Conductor for Dallas’ most exciting train adventure yet.
Bob LaPrelle believes that very soon, more people will make tracks to see the trains at Fair Park than any other attraction in the park. Now that the Age of Steam Museum has become The Museum of the American Railroad, that vision is poised to become reality. All because Bob and his staff do not take those massive engines and passenger cars lightly.
In the more than 40 years since it began as a temporary State Fair of Texas exhibit, the Age of Steam museum had collected so many premier engines and rail cars that it had far outgrown its space in a remote corner of Fair Park. “Also, the term, ‘Age of Steam,’ is less well known these days,” says LaPrelle. “Especially since we’ve been collecting diesel trains lately, not steam locomotives. So we knew we’d need to change the name soon. ‘The Museum of the American Railroad’ incorporates an entire century’s worth of railroad history, and the national scope of our collection. It will easily work for generations to come.”
Full steam ahead for grand expansion.
Big, thrilling changes ahead will transform the museum into one of the top 5 railroad museums in the country. As part of the museum’s strategic plan, the museum plans to expand from its present 1.5 acres to 10-15 acres, extending across the tracks near Washington Street.
“For our main building,” LaPrelle explains, “we hope to recreate a large railroad terminal reminiscent of the grand stations found in Chicago and New York City. It will have a 3-story, nostalgic look. The museum’s rolling stock---all 35 pieces including passenger cars and engines—would be housed permanently under one roof in an impressive train shed that limits exposure to the elements and better preserves each car. It will not just be a collection of great trains, but an experience that immerses visitors, as if they were actually passengers.” This includes feeling the movement, hearing the sounds, seeing scenery rolling by and even smelling the aromas of riding the rails! “This way the younger generation can more fully grasp the thrill of a train ride,” he adds.
Best of all, the proposed expansion will properly spotlight the trains that make the Museum of the American Railroad such a draw already:
The World’s Largest Steam Locomotive, Big Boy
The World’s Largest Diesel Locomotive, The Centennial
The Pullman cars on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s funeral train
A Santa Fe Streamliner lunch counter car from the 1950’s, complete with Native American
Kachina motifs in turquoise and adobe
Of course the museum plans to make some more very popular acquisitions. “One of my dreams is a Dome observation car, which would be a phenomenal showpiece,” says LaPrelle.
The planned new museum faciltiy will also have plenty of room for shows, educational classes, garden railway club exhibits and many more “wow” railroad-related attractions that will keep folks coming from miles around. “What keeps me going,” explains LaPrelle, an 18-year veteran of the museum, “is what the museum can be in just a few short years…so much more than a few trains crowded together.”
Big hopes are riding on a new generation of train lovers.
While baby boomers and seniors fondly remember their train rides of yesteryear, connecting with younger visitors is a more daunting challenge. According to LaPrelle, “Trains have been such a central part of our country’s history, representing an era when getting there was half the fun: observation cars with domes that offered unparalleled views of lakes, mountains and big cities. Dining cars that featured linens and service ‘in the grand manner.’ Sleeping cars, parlor cars and unforgettable train names like the Super Chief and California Zephyr. By making it interesting for all ages to see that railroads are such an integral part of our past—and present—visitors can see how important they’ll be in the future. High speed bullet trains, light rail commuter trains and freight trains are staples most of us can’t live without.”
In fact, Dallas owes its prosperity to the railroad. The city would not be on the map if the Houston and Texas Central Railroad had not intersected with the Texas and Pacific Railroad at this very point in 1873, thereby creating a North-South and East-West hub. If the tracks crossed in, say, Ennis, then it would have been the largest city in North Texas.
Man of many journeys.
Bob LaPrelle, always a lover of travel and history, recalls collecting Lionel trains like most little boys in the 1960s. He grew up in Dallas and took train excursions with his family once his older brother and sister lost interest in long car trips. “We took the Santa Fe Texas Chief to Chicago in 1969. Sleeping in Pullman cars and eating in the dining car hooked me. And when we entered the Windy City, I was captivated by the way Illinois farmland disappeared into the vibrant big city.”
After Amtrak took over the nation’s railroads in 1971, the family enjoyed more fascinating trips out west and to Canada. LaPrelle still likes to ride the Amtrak rails. He also has a passion for sailing on huge ships. He and his wife, Melissa, sailed on the last of the great transatlantic liners, the SS Norway (formerly France, and have also crossed to England on the renowned Queen Elizabeth II.
Even when he’s relaxing, Bob is still into transportation. He collects and restores old cars from the 1920s, and is proudest of his 1929 Cadillac.
Melissa, a professor at Collin County Community College, is just as fond of trains. In fact, she first met Bob as an intern at the Age of Steam Museum. Their 18-month-old son, Mason, took his first train trip when he was 3 months old and is preparing for further adventures by watching the Thomas the Tank Engine videos!
With Bob LaPrelle’s can-do spirit these trains may really be going places!
For more information, visit www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com or call 214-428-0101.
