C & R Railroad Museum
To preserve our Railroad heritage through education and entertainment and to emphasize the importance of railroads in the development of our way of life.
C&R Railroad invites you to a quaint community tucked inside a 57-foot mountain range in the McDill “Huck” Boyd Center where intrigued visitors can watch animated 0-scale trains chug through the village, and arrive at Union Station. A freight yard includes a turntable and roundhouse.
“Old Railroaders never die – They just lose their steam.”
The dream of trains began when Bill Clarke was a child. As soon as he heard the nearby whistle or horn from the incoming train, he’d jump on his bike and speed off to meet it at the station. He began buying toy trains in 1966, & his collection has grown steadily. Three decades later, 94 engines, 170 cars, 34 cabooses, & 137 railroad lanterns are house in a room featuring special lighting with day & nighttime effects. More than 1,200 feet of track wind through Clarke’s C &R Railroad. “C” stands for Clarke. Bill owns one of the six best trains in the United States, which he donated to the Huck Boyd Center & the Phillipsburg community for all to see. The “R” comes from his late wife’s maiden name, Reiss. Jim Talbott, a model railroad builder and Montana man, took charge of designing a multi-level landscape for the large model railroad. After nearly three months of labor, Talbott’s largest privately funded project welcomed the whistles of locomotives.
“It is our aim to leave this railroad collection of trains and memorabilia to the entire area to enjoy for years to come so they young may learn and the older can remember. We, Bill and Loretta Clarke, give this in appreciation for wonderful photographic business from this area over the years. Thank You.” – Bill Clarke
