About Us
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Half O scale layout previously displayed at the museum
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Nearly 25 years ago the Augusta County Model Railroad Club was
formed by nine members who informally showcased their railroad modeling
talents at public events. Attorneys advised that the club should
incorporate. In January of 2000, a set of by-laws
was drawn up and approved by the members that constituted the organization
at the time.
The organization made application to the Commonwealth of
Virginia State Corporation Commission to be a museum and the Augusta County Railroad
Museum certificate of incorporation was granted August 29, 2000. In a
letter dated January 2001, the IRS granted the museum its not-for-profit
501(c)(3) status.
Today the Augusta County Railroad Museum is chartered as a public
charity 501(c)(3) based in Augusta County, Virginia. The
organization entirely consists of volunteer members interested in
railroads and model railroads who donate their time displaying and operating
exhibits at civic shows and other publically accessable venues for
the interested public.
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Volunteers display railroad artifacts and a model train layout at a recent festival.
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Our Mission
The mission of the Augusta County Railroad Museum is "to
encourage interest in the history of railroading and promote the hobby of model railroading."
Augusta County Railroad Museum serves the Augusta County region and surrounding areas by
gathering information and materials related to railroad and model railroad interests,
organizing that information and materials so it is easily studied, and presenting that information
to the public so that it can understand and enjoy it's railroad heritage.
This was previously accomplished through museum displays and operating
model train layouts that were open to the public free of
charge. The effects of Covid restrictions and the closure of our retail lease
at the Staunton Mall forced the Museum to take a new approach by enhancing our web
presence, publishing a newsletter, and creating traveling exhibits which can be
displayed temporarily in a community setting.
We look forward to this new opportuntiy and hope to see you at one of the
upcoming events posted on our website or in our newsletter.
Our Regular Monthly Board Meetings
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The First Church of God in Staunton, Va.
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The Augusta County Railroad Museum conducts its monthly regular board meeting at 6:00 p.m.
on the third Thursday of each month. The current meeting location is the
First Church of God Staunton
1850 Shutterlee Rd.
Staunton, Virginia 24401
The meeting addresses the organization's managment and operational concerns to include
- reviewing the organization's financial posture
- reviewing applications for new membership
- reviewing Museum commitments and engagements in the community
- reviewing news impacting the railroad and model railroad community
- planning for upcoming events
- deciding all matters put to a vote
- addressing other matters of common concern
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Map of the Staunton Community.
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Applying for Membership
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Applying for Membership
Customarily the board meetings are of a business nature and are attended by our members to resolve decisions
incurred by our organization, however, the meetings are open to attendance by the public to learn about
our organization and consider application to join.
An Adobe PDF copy of the New Membership Form
may be downloaded, saved, and reviewed by clicking the New Membership
Form image or thehighlighted text. If you are considering joining because of your interest in railroading and/or model
railroading, then you should read the instructions on the back of the form and bring the completed form to the next
board meeting. The Adode PDF form features data entry text fields that should help you to complete the form using a
smart phone or a computer prior to printing the form.
Work Nights
Work nights are suspended due to closure of the former Museum location at the Staunton Mall.
The Museum is engaged in two projects to create model displays that will be shown to
the public. The first is the creation of a portable module representing a cross section of the Blue Ridge Tunnel
in HO scale. The second is a traveling layout which fits inside a trailer shaped like a caboose. Both efforts
require carpentry, bench work, track planning, and scenery assistance. The work will be scheduled at a
member's residence.
Museum Open Houses
Open houses are suspended due to closure of the former Museum location at the Staunton Mall.
Typically, members are assigned to one of three teams on a rotating schedule for open houses.
Typically voluteers meet at the Museum each Saturday 1:00 to 5:00 pm, and additional
days during Thanksgiving through Christmas.
Special Events and Community Displays
The Museum is occasionally invited to display model layouts, train equipment and slide
shows at local events. Volunteer membership assistance is customarily requested to move,
assemble, staff, operate, disassemble, and store these exhibits.
These events include:
- The July 26-30th layout display during the Augusta County Fair held at the Augusta County Expo Event Center.
- Coordinated business organization requests for Holiday Exhibits around the Christmas Holidays.
- Special community requests for historic presentations on Augusta County Railroads or slide programs.
- Our May 5th, 2024 Train Show to be held at the Augusta County Expo Event Center.
Contributions
The Augusta County Railroad Museum is chartered as a public charity (501)c3 based in Augusta County, Virginia. In
fulfillment of its mission, its volunteers provides free access to the public of exhibits and information related to
Augusta County Railroad history. Funding to provide these resources comes from public donations, proceeds from its
Annual Trainshow, and dues collected from its membership. The Museum's expenses include, public exhibit rent space,
secure artifact storage, lights, heat, and toilets incurring public utility fees, liabitility insurance, web site
hosting fees, historic organizational memberships, model railroad organizational membership, and cultural investments
to create exhibits and showcase Augusta County heritage to the visiting public.
Like most public charities, the Museum is intensely reliant on funding for continuation of services and subscription
to cause. We ask you to make further inquiry into our activities and consider a possible donation, ...of Augusta County
related historical materials, historically significant model railroad materials, monetary support, or even volunteer
time to support this goal.
We thank you, either for your interest in railroading, model railroading, or your community
support for this educational resource in Augusta County.
