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Railroad Museum Increasing Exhibit Space

T.J. Carson
The Galesburg Railroad Museum sits next door to the city's Amtrak station.

Galesburg’s Railroad Museum is on track to show off more of its collection next year.  The museum is remodeling its building to provide around 100 square feet of extra display space. 

To create the extra space, some offices will be moved from the ground floor to a loft above the museum’s library.  Museum Board President Maury Godsil said the project has been in the works for two years.

“We have so many artifacts and memorabilia that railroaders have donated to us over the years, that we cannot, of course, display them all at once,” Godsil said. Those artifacts include hand tools, switchman’s keys, train orders, and more, with some items dating back to the 1850s.

Godsil said the museum is a tribute to those who built the railroads that are still active today.

“This isn’t for the Vanderbilts and the robber barons so to speak. This is for the guys who got their hands dirty making the railroads work,” Godsil said.

The remodeled museum will open to the public the first week of April 2016.