NORM!

That is, The Northern Ohio Railway Museum. (Not Mr. Peterson.)

Last weekend, as part of my efforts to get outside and enjoy the beautiful autumn while it lasts, I visited said Railway Museum, in Medina County. It’s really more of a streetcar museum… but I guess NORM is clearly a better acronym than NOSM. I took some photos which I will share.

One of the highlights, honestly, was the series of gorgeous promotional posters the museum commissioned a few years ago. Apparently they’ve won some awards, and they’re certainly fabulous. Alas, they’re also not for sale. At least, technically; you can get one, but only in return for a donation of $100 or more, which qualifies you for a “free” poster. I would like to support the museum, and certainly like the posters, but not quite that much. Oh well.

Otherwise, honestly, it’s an okay way to spend an hour or two but clearly operated on a shoestring. They seem to have just about enough money and volunteer manpower to collect these old vehicles, and provide some interesting interpretive signs, but not enough to make very fast progress in restoration or bringing their facility up past the level of a couple of large barns.

Which isn’t all bad, admittedly; something about those old dilapidated vehicles in the dim light of the big storage sheds just seemed haunted. Not in a creepy way, really, so much as a sad, but poignant, way.

And, of course, there were these cool posters.

For those interested, the NORM is open through the end of October (and then shuts down until spring), so there are two more chances to visit this year during their Saturday hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to welcome you.