WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — For years, the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum showcased many pieces of railroad history and cars, but after closing in 2020, its once-roaring history has come to a stop. Many residents said they are hoping it can gain steam again.

“It’s very much worth saving. It’s part of our history, you know. People used to come to the building that we now own and buy a ticket right there and get on a train from here, and that’s a part of Wichita Falls,” lawyer Cyndi Schenk said.

Cyndi Schenk is a lawyer at Schenk, Schenk and Haines Law Firm, and where their firm is located?

Well, they are neighbors to what was the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum, even having a key that allowed them to provide our crew access on to the museum’s property to take a look around.

“Well, we purchased the building in 2018, and people often stop by and think that our business, a law office, is the railroad museum. They come down here all the time, they come down here all the time and they take photographs,” Schenk said.

She said there is still interest in the museum, and if it could just get some TLC, it could be a good thing for the city. A message one of the main people in support of this, Wichita Falls City Councilor Steve Jackson agrees with.

“I’ve had people contact me about maybe renting out some of the cars for Airbnb or even rebuild them, and people can spend the night in one or have dinner in one. That would be great. I’ve even had some people reach out and say they’d help restore them,” Jackson said at a Save the Railroad meeting back in April.

Jackson even organized meetings for a “Save the Railroad” group working on a plan to present to City Council to save what’s left of the museum.

“It’s my understanding that some of these trains date back as far as World War II, and supposedly, troops traveled on these trains. That’s deep in the heart of our history and needs to be preserved,” Schenck said.

Now, everyone waits to see what the next chapter for this museum will look like at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Councilors will discuss the Museum of North Texas History taking possession of smaller artifacts from the museum, while the city determines the fate of the cars and engines. They will of course hear from several community members on the matter