A Common Cause, a Bright Future, and How You Can Help…
Well, no matter your political leanings, we can all agree that 2025 has been a wild ride. It can make something like a railroad museum seem rather insignificant, but we continue to press on with our mission and commitment to our audience and the community. This year, we served more visitors than during pre-COVID 2019, and we expanded educational programs to additional school districts around North Texas. For that, we are grateful. We could not have achieved this without our dedicated board, staff, and volunteers, along with individuals and organizations that have generously provided funding throughout the year.
Museums are anchors in our society, transcending political and cultural shifts. They are among the most trusted organizations we have. Museums provide tangible evidence of our past existence and endeavor to enlighten us today through their interpretation and narratives. In fact, our museum is full of stories about people and places that were directly affected by one common thread across our nation – the railroad. And while we're generally a collecting institution with over 8,000 tons of trains and related items, we are storytellers first and foremost. We strive to tell those stories accurately and fairly. Seldom a day goes by that we aren’t researching and discovering new (to us) information about our collection. Newly acquired photographs and documents continue to reveal the fascinating story of the railroad's role in American life and culture and the people who built and ran those trains.
The railroad was, and is, woven into the fabric of our nation. The tracks laid across every state in our union did more to spread population, commerce, and industrial might than any other change agent in the modern world. And, the story continues to unfold as a new generation of railroaders meet the challenges of ever-changing world economic competition, global logistics, and looming mega mergers.
Part of our mission is to preserve and present these stories through collecting and interpreting tangible evidence of their contributions to our lives. I am proud of our small staff and cadre of dedicated volunteers that continually share those stories and serve up quality experiences to our visitors. Like so many non-profit history museums, we've had our challenges this year. But 2026 offers opportunities to continue our growth trajectory and serve an ever-increasing audience with even more programs and community events. The loss of the NEH grant due to the elimination of government programs and agencies was a blow to us, however, we will continue to move forward despite the funding loss.
The new year promises to be a busy one. Thanks to the continued support of the City of Frisco and private gifts & grants, we will debut our new Events Pavilion, grow the collection, repaint and refurbish existing rolling stock pieces, and add new exhibits. We will also expand public programs and increase educational offerings through our partnership with the Frisco school district, UNT’s Portal to Texas History, the Texas Council for the Social Studies, and others. Further, we will launch a lecture series to coincide with America 250 celebrations, and of course, Dinner in the Diner returns! Numerous site improvements are on the horizon - all of which have been thoroughly planned by our engineers and tentatively approved by the City.
But perhaps the most exciting development of 2026 will be the unveiling of conceptual plans and renderings of our future permanent buildings. We've been working with our engineers, museum planners, and architects for the past few years to develop, design, and refine our vision for the future. These exciting plans and images are part of a new website that will be launched in January. You'll soon be able to see the latest images of the next phases of construction and how you can be a part of the upcoming capital campaign. We can't wait to show you the slide shows and animations on the new website!
Of course, all of this comes with a price. We can only run so far on our passion alone. We must also function like a business, competing for your time and finances just like the rest of the world. Keeping the doors open and the lights on, meeting payroll, covering the cost of utilities and insurance are no different for a non-profit. If you value and enjoy our work in the community, please consider providing much-needed financial support through an annual gift or a recurring contribution to the museum.
We are a lean, mean operation that is mission driven. Every dollar, whether earned or raised, goes toward our role as a charitable community-based organization. Your gift will ensure our continued financial stability and strengthen our role as an educational and cultural tourism destination in North Texas. It's easy to support us, simply follow this link to donate to our cause: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=MUA3XFT48SDQ
And finally, let's not forget the fun factor. The Museum of the American Railroad exists to enlighten and entertain visitors of all ages. Our board, staff, and volunteers are a family, and we all genuinely look forward to every visitor that enters our doors. Like a good movie, we hope to immerse you in an experience that suspends the worries of everyday life – if only briefly. The railroad is the common thread that knits our country together and binds communities. We tell stories that help put our lives in perspective – stories of triumph and tragedy as the railroads built our nation. I'm proud and honored to be a part of that process, and to be a steward of this museum's exciting future. Please join me as a stakeholder as we continue to build the premier museum of transportation history and technology in the Southwest!
Wishing everyone the best in the coming year. I'll see you all in 2026!
Kindest regards,
Bob LaPrelle
President & CEO
Museum of the American Railroad
Speaking of painting rolling stock, the Museum’s EMD FP-45 is nearing completion of a full exterior cosmetic restoration back to its 1967 appearance. All that’s left is installation of new number boards bearing its original #107 and a good bath to remove shop dust. We look forward to returning the historic locomotive to the head end of Exhibit Track #6 in the next few weeks. The locomotive was a gift of BNSF Railway in 1999.