cotton belt depot museum

Gentleman at this gem of a museum is great. He spent at least 45 minutes explaining items on display. He is a jewel. He also ran the electric trains for us and weexplained about the massive collection of trains and hundred of items on display. Great for kids and adults alike. Very wothwhile visit

A group of us traveling to other railroad events, stopped by this museum and were graciously accommodated by being let in early. We were really impressed. I don't want to overstate what we found, but the extent of their collections of train related artifacts provided many items of real interest. We spent our time with a great and greatly informed docent who was able to provide more information & good stories. If you are interested in trains at all, this is a worthwhile stop to make.

Who would have thought that within this small depot are several excellent, informative and historical railroad displays. Here you’ll find relics from day’s gone by when the Cotton Belt RR made regular stops in Tyler. You'll find several working model train displays and usually they are all running. As an additional benefit, the volunteers that work there are passionate about their role and spend time explaining all the history within and out of the depot walls.Fun for all ages!

If you have not visited this quaint little museum you need to! Depot filled with historical trains and lots of information. Very nice and the kids will love it!

My kids loved the O, HO and N gauge train layouts. Its very small and can be toured, very extensively, in about 15 minutes. But, my kids were fascinated by the hosts who let them pick the train to run and blow the whistle. Left a donation in the box, but no fee.

My husband enjoyed chewing the fat with the old timers manning the museum. Lots of train info and tales from the past...kids would probably get a kick out of too!

Stopped by here on Saturday afternoon. A gentleman greeted us and gave us a short walking tour and a little demonstration with the model electric trains. He allowed the kids(5 & 8) to push buttons to demonstrate how the trains work on the tracks. He also led them over to some older models of the phones and a telegraph, performing their names in Morse code. Lots of pictures and memorabilia from the early days of the Cotton Belt and the glory days of the railway. This is a gem of a place for model train enthusiasts or the kid in all of us. This was free to enter, but donations recommended.

This is a small museum, but it is full of trains and historical information. The man who walked us through it was very knowledgable and friendly. Definitely worth a look!

The Cotton Belt Depot Museum is housed in the old baggage section of the restored 1905 Tyler, Texas Train Depot and staffed by volunteers from The Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society.You don't have to have kinfolk as I do who were Southern Rail Road men to really appreciate this museum. They have so much to offer their visitors: railroad artifacts, books, pictures, hats, uniforms, Winfield paintings and operating N-, HO-and O-gauge model train layouts. They also have the famous "Bragg Train Collection:" on display. There is no gift shop but you can still purchase Cotton Belt memorabilia T Shirts and Mugs as we did.We were very fortunate indeed to be given a personal tour by the President of the Tyler Tap chapter of the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society who provided much insight into the glory days of the Cotton Belt Rail Road in Tyler, Texas.The Cotton Belt Museum is open Monday - Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free but donations are always welcome. It is recommended that Group Tours should call ahead for an appointment. Parking is available next to the museum and bus service to the City of Tyler is also available at the West End of the Depot.

This is a great tribute to the railroad industry of East Texas. There are thousands of pieces of rare history hidden in this treasure. The volunteers make it come alive and help bring history to life. Job well done. It is even free.

We stopped by here to see what they had. There were lots of railroad items and photographs. The two gentlemen who were there were very knowledgeable and love sharing the history of the depot and railroad. There are also some model train layouts inside the depot. Admission is free but donations are greatly accepted.

If you have a little kid that loves Thomas the Train, they'll love this museum. They have so many model trains of all types and even some Thomas models that runs on their model rails. My 3 yr old son was speechless and didn't want to leave.

We LOVE this museum, and the men who so lovingly take care of it and keep it open 6 days a week! Located in the baggage area of the 1905 train depot, this tiny treasure is jampacked with memoriablia, history--and trains. Multiple electric trains running, and great photos on the wall spark imaginations and interesting conversations. We go on a regular basis. Don't just drive by the depot--stop in and learn about the importance of the Cotton Belt Route and enjoy the trains and the knowledge of our friends who run it. You will enjoy it!And, if the train signal at the corner is green, you will get to see the real freight lines run by right outside the museum door!

This a great little Train Museum of the Cotton Belt in Tyler, Tx, the currators of the museum are old engineers and railroad workers which add to the tour and U get a first hand word of mouth experience there. The Tyler Transit takes up most of the building, but the museum has artifacts of the Railroad era thru out the Depot. They have a few model railroads set up. Lots of photos of the era of Railroads. Its Free and near downtown Tyler, check it out.

This historical depot is owned by the city. A ;portion of it is dedicated to model train collection that was bequeathed to the city. :Local members of a model train club staff it as volunteers and act as docents. It is free, but a collection jar is handy.You will see an elaborate and working model train layout, and the kids may begiven a chance to run the train. They also me be given a conductor's hat.