TOYX, Inc., the nonprofit organization that over the past four years has attempted to establish a museum centered on the former Eire Railroad turntable in Port Jervis, N.Y., announced on December 3 that it was closing and withdrawing from the community. 

According to the non-profit, which includes a conglomerate of projects, most notably “Operation Toy Train,” the city informed leadership earlier this year that the museum site would be sold for redevelopment after an environmental cleanup. The city hopes to apply for grants from the State of New York to help cover the cost of that work. The decision to redevelop the site means TOYX needs to find a new place to store more than two dozen pieces of equipment, some of which are historic to Port Jervis. A boxcar museum operated by Tri-States Railway Preservation Society (also part of TOYX) will also have to move. TOYX President Rudy Garbely said the organization was disappointed by the city’s decision to sell the property. 

“This is where these artifacts belonged,” Garbely said. “The decisions of the City Council will result in these irreplaceable pieces of Port Jervis history being permanently removed. Unfortunately, it seems the history of the City of Port Jervis is best preserved outside the reach of City officials whose actions serve to erase the storied past of the community they represent.”

TOYX and its equipment must be off city-owned property on or before July 26, 2026. The group said it is presently looking for a new home and in the meantime has found a place to temporarily store some equipment, most notably those cares involved with Operation Toy Train. The toy collection train will be running as normal this year, but skipping its final planned stop in Port Jervis. 

—Justin Franz