Programs
Railroading Merit Badge
Several of the Erie Turntable’s active volunteers are Eagle Scouts, and two are certified as Railroading Merit Badge counselors with Scouts B.S.A. Erie Turntable offers comprehensive merit badge classes where Scouts can conduct some research and preparation in advance to meet certain educational requirements, and then meet all remaining requirements to earn the merit badge in a single visit to our facility by participating in a roughly three-hour on-site course offered by one of our counselors.
We are accepting bookings for both individual Scouts as well as patrols or entire troops. Please contact us at meritbadge@erieturntable.org for details or to inquire about appointments for classes.
Toys for TOts
The Erie Turntable was originally conceived as a storage site for railroad equipment that was used annually to collect donated toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation, which redistributes the toys to less fortunate children in the collection area during the holiday season. Having a “home base” for its railroad equipment has allowed Operation Toy Train to expand its operations, and the organization is now collecting over 30,000 toys every year, making it the largest single donation to the Toys for Tots Foundation east of the Mississippi River and the second largest donation in the country. Toy donations are accepted at the Erie Turntable site on any of our regular opening or special event days throughout the year. To learn more about Operation Toy Train’s toy collection efforts, or to get involved, visit their website.
Historical Research & Publishing
The Erie Turntable has lent the use of its archival collections and participated in the publication of a series of books by author Rudy Garbely called “The Railroads of Port Jervis.” This series covers the history of railroad operations and facilities in Port Jervis, and profits from the sales of these titles are being donated to benefit the ongoing preservation activities on the Erie Turntable site. Click the links below to view and purchase any of the books in this series! (More books in this series are planned!)