ABOARD THE HERITAGE TRAIN

The railroad helped established the city of Temple and the city has returned the favor by creating the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum. Housed in the handsomely restored 1907 Moody, Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Depot, the museum exhibits artifacts and interpretative displays from a wide spectrum of railroad history. Region-specific exhibitions focus on the role the Santa Fe Railroad played in Temple’s progress from whistle stop to modern city. The museum holdings also include an extensive archive of railroad reference materials including photographs, timetables, engineering drawings, mechanical records, maps, books, and railroad-related documents. The archives comprise several important collections relating to railroad history, including the unique King Collection, one of the most extensive collections of electric railway materials in the country. The archives are open to researchers and to the public by appointment. The museum’s main exhibitions include real rolling stock located on the grounds. Visitors may climb aboard, ring the bell of the 1921 Pacific Type Baldwin steam locomotive, and then explore sleepers, a boxcar, and three cabooses.