Months after its future appeared uncertain, the newly rebranded Port Jervis Railroad Museum announced on June 11 that it would reopen over the July 4 weekend.
The New York museum is centered around the city-owned Erie Railroad turntable and is a project of the nonprofit TOYX, Inc., a group best known for its “Operation Toy Train” fundraiser. In December, TOYX alleged that the city told them the site was going to be redeveloped and the rail equipment needed to be removed before July 2026. But the mayor of Port Jervis later denied that and said he wanted the museum to stay. TOYX even went as far as removing some equipment from the site. In January, TOYX announced that it was in talks to stay in the city.
Along with securing a deal to stay in Port Jervis, the museum is also changing its name to the Port Jervis Railroad Museum.
“Our name has changed to better reflect our commitment to preserving local railroad history,” said museum President Rudy Garbely. “The museum’s collections, artifacts, and stories have been completely remodeled to better tell the history of the railroads that built the City of Port Jervis and connected this region to the rest of the nation.”
A highlight of the reopening celebration on July 4 will be the public debut of Erie Lackawanna Railway caboose C380. Restored and repainted by TOYX volunteers this spring, the caboose now wears the Erie Lackawanna’s original 1976 bicentennial paint scheme. The caboose is just one of the major restoration efforts in Port Jervis.
The opening event will take place on Saturday, July 4, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum’s historic Erie Turntable site, located at 86 Pike St. in Port Jervis, New York. Admission to the reopening event will be free. The event will also feature the unveiling of a new signature Erie Lackawanna barbecue sauce, professionally produced and bottled using the railroad’s original 1965 recipe and sold as a unique fundraising initiative celebrating the region’s railroad heritage. For more information, visit pjmuseum.org.
—Justin Franz