At the center of it all was the New York Central Railroad. Elkhart's National New York Central RR Museum recaptures the days when locomotives were symbols of progress, and ambassadors of goodwill across the country. The Museum was founded in 1987 and is an ever growing preserver of both local and national railroad heritage. Elkhart is a natural home for the museum; its railyard is among America's largest. Then, just as it is today, Elkhart was and is a vital link between East and West during our country's growth. Visitors enter the Museum through a 1915 passenger coach. This area introduces a timeline to the local railroad history beginning in 1833 with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RR, and tracing it through 1914, when the New York Central gained control of the LSMS. At the end of the coach, the path leads through the Central System Gift Shop and into the Museum's main gallery in an 100 year old freight house complex.