With a wealth of museums and historical sites, the Suffolk area is a great place to raise children. There are numerous opportunities to enrich your child’s education outside of the classroom. Our Virginia adoption agents frequently take family field trips to these educational destinations, and we enjoy learning about this area’s history just as much as our kids do. The Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum is one of our favorites. This small museum won’t take too much time to see, but there is plenty to learn about the history of the railroad and Suffolk as a whole here. Some of our favorite parts of this museum include:
Museum
The museum collection features a large display of artifacts and items from the following railroads:
- Seaboard Airline Railroad
- Virginian Railway
- Norfolk and Western Railroad
- Atlantic and Danville Railroad
This includes a wide variety of items, such as:
- Bells from steam locomotives
- A light from a steam locomotive tender
- Cast iron and concrete signs
- Railroad lanterns
- Railroad tools
- Silver items used in dining cars
- Office items from agent’s offices
- Advertising items
We think this museum is a perfect trip for parents who are history buffs and kids with an interest in trains and railroads.
Caboose
The Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum features an antique caboose on display to the public. This caboose first traveled on the Nickel Plate Line in 1962. It was built in Kenton, Ohio by Morrison International and was one of 50 steel cabooses built at that time. The train crew used this as a home base while they were on the railroad. This caboose had modern technology, including a generator to make electricity for lighting, a stove for heat and cooking, a bathroom, and a bunk where the crew could sleep. In 1964, the Nickel Plate Line merged into the Norfolk & Western Railway and was painted blue with yellow letters. It was again repainted red in 1980 and finally removed from service in 1981. The caboose has been at the museum since 2000 and was repainted and refurbished when it was donated to the museum.
City Model
In 1907, Suffolk had six different railroads. The Suffolk City Model recreates the city’s layout in those days and showcases the six different lines in a model railroad layout. The six lines in those days were:
- Seaboard Airline
- Virginian
- Norfolk and Western
- Atlantic Coastline
- Atlantic and Danville
- Suffolk & Carolina branch of the Norfolk Southern
The model includes all of the most important areas in historic Suffolk, including:
- Wharf area
- Courthouse area
- Kingsboro area
- Industrial area
