Bauer Drumhead Gallery

The World’s Largest Railroad Drumhead Collection

A drumhead is a round, illuminated sign that once hung on the rear of a passenger train’s last car, displaying that train’s name and logo. Before Amtrak began operating America’s passenger trains in 1971, railroads competed fiercely for travelers – and top trains were promoted heavily, in part, through this eye-catching signage. The earliest drumheads were large and round, resembling a bass drum, which is how they got their name.

The Bauer Drumhead Gallery at the National Railroad Museum houses the largest known collection of railroad drumheads in the world. Frederick Bauer donated his collection of more than three dozen drumheads to the Museum in 1999 for preservation and display for future generations. Drumheads are exceptionally rare among railroad memorabilia – many were scrapped along with retired passenger cars once trains left service.

The first drumhead was reportedly displayed in the early 1900s on the Northern Pacific’s North Coast Limited, which ran between Chicago, Seattle, and Portland. Drumheads doubled as powerful advertising. Celebrities were often photographed posing near them, turning each photo into an informal endorsement of that train’s service. Today, the Bauer Drumhead Gallery features narrated touchscreen displays with additional information about each drumhead and its route.

Drumheads on display include: The Abraham Lincoln, Wabash Cannon Ball, The Erie Limited, The Twilight Limited, Expo Limited, Lackawanna Limited, The Phoebe Snow (one circular, one rectangular), Advance Merchants Limited, The Lake Cities, The Cardinal, Travel Broadway Limited, Alton Limited, Illinois Central Night Diamond, The Blue Bird, Merchants Limited, The Midnight, Silver Meteor, Dixie Limited, Florida Special, The Canadian, The Canadian, The Mountaineer, The Dominion, Midnight Limited, The Alouette, Olympian, Empire Builder, City of Portland Domeliner, North Coast Limited, Soo-Spokane-Portland Train De Luxe, Golden Gate, The Chief, Super Chief, El Capitan (two different circular models) and Super Chief El Capitan.

By visiting the National Railroad Museum (or participating in one of our Museum programs/events), you understand that you may be photographed, filmed, or videotaped, and you hereby give permission and grant the perpetual right to use your likeness, image, or photo (collectively, “image”), without compensation, for broadcast, or exhibition in any medium, and to put the finished pictures/recordings to any legitimate use without limitation or reservation. To learn more, or plan your visit, please visit this page.