PORT JERVIS TRANSPORTATION HISTORY CENTER ANNOUNCES GRAND OPENING ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
PORT JERVIS, NY - After over two years of planning and development, the Port Jervis Transportation History Center will celebrate its grand opening on Memorial Day weekend of 2022 with the first-ever Port Jervis Transportation Festival.
This outdoor rain-or-shine event will be held on May 28, 29, and 30 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Visitors to the former Erie Railroad turntable facility in Port Jervis, New York, located behind the Save-A-Lot shopping center, will enjoy the Port Jervis Transportation History Center’s own growing collection of artifacts and railroad equipment. The collection includes historic railcars owned by both the Port Jervis Transportation History Center and Operation Toy Train that are permanently exhibited in Port Jervis. The newest addition to the history center’s collection, the very first Comet I commuter coach ever built, will be delivered in time for the event. Vehicle demonstrations and additional events are planned over the three-day weekend. The Port Jervis Transportation History Center is also pleased to announce that the collection of on-site railroad equipment is being joined by the equipment of the Dining Car Society, which is making Port Jervis its new home. Seven historic passenger cars, including two Erie Lackawanna dining cars that ran througJervis from the 1920s through 1970s, will be arriving at the turntable site in the coming weeks. The Dining Car Society’s volunteers will serve lunch to visiting patrons aboard one of the dining cars during the festival for an added fee, and special reservation-only dinner events aboard the cars will also be available on the nights of the festival.
Additional visiting exhibits, vehicles, and trains are being donated by local companies and partnering non-profit organizations for the weekend event. Among the visiting exhibits will be an operational Bethlehem Steel TUG railcar mover and a functioning steam calliope, both contributed by the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Several non-profit organizations will be providing smaller exhibits and tables related to regional transportation history. Additional visiting exhibits will be announced as they are confirmed in the coming weeks.
Tickets for each day of the Port Jervis Transportation Festival will be $5.00 per person ages 12 and up, with children under age 12 attending for free. Admission may be purchased in advance at www.pjthc.org/festival or at the gate on the day of attendance.
For more information on the Port Jervis Transportation Festival, or to learn more about the Port Jervis Transportation History Center and its initiatives, please visit www.pjthc.org.
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About the Port Jervis Transportation History Center
The Port Jervis Transportation History Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the transportation heritage of Port Jervis, New York, and the surrounding region. Located on a historic site encompassing an operable Erie Railroad turntable and the Delaware & Hudson Canal, the Center houses a collection of local transportation artifacts and vehicles owned by the museum and several partner non-profit organizations. In addition to interpretive exhibit space, the 10-acre facility also serves as a venue for concerts, lectures, and other public events. To learn more, visit the Center’s website at www.pjthc.org.