Learn history of trains, check out rare artifacts at Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History Museum exhibit

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is inviting the community to learn more about the history of trains through its newest exhibit.

It’s named Steam, Smoke & Steel: Riding the Rails through Time.

“It tracks the history of trains since as early as Greece to what we’re experiencing now, modern-day trains,” the museum’s Associate Director and Education Coordinator Maria Lazo said.

The exhibit includes educational banners, photos, artifacts and video presentations to bring the history to life.

One of the larger model train displays is a diorama of what College Station looked like in 1938. It also shows what the entrance of Texas A&M looked like during that time.

There were two train lines, the Missouri Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific Lines, that ran in front of the university and dropped people off at the front steps.

Bryan’s train history dates back to 1867 when the Houston and Texas Central Railway reached the city. This was after William Joel Bryan sold a piece of land, which is now known as downtown Bryan, according to Lazo.

The trains were used for transportation at that time. Now, they’re used to carry goods like cargo across the country.

“We love representing local history,” Lazo said. “We definitely have that opportunity because trains did play a very important part here in what used to be Boonville and now as Bryan, Texas.”

In addition to this, there’s a display case depicting a train conductor and a passenger. A conductor’s pocket watch sits beside the conductor because it was one of the most important pieces of their uniforms.

“They had to make sure the trains stayed on time,” Lazo said. “Having the trains across the nation helped us unify a standard time and then that way all the trains were arriving where they were supposed to be. It was a big push for the daylight savings time and standardizing time across the nation.”

The exhibit runs until May 18. It leads up to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum’s expansion housing the Union Pacific No. 4141 Engine.