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Months after its future appeared uncertain, the newly rebranded Port Jervis Railroad Museum announced on June 11 that it would reopen over the July 4 weekend.

The New York museum is centered around the city-owned Erie Railroad turntable and is a project of the nonprofit TOYX, Inc., a group best known for its “Operation Toy Train” fundraiser. In December, TOYX alleged that the city told them the site was going to be redeveloped and the rail equipment needed to be removed before July 2026. But the mayor of Port Jervis later denied that and said he wanted the museum to stay. TOYX even went as far as removing some equipment from the site. In January, TOYX announced that it was in talks to stay in the city.

Along with securing a deal to stay in Port Jervis, the museum is also changing its name to the Port Jervis Railroad Museum.

“Our name has changed to better reflect our commitment to preserving local railroad history,” said museum President Rudy Garbely. “The museum’s collections, artifacts, and stories have been completely remodeled to better tell the history of the railroads that built the City of Port Jervis and connected this region to the rest of the nation.”

A highlight of the reopening celebration on July 4 will be the public debut of Erie Lackawanna Railway caboose C380. Restored and repainted by TOYX volunteers this spring, the caboose now wears the Erie Lackawanna’s original 1976 bicentennial paint scheme. The caboose is just one of the major restoration efforts in Port Jervis.

The opening event will take place on Saturday, July 4, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum’s historic Erie Turntable site, located at 86 Pike St. in Port Jervis, New York. Admission to the reopening event will be free. The event will also feature the unveiling of a new signature Erie Lackawanna barbecue sauce, professionally produced and bottled using the railroad’s original 1965 recipe and sold as a unique fundraising initiative celebrating the region’s railroad heritage. For more information, visit pjmuseum.org.

—Justin Franz

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Short line holding company Regional Rail LLC plans to acquire the Massachusetts Central Railroad, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The transaction is expected to take effect on or around July 1.

The Massachusetts Central has operated 25 miles of former Boston & Albany trackage between Palmer and South Barre, Mass., since 1979. The railroad uses a fleet of EMDs painted in an attractive Boston & Maine-like livery.

Regional Rail was founded in 2007 and owns 14 short lines in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Saskatchewan. Among its recent acquisitions is the Minnesota Commercial Railroad.

According to the STB filing, Regional Rail does not anticipate any major changes to Massachusetts Central’s day-to-day operations.

—Justin Franz

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The Illinois Railway Museum has acquired yet another historic diesel locomotive: an EMD GP20 built for Union Pacific and then rebuilt for the Illinois Central Gulf. The locomotive arrived at Union, Ill., on June 3.

Will County Coal Handling 1802 was built in La Grange, Ill., in 1959 for UP as an SD24B, numbered 427B. Since it was a “booster” locomotive, it was built without a cab. In 1977, the engine was sold to ICG and rebuilt at its Paducah, Ky., shops. During that rebuild, it became a GP20, received a 2,000-horsepower 645E prime mover and a cab. ICG 2002 remained in service until 1995, when it was sold to the Twin Cities & Western and then the Red River Valley & Western. In 1997, it went to Commonwealth Edison for use in coal service. It was numbered ComEd 1908 and finally WCCH 1802. The locomotive was assigned to the NRG Will County Generating Station in Romeoville, Ill. The locomotive was donated to IRM by NRG. The museum is currently raising money to support the preservation and maintenance of the locomotive. Donations can be made online.

—Justin Franz 

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