South Carolina Railroad Museum - Winnsboro, SC - Official Railroad Museum

The South Carolina Railroad Museum is located near I-77 and SC-34 in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Winnsboro is located in Fairfield County, which is north of Columbia, South Carolina. It is a non-profit organization with no paid employees. The purpose of the Museum is to preserve and interpret railroading in South Carolina, and their goals are exclusively scientific and educational. The Museum performs the task of collecting and preserving information as well as equipment related to railroading in South Carolina and in Southeastern US.

The Museum was started in 1973 by railroad enthusiasts. Ten years later, the Museum gained the Rockton and Rion Railways. These railways once served the granite quarries in Rion and Anderson in South Carolina. They were among the last railroads to utilize steam engines regularly. The Museum has acquired other pieces of railroad history, including cars, engines, and cabooses. Currently, the Museum runs trains along a five mile stretch of the former eleven mile railway. There are plans to utilize the entire eleven miles of rail.

The Museum is recognized and listed as a member of these organizations: the National Registerof Historic Places , the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce , the S.C. Federation of Museums, the Confederation of S.C. Local Historical Societies, T.R.A.I.N. , the National Railway Historical Society , and the Association of RailwayMuseums . The Museum itself seeks monetary donations and equipmentdonations. The work done by the Museum is voluntary, and membership isopen to anyone interested.

The current machinery roster lists twelve locomotives, eight of which were formerly run in US military service. The earliest locomotive in stock is the Baldwin #712, which was built in 1903. Baldwin Locomotive Works was known for their steam engines. The Museum owns 14 passenger cars. Of these, there are two baggage cars and one dinner car. There is also a Pullman 6-3 Sleeper car that was built in 1924. There are seventeen freight cars; the oldest is an 1895 flat car #234. Finally, the Museum owns six cabooses, which include a Cupola from 1924 and two transfers built in 1955.

Beyond on-track machinery, the Museum also owns several hoppers, tampers, and cranes. Tampers are used for packing the ballast beneath tracks as well as adjusting the tracks themselves. The locomotive crane #3000 that is owned by the Museum shows heavy rusting. Even so, it is a dynamic find for the Museum because locomotive cranes have the capacity to perform lifts while serving as a locomotive for attached cars.

The Museum offers train rides in summer and fall, with trains scheduled to run thrice daily on Saturdays. During summer and fall, the Museum is open 9:30am - 3:30pm on Saturdays. Fare for the ride is based on car. Adult fares, which apply to ages 12+, are $10 for coach seating. First class for adults is $14 and open air is $12 for adults. Children ride for $7 in any car. Seating in the various cars is first available. Smoking is not allowed anywhere. The Museum accepts cash, checks, debit cards, and credit cards.

The Museum also offers charter services for private meetings using the dinner car or the group charter, which reserves one passenger car. Additional information regarding charter services can be obtained by calling 803-815-0650. Other facilities include a gallery, guest shop, and restrooms (which are handicapped accessible). For more information, patrons can call 803-635-4242 from 9:00 to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.