MoArk Regional Railroad Museum, Poplar Bluff

All aboard!

Housed in the historic Frisco Depot in downtown Poplar Bluff, the MoArk Regional Railroad Museum features exhibits of seven different railroads—Iron Mountain, Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific, Frisco, Butler County, Cotton Belt and Amtrak—as well as an extensive model train layout. There is also a gift and hobby shop, and a model railroad repair shop.

The depot, itself, was built to replace the original Southern Missouri and Arkansas Railroad depot which was destroyed in 1927 by a tornado. Built by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad and completed in 1928, the Spanish Colonial-style building served Poplar Bluff until the branch was abandoned in 1965. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

There is a lot to see on the museum grounds, too. You can explore two cabooses, a mail service car, working cross lights and a block signal, and you can take a look at the train schedule posted for December 1944.

This is the 32nd year for the non-profit museum, which has no paid staff and relies totally on volunteers who work about 2,500 hours annually to maintain the museum. Their work pays off; from July 1, 2022, through May 31, 2023, the museum welcomed 1,505 visitors from 146 cities in 26 states, the District of Columbia and Japan.

The museum sponsored its first train show and swap meet in May. It participates in the town’s Iron Horse Festival held annually in late September. Christmas trains and visits by Santa Claus highlight the holiday season at the museum.

The Amtrak station is two blocks away at 400 South Main Street in the brick Union Pacific depot, which was built in 1910 by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, the first railroad to come to Poplar Bluff in 1873. That railroad was succeeded by the Missouri Pacific in 1917 and the Union Pacific in 1982. Restoration of this station is ongoing. There are plans to create a Depot District that would connect the Amtrak depot with the 1928 Frisco depot housing the museum.

As you drive or walk downtown, be sure to note the three-plus miles of historic brick streets along Main and Vine, completed in 1913 following specifications established for brick streets in New York City.

MoArk Regional Railroad Museum is located at 303 South Moran Street and is open Saturdays 1-4 p.m. except during major holiday weekends. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Annual memberships are available for $12 per individual or $20 per family. The museum is east of the Black River Coliseum. For more information call 573-785-4539. For group tours, call 573-686-2241 and leave a message.