Established | April 1986 |
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Location | Roanoke, Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°16′23″N 79°56′50″W / 37.272943°N 79.947231°W |
Type | Transport museum |
Website | |
Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station
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Location | 303 Norfolk Ave, Roanoke, Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°16′23″N 79°56′46″W / 37.27306°N 79.94611°WCoordinates: 37°16′23″N 79°56′46″W / 37.27306°N 79.94611°W |
Area | 57.7 acres (23.4 ha) |
Built | c. 1918 |
Built by | Norfolk and Western Railway |
NRHP Reference # | 12000969 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 21, 2012 |
Designated VLR | September 20, 2012 |
The Virginia Museum of Transportation is a museum devoted to the topic of transportation located in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, US.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation began its life in 1963 as the Roanoke Transportation Museum located in Wasena Park in Roanoke, Virginia. The museum at that time was housed in an old Norfolk & Western Railway freight depot on the banks of the Roanoke River. The earliest components of the museum's collection included a United States Army Jupiter rocket and the famous N&W J Class Locomotive #611, donated by Norfolk & Western Railway to the city of Roanoke where many of its engines were constructed. The museum expanded its collection to include other pieces of rail equipment such as a former DC Transit PCC streetcar, and a number of horse-drawn vehicles including a hearse, a covered wagon, and a Studebaker wagon.
In November 1985, a flood nearly destroyed the museum, and much of its collection. It forced the shutdown of the facility and the refurbishment of #611. In April 1986, the museum re-opened in the Norfolk and Western Railway Freight Station in downtown Roanoke as the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The museum has earned that title, being recognized by the General Assembly of Virginia as the Commonwealth's official transportation museum.
The locomotives Norfolk & Western 611 and Norfolk & Western 1218 were originally property of the city of Roanoke due to the museum's original charter. On the April 2, 2012, VMT's 50 Birthday, the city officially gifted the locomotive titles to the museum.