Whitewater Valley Railroad
Connersville, Indiana
New Museum Interpretive Center - Under Design & Construction

               OVERVIEW OF THE MUSEUM DISPLAY AREA PROJECT

During the past five years our organization has quietly worked to refocus on our mission statement and more actively pursue opportunities for historic preservation.  Together with local government officials this has led to the creation of a tentative master plan that calls for the creation of an artifact interpretation and display area.  Unlike previous efforts involving specific rolling stock, the display area is the first attempt by our organization to build and invest in an environment in which interpretation can begin.  The Dearborn Tower project serves as a cornerstone of this program and serves as a symbol to both the community and members of our organization that this project is going forward.

Many years ago, the railroad had made tentative plans to build a small display area on the edge of Metamora.  This facility would have included a small engine house and protective shelters centered around an original 86’ turntable.  The land was available and already in the railroad’s possession and the location on the edge of an existing tourist attraction made it an attractive option.

During the last two years, this display area option had been re-evaluated by the railroad’s long range planning committee.  Deficiencies in this location were found to be many.  First, the site was found to be very constricted making efficient use of track and display space problematic.  Second, the view of the area from public roads was very restricted and the road entrance to the site was also poor.  The third, and perhaps most severe, problem related to the fact that this location was so far from the railroad’s traditional operating and maintenance base.

Discussions with railroad members and public officials in Fayette County led to the creation of these conceptual drawings and architectural renderings.  This proposed display area combines the work of many railroad members and others interested in a more formal public railroad museum area.  Much of the design shown here can be funded through the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) program administered through the Indiana Department of Transportation.

The goal of this area is to build not only a place for equipment to be preserved and displayed, but to place in the proper context for visitors.  The turntable and roundhouse will be used to interpret what once happened in these facilities.  The signal tower will be used to explain how trains were routed and moved without the help of computers.  A passenger depot and freight house will help tell the story in which railroads played a central role in the community, a world that has faded from present day minds.  Some of the exhibits will focus on technology, such as railroad design and maintenance, others on the specific jobs once performed by hundreds of people on the railroad.  Our eventual goal is that this will become the most prominent railroad museum in this region.  This should allow us to attract even better equipment and funding for future growth.

Some items shown in this design include artifacts already owned by the railroad, such as the turntable and signal tower, and other items that have been offered to the railroad, such as the passenger depot.  Other elements are possible additions that may become available to the railroad at a future date.  This includes the water tower, auxiliary railroad structures, railcar storage shelter buildings, and the eventual construction of a roundhouse building to complement the turntable.  The plan has been arranged so as to allow room for these upgrades as time and money become available.  This phased approach will allow for continued growth without having to re-engineer the site with each new acquisition.

As it has often been said, the longest walk begins with the first step.  The Whitewater Valley Railroad is hoping to begin a walk that will take it beyond its humble beginnings and allow it to become an even more valuable asset to the community.