Photo by David Wilson, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
About Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society
Ride a restored Budd RDC-1 rail diesel car with Bellefonte's all-volunteer railroad society, which hosts passenger excursions throughout the year plus special events run with its speeder cars. Trips use roughly a mile of society-owned track near Lemont, once part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Lewisburg and Tyrone branch, and in Talleyrand Park you can see a wooden caboose and Russell snow plow beside the former Bellefonte station.
At a Glance
Verified daily- Type
- Heritage railroad & tourist attraction
- Location
- PA
- Rating
- 4.7 ★ 811 Google reviews
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
Plan Your Visit
- Parking
- Paid lot · street parking
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance · accessible parking
- Hours
- Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
Find the Depot
The Trains
The roster is anchored by two Budd RDC-1 rail diesel cars, BHRX 9153 and BHRX 9167, which handle the society's passenger excursions — 9167 returned to service in October 2023 after extensive mechanical work, and 9153 was restored mechanically and cosmetically in 2024. The society also owns an NE-class wooden caboose that was constructed for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, a Russell snow plow, and four track speeders that operate during special events; the caboose and plow sit on static display in Talleyrand Park, adjacent to Bellefonte's former Pennsylvania Railroad station.
History
See full history
The Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society was founded in 1984 as an all-volunteer historical society devoted to preserving and promoting the railroading heritage of Bellefonte and Centre County, Pennsylvania; it remains a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no paid staff. Volunteers maintain about one mile of society-owned track in and around the village of Lemont, a surviving stretch of the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad, a Pennsylvania Railroad branch line. Recent decades have centered on reviving the group's two Budd rail diesel cars: an overhaul of RDC-1 BHRX 9167 began in 2014, and the car returned to service in October 2023 following an extensive mechanical restoration by Rail Mechanical Services, Inc. of Columbia, Pennsylvania. In February 2024 the society launched a mechanical and cosmetic restoration of sister car BHRX 9153, finishing that work in December of the same year. Its caboose and snow plow stand on static display in Talleyrand Park beside Bellefonte's former Pennsylvania Railroad station.
Around the Depot
Bellefonte, the Victorian county seat of Centre County, Pennsylvania, sits in the Nittany Valley about twelve miles northeast of State College and ten miles from Penn State. The borough takes its name from a natural spring praised by the French statesman Talleyrand in 1790; iron made the early town boom, and five of Pennsylvania's governors have called it home, commemorated at Talleyrand Park. Its downtown historic district, on the National Register since 1977, includes the Centre County Courthouse and Gamble Mill, with Spring Creek flowing through town.
Getting There & Staying Nearby
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Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Tours & Activities Nearby
Tours
Guided tours, day trips, and things to do around the area, bookable in advance through Viator.
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