Traveling right now in the Covid-era is tricky. Having a child who is immune-compromised; traveling during the pandemic is even more of a challenge. But wanting to get out of our corner of Western MA without having to put our son in jeopardy, we started to explore locations close enough to home but far enough away to be a “trip” nonetheless. Our research brought us to what we feel is the best-kept secret in Western MA – the Chester Railway Station and Caboose.
Just about a 40-minute scenic drive from Easthampton, The Chester Railway Station is not only a museum full of railroad history but filled with local railroad history.
The curator of the museum, Dave Pierce, is a wealth of information and has been part of the Chester Railway for more than 26 years. He is very passionate about the museum and sharing all his knowledge – we learned things about local history that we did not know prior.
Did you know that Whistler’s Mother is not the only famous parent of the Whistler family? Whistler’s Father, George Washington Whistler, was one of America’s famous engineers. He was instrumental in the design and layout of the Western Railroad linking Boston to Albany, which runs through Chester. If you know about the geography of Western MA, you know that there are a lot of mountainous areas. George Whistler was able to design the railway to be able to travel through these challenging areas. An amazing feat given that the railway was constructed during the 1800s. Whistler was also the first to construct the Keystone Arch railroad bridges that are still in use today and can be visited while in Chester. That is a must on our next trip to the Station!
The Railway Station Museum is full of artifacts relating to rail travel – many of which have been donated to the Museum – lanterns, engineer hats, railroad tools, maps, etc. Dave was gracious enough to give us a guided tour of the Museum and showed us a boxcar just for kids. The Kid’s Boxcar was also filled with railroad artifacts but those geared more for children – dress-up clothes, a bell from a steam engine that children can ring, as well as a train that traveled overhead in the boxcar.
We made the trip to actually “glamp” in the Caboose! The Caboose is an authentic railroad caboose from 1912. The Caboose is located right next to the CSX Boston Line so you not only get to see the trains but you also can feel them go by – day and night!
If you are looking for a unique overnight camping (or in this case glamping) experience, a night in the Caboose is it. We enjoyed the fact that we were the only family there. The site includes an area to sit and just relax – bring your own chairs, or use the ones available. We were able to cook dinner on the barrel style campfire and, of course, made s'mores before bed. There is also electricity so that phones and tablets can be charged.
We even had access to the private bathroom facilities at the Station, just a short walk from the Caboose.
The Caboose has 4 twin size benches that we all put sleeping bags on - as well as our own pillows. My son had so much fun – one train that went through at midnight did wake him up but he enjoyed looking out the window and watching it go by. He then announced, “I’m up now!” But ended up falling back to sleep and slept through all the trains that went through until after 7 am. The adults, however, were able to experience all the trains – the two that went by at the same time shook the Caboose and we both laughed.
In addition to the Caboose, there is a retired engine on the grounds that children can explore. As well as a tanker that was part of the Baker’s Chocolate Company.
Click the picture to see my MacKid explore the interior
An overnight trip that was not only educational but also fun. We plan to visit again for sure. And highly recommend you all checking it out!
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Fun Fact: CHESTER RAILWAY STATION was named one of 43 Marvelous Must-See Museums in Massachusetts in a travel guide from U Mass Press.
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The Chester Railway Station Museum is open Sat & Sun July through Sept, 11 A -3 P or by appointment by calling 413 354 7878, or by accident if we happen to be here when you arrive.
Address: 10 Prospect St
Chester, MA 01011-9732
Call (413) 354-7878
dave@chesterrailwaystation.net
