-
Parking
-
Pets Allowed
-
Restrooms
-
Wifi
-
Wheelchair Accessible
-
Credit Cards Accepted
Parking
Nearby Hotels
Related Trip Guides
The top things to do on a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip
- 85 Places
- 36:11
- 1,293 mi
The top things to do on an I-95 road trip
- 50 Places
- 41:46
- 1,983 mi
The top things to do on an East Coast road trip
- 32 Places
- 48:54
- 2,584 mi