Photo by Chris Light, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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About Hesston Steam Museum
Riding the museum’s live‑steam railway winds through 155 acres of La Porte, Indiana, on three distinct gauges. A three‑rail, dual‑gauge line carries 2‑ft (610 mm) and 3‑ft (914 mm) narrow‑gauge equipment along a 2½‑mile (4 km) loop around the grounds. A 1‑mile (1.6 km) 7½‑inch (190.5 mm) track threads heavily wooded hills and a bridge, while 14‑inch (356 mm) scale locomotives offer a miniature steam experience. All rides operate with live steam.
History
The La Porte County Threshermen held their first steam‑power reunion on the 22 acre site that would become Hesston Steam Museum in 1957, adding a sawmill in 1959, an electric plant in 1961 and a Browning crane in 1962. A steam locomotive was bought from Elliott Donnelley in 1964, and between 1965 and 1968 the society, with Donnelley’s financial help, acquired the remaining acreage to create a dual‑gauge (2 ft / 3 ft) railroad; the La Porte County Historical Steam Society was chartered as a nonprofit on December 16 1968 and received IRS 501(c)‑3 status in 1969, the same year weekend railroad service began. The Shay locomotive restoration was completed and dedicated on August 30 1975; after Donnelley’s death in December 1975 his family donated his 14‑inch gauge railroad, which members moved in 1976 and rebuilt from 1977 to 1982. A fire on May 26 1985 destroyed most large railroad equipment, prompting the purchase of two Plymouth gasoline locomotives and a Melodia coach that allowed limited operation for the 1985 show, and after insurance clearance in early 1986 the India locomotive was salvaged on March 13 1986 and back under steam 89 days later. Additional milestones include the arrival of East‑German equipment on April 14 1987 and the first firing of the CSK in August 1987, the retirement of the India locomotive in 1988, major work on the Orenstein & Koppel 0‑8‑0 between 1990 and 1998, the purchase of two 3‑ft passenger coaches in November 1998, and the completion of a half‑scale working Tom Thumb model in September 2022.
The Trains
The museum operates a three‑rail, dual‑gauge line that runs a 2½‑mile (4 km) circuit around the property, allowing both 3 ft (914 mm) and 2 ft (610 mm) narrow‑gauge equipment such as the CSK 0‑8‑0 (the regular weekend locomotive), the Orenstein & Koppel 0‑8‑0 (restored in 1998), the Shay and Porter locomotives, and the India locomotive (retired in 1988) to share the same track. A separate 1‑mile (1.6 km) 7½‑in (190.5 mm) gauge line weaves through heavily wooded hills, crosses a bridge and uses hand‑built passenger cars, while a 14‑in (356 mm) gauge amusement‑park style railroad features quarter‑scale steam and gasoline locomotives and operates on its own short loop. Passenger service on the dual‑gauge line includes two 3‑ft gauge coaches acquired from Cedar Point in 1998 and two 2‑ft gauge cars constructed in 1986, all providing rides between the main depot and the lake‑side turn‑around.
Nearby
Indiana's Hesston Steam Museum sits just 4 mi from the New Buffalo Railroad Museum, an easy pairing near the lake.
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