Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum - Calera, AL
Over 50yrs ago, The Heart of Dixie Railroad Club was formed in Birmingham, AL. They procured property to house and restore various trains, but due to vandalism, they opted to move south to Calera, Alabama. There, they purchased 10miles of track, various other antique trains & fixtures for display. They also acquired two train stations. Today, one is the ticket office and one is the library.
They offer weekend train rides in open and closed cars through the Alabama countryside.
This video is of their railyard of vintage trains and railcars & the inside museum of the old depot.
#train #steamtrain #locomotive
North Pole Express 2018
First of all, let me apologize for the quality of the video. I only had ONE chance to capture most of this footage, and I did it with a camera I had only just acquired. Having learned my lesson, next year's attempt should be a huge improvement over this one. Exposure and color were difficult due to the lighting conditions in each car.
The North Pole Express operates each year from mid-November through mid-December at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama. Tickets go on sale in July and usually are completely sold out before the end of the month. Prime dates and times may sell out in the first hour or so of distribution.
In this video I walk through each car except the Frisco (my recording did not save) to give you an idea of the goings on for the ride. The initial walk through was performed while the train was moving between the Calera Depot and the North Pole. During this part of the ride interior lights, except for Christmas lights, are turned off.
After the train stops, and Santa and his entourage enter, lights are turned on, families are free to move about in the aisles, and the Christmas/Winter songs really begin. Elves enter the cars and dance with the children while we anxiously await Santa's arrival.
This video goes on a little longer than maybe it should, but I hope you enjoy it and see it in the spirit I intended.
Information about all the upcoming rides for 2019 can be found on the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum website: HODRRM.ORG
Train ride through Calera and Shelby County, AL
The Calera & Shelby Railroad runs on a portion of the former L&N Alabama Mineral Railroad, established in 1891. Ride behind a first generation diesel-electric locomotive as you travel through the scenic forests of Shelby County.
Near the end watch the engine switch from the front and connect to the caboose for the return ride to the train station.
They try to keep it authentic by having a brakeman switching the tracks by hand.
Just Visiting Episode 01 - Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama. Please visit their website for full schedules and information related to events.
In the interest of full disclosure: I am a volunteer (ticket agent) for the HODRRM. No special access was given to me as I independently made this short video.
If you enjoy trains, I hope you can find time to visit us.
A Ride on the North Pole Express.flv
The Christmas Event of the Heart Of Dixie Railroad in Calera,Alabama
Crossing Signals in Action at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Calera, AL
Signal on the right: One pair of US&S 8 lights and one US&S 8 STOP light.
Signal on the left: A RRS Autoflag wig wag and an RRS mechanical bell.
On 3-27-19 I went down to central Alabama for more railfanning. I first stopped in Calera to have a look around at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum's signals and rolling stock. Enjoy!
Alaska Museum Transportation & Industry
Steam Train Adventures #18: 1919 Lima 2-8-2 at the Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, AL
Me and my roommate Steam Train Sarah travel all over looking for steam trains on display and in museums. As we continued our trip through Alabama, we stopped the Sloss Furnace Historic Site in Birmingham which has a 1919 Lima 2-8-0 on display (and also a 1948 Baldwin DS44-660 diesel switcher).
Heart Of Dixie Railroad Museum.Part Seven.
2-8-0 Consolidation built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.
Traveling to Alabama
School is out and its spring break. I am currently in fairhope Alabama.
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum steam engines
The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum (initialised HOD, reporting mark HODX) is the official state railroad museum of Alabama. Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and operation of historically significant railway equipment, the museum is located at 1919 Ninth Street, Calera, Alabama, on I-65 approximately 30 miles (48 km) south of Birmingham.[1]
The museum features a wide range of locomotives, cars and other railroad equipment that dates from the 19th century to the 1950s and operates regularly scheduled excursions with museum equipment over the museum’s track. It also features two depots that are approximately 100 years old.
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Pt.#1 of 2 (ep #41)
This railroad museum is located just south of Birmingham in Calera, Alabama. The museum features operating standard gauge and narrow gauge trains and is home to, 2 restored depots.Also located here is an indoor collection of railroad memorabilia and artifacts. There is also a collection of railroad cars, locomotives, and cabooses.
Montgomery Capitol Building
Rust
Stills and video from trains and cars at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Alabama. Music is Sad Old Train by The Seldom Scene on the album Bluegrass Railroad Songs (2012 Welk Music Group - X5 Music Group) - $6.99 on Amazon Music.
Simply Southern Show 106 - Museum of Alabama
Episode 106 - Museum of Alabama. This week, Jim Allen is in the heart of downtown Montgomery, exploring the origins of the Heart of Dixie at the Museum of Alabama at the state Department of Archives and History; a group in north Alabama takes the farm to school and Samantha Carpenter tags along to learn more about how America's food and fiber is produced through the Ag in Action trailer; Kevin Worthington introduces us to Phillip Hunter, who operates Alabama's 2014 Farm of Distinction, Hunter Trees in Talladega County; and Sidney Phelps shows you how the Bonnie Plants website can help you plan your garden. This episode originally aired on February 8, 2015.
Mississippi Coast Model Train Museum
While visiting his son on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Helio Valdes was looking for a hobby shop to visit. What he found instead was the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum (MCMRM) in Gulfport, so he paid it a visit.
“I thought I was joining a club,” said Valdes. It turned out that in joining the club, he actually signed up to be a volunteer at the museum. The Gulfport train club runs the museum.
It wound up being a pretty good fit.
“I like playing with trains!” continued Valdez, who spends two or three days a week repairing things on the museum’s many train layouts. “I mostly work on special projects like re-doing a layout or helping fix things.”
He also enjoys meeting people with similar interests in trains. He says that there are a lot of grandparents that bring their families and reminisce about the trains they had when they were kids.
Being a grandparent himself, he adds that he brings his grandchildren to the museum saying “Of course, they love when their Papi drives them in the 7 inch train!”
The story behind the origins of the museum is an interesting one, so we talked with Katherine Sutton, Marketing Director of MCMRM.
Hub: How and when did the museum get started?
Katherine: The museum started in 2015 after the local model railroad club, which had been around for over 20 years, was left homeless with the closing of the Gautier Singing River Mall. It began with one building of displays and a small outside area, and has grown to what it is today. We now have 3 buildings, a large outdoor garden and train area, and just acquired a fourth building – a warehouse type building - across the street.
Hub: What type of events do you hold?
Katherine; Birthdays are a total hit. Kids come in and have access to all the trains and they also get to ride the trains. We have 3 indoor party rooms, Lego builds, and have hands-on activities with Thomas the Train. We have monthly LEGO builds, have done a Thomas the Train day, have had chamber events, and are looking forward to our largest event each year - our Christmas Light Display which is one or of the largest FREE displays on the Coast. Our Christmas Lights start the day after Thanksgiving through the end of the year. The lights are on from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm.
Hub: How is the museum funded?
Katherine: We are FREE admission and Powered by donations, profits from our Gift Shop, and fundraisers. We’ll be conducting Rail Fest in the new building. Clubs from all over the southeast area and vendors will be there.
Hub: Where do you get the trains?
Katherine: Some came from our members and are their personal collections, some have been donated, and some have been purchased. We LOVE donations, from trains, gardens and LEGOs, we love all donations.
Hub: What are the different scales of the trains you have on display and how many operating layouts?
Katherine: We have 88 running layouts at any given time. We have examples of the smallest T-Scale to G-Scale. We also have riding trains for all ages to enjoy. The latest addition is a swing bridge. There’s also an 85 foot mural hand- painted by local artists.
Hub: What does it take to keep the museum running?
Katherine: Lots of long hours of fixing the trains and maintenance. The decisions are made by the club. There’s a board of directors that meet every month and their plans are executed by a project manager. The current president is Richard Muller, Jr.
Hub: How does someone become a volunteer and what type of jobs do they do?
Katherine: We have a volunteer form. They can read to the children, do train maintenance, build displays, help at the front desk, or help paint murals. We will also need help this Christmas for decorating, singing carols and just welcoming our guests.
Hub: What are the most popular displays?
Katherine: Our outdoor Jurassic Park display is a favorite. One of our original displays is an O-scale in Station 1 that people really enjoy with an interactive circus. And of course our LEGO display of over 2,000,000 pieces is a definite favorite and one of the largest in the State of Mississippi.
Hub: I understand that you have something big scheduled for November?
Katherine: Yes, it’s called Mississippi Railfest. We’ll have over 22,000 square feet of train club displays and vendor displays, plus 20,000 square feet of outdoor trains from Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama. It will be held Saturday, November 9 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, November 10 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. It will be at our new building across the street from the Museum at 615 Pass Road in Gulfport Mississippi.
The museum itself is located at 504 Pass Road.
For further information call (228) 234-4649 or email;MCMRMuseum@gmail.com
Alco's at the North Alabama Railroad Museum (NARM)
Hey everybody, back with some railfanning, FINALLYYY!!! In any event consider this short little snippet a teaser if you will. I've signed up as a voulenteer, so hopefully there'll be alot more coming from here. Maybe evena cab ride ( fingers crossed, LOL)! As always, thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
Alabama Tourist Attractions
n Montgomery unique experiences are everywhere. Places where world-changing moments happened, we've got 'em. World-class theater and museums, we have them too. Here it's all fun, from first-class family entertainment like minor league baseball and a fabulous zoo, to grown-up fun like a local watering hole with a frozen shot room where you put on a fake fur and drink shots out of ice cube glasses. In Montgomery, we know how to show you a good time. Who knew? Well now you do!
Calera, AL, train museum with working old signals.