Railroad Museum cuts ribbon on 1929 dining car renovations

Plan a Trains on Main getaway to experience all of the railroad fun La Grange has to offer. “Trains on Main” is ONE of 10 Attractions you’ll find ONLY in Oldham County, KY. Visit the La Grange Railroad Museum & Learning Center, book a stay at the Brakeman’s Cottage or one of 3 gorgeous B&B’s in the county, and stroll and shop Main Street where you will find unique boutiques, awesome restaurants, and museums & art galleries on both sides of the street.

The Oldham Era
By Jane Ashley Pace
November 10, 2023

The La Grange Railroad Museum & Learning Center hosted a large crowd to cut the ribbon on the renovation of the 1929 Louisville & Nashville Dining Car Wednesday, Nov. 8.

With the completion of the renovations funded in large part by La Grange Tourism, the museum is now 100% ADA-compliant and handicap accessible.

The museum boasted over 17,000 visitors in 2022, up from around 400 in 2016. Visitors have come from across the country and world, including recent guests from the Netherlands, Canada, England, Germany and Malaysia.

The 1929 Louisville & Nashville Dining Car sits beside the tracks it operated on for nearly 40 years. After serving as a dining car for four decades, it served as a dining facility for L&N workers at derailment site until its retirement. Great care was taken to replicate as much as possible from the original designs including the interior paint color and the dining car’s original name and number, St. Louis Hotel 2723.

The dining car is available for rental for special events including showers, birthdays, meetings and events.

The museum, which operates mostly thanks to donations and volunteers, offers free admission and is open Monday and Tuesdays by appointment, Wednesday-Friday 1 to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. Visit lagrangerailroadmuseum.org for more information.