Four vehicles in its collection, a streetcar and three steam locomotives, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

[1] The first museum building was constructed in 1985, on former Missouri Pacific Railroad land, and purchases and donations of property in the 1990s allowed activities and storage to expand onto adjacent parcels.

[5] The initial line was about one-quarter mile long, using ex-Frisco freight tracks, along which FSSRA volunteers had installed trolley wire and support poles.

The first extension was opened by the city's mayor on October 9, 1994, and took the line to the gates of the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

[6][7] This extension, from the line's east end, more than doubled the length of operational track, making it about 2,300 ft (700 m).

[7] At the line's west end, an extension of the track and wires to Garrison Avenue, the town's main street,[7] opened on August 29, 1996.

[8] This section passes behind the Fort Smith Museum of History, located in the NRHP-listed Atkinson-Williams Warehouse building.

[2] Operation of the streetcar/trolley takes place year-round, running seven days a week from May 1 through October 31 and on weekends during all other months.

[5] The organization subsequently acquired trucks and motors for the car, and began working on restoring it to operating condition,[10] a goal that was reached in 2016.

[19] Of four locomotives owned by the museum[20] and kept on public display, three are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP): Also in the collection are three cabooses, a passenger car and various items of non-passenger railroad rolling stock.