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Do you have a love of trains from the times when there were more passenger cars than freight cars? Does the lonesome whistle of an old locomotive evoke happy chills and memories?
Whether you’re the train fan in your house or you have children who are, you can visit all sorts of interesting places in Alabama to ride trains or learn about our rail history. Because there are so many, this story does not include a list of all the historic depots/museums in the state.
TRAIN EXCURSIONS
You may enjoy modern train travel, which has its benefits. This list, however, is about riding historic trains, those chugging, smoking behemoths of old. Several places in Alabama have preserved trains so that people can have that experience. Here are a few:
The North Alabama Railroad Museum in Huntsville offers train excursions from April through December. (Courtesy of North Alabama Railroad Museum)
North Alabama Railroad Museum
694 Chase Road NE, Huntsville, Ala.
This facility offers museum tours as well as train rides. The website says the museum reflects “a love of trains and a desire to preserve railroad history.” It is run by volunteers so hours are limited. Check the website before going.
NARM offers train excursions from April through December. Christmas train rides are offered after Thanksgiving.
“Our regular (long) excursion consists of a roundtrip of 10 miles, with some great scenery thrown in. The train travels over a section of the historic Huntsville Branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway,” the website says.
Visitors can ride along the Calera & Shelby Railroad on a vintage train at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, Ala. (Kelly Kazek)
Heart of Dixie Museum
1919 Ninth Street, Calera, Ala.
This facility offers the “official railroad museum in the state of Alabama.” Guests can visit inside exhibits, see numerous exhibits in the train yard and also take excursions on the Calera & Shelby Railroad, which runs on a piece of the old L&N Alabama Mineral Railroad track established in 1891.
“Our museum features operating standard gauge and narrow-gauge trains, two restored depots, an indoor collection of railroad artifacts and memorabilia, and an outdoor collection of railroad cars, locomotives, and cabooses,” the website says.
Check schedules for upcoming train rides. You can also charter a train ride or plan field trips.
The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera is Alabama’s official railroad museum. (Wil Elrick)
Wales West Light Railway
13670 Smiley Street, Silverhill, Ala.
Wales West is an RV Park and Light Railway in Silverhill, Ala. The business operates two train rides, one a narrow gauge and one a grand scale.
While these trains are not ones that run on historic railways, they made the list because they are large enough for adults to ride.
“Trains pull out of the station just about every day,” the website says. “And during our seasonal event times, trains depart for places like the North Pole… or the Pumpkin Patch. Along the way, you can see everyone from the Easter Bunny to Halloween monsters.”
KIDDIE TRAINS
The trains listed here are typically miniatures made for children, although adults are often allowed to ride along.
Charles Ebert Express II
125 East Laurel Drive, Foley, Ala.
After visiting the Foley Railroad Museum, check out the Charles Ebert Express II. The museum offers rides to children from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturdays all year long, and in summer also from 10-2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Tuscumbia Railway at Spring Park
204 West Fifth Street, Tuscumbia, Ala.
This beloved train makes loops around beautiful Spring Park. It is not always in service so be sure to check the schedule.
Read more: The 31 most beautiful places in Alabama
Alabama is home to some fun miniature/kiddie trains. Municipal Park in Opelika offers rides on the beloved Rocky Brook Rocket. (Matthew Battles)
Rocky Brook Rocket
Denson Drive, Opelika, Ala., across from the Recreation Center
Municipal Park in Opelika offers rides on the beloved Rocky Brook Rocket. Check the schedule before going.
The city’s first director of Parks and Recreation, Bill Calhoun, added what would become the star of the park: a realistic, miniature train families could ride through the park. For more than 60 years, the Rocky Brook Rocket has hauled its precious cargo around the park, making it one of the oldest trains of its type – and one of the few still operating in its original location, according to Matthew Battles, the current area supervisor of Opelika Parks and Recreation.
Red Diamond Express
Birmingham Zoo, 2630 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, Ala.
This train is located inside Birmingham Zoo so be sure to check the website for ride schedules. It is sponsored by Red Diamond and the company has recently donated “a state-of-the-art, electric, battery-powered train is American made in Wichita, Kansas by Chance Rides,” the zoo website says.
Noccalula Falls Train
1500 Noccalula Road, Gadsden, Ala.
The kiddie train at Noccalula Falls is temporarily out of commission. The good news? The park is getting a new train that is expected to arrive in September, according to park supervisor Christina Richardson.
Read more: 13 gorgeous waterfalls and how to visit them
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
Sometimes people who love trains create unusual or one-of-a-kind attractions for other train-lovers to enjoy. Here are a few:
Inside the Foley Railroad Museum, you can visit the Model Train Exhibit, an O scale model train display that covers 1,200 square feet of tabletop. (Courtesy of Foley Railroad Museum)
Foley Model Train Exhibit
125 E. Laurel Avenue, Foley, Ala.
Inside the Foley Railroad Museum, you can visit the Model Train Exhibit, a “delightful O scale model train display that covers 1,200 square feet of tabletop,” the website says. “Multiple freight trains and passenger trains crisscross the layout that includes a very detailed model town, a farming community, a country fair, a potato shed, an outdoor drive-in and tall wooden trestle bridges with tunnels.”
The exhibit is free and open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Before its closure to cars in 2001, Old Naheola Bridge was one of the few in the world that could accommodate rail, auto and river traffic. (Billy Milstead | RuralSWAlabama.org)
Three Modes of Naheola Bridge
Alabama Highway 114, Pennington, Ala.
Old Naheola Bridge is an important piece of transportation history and still carries rail traffic. Before its closure to cars in 2001, it was one of the few in the world that could accommodate rail, auto and river traffic, said Billy Milstead of RuralSWAlabama.org. It is still open to rail traffic but a new bridge was built for motorists. The center span of the bridge, which was built for the Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, could be raised vertically to allow barges to pass on the river below.
One-Millionth Pullman Car
Alabama Avenue, Bessemer
A Pullman-Standard train car manufacturing plant operated in the city of Bessemer, Ala., until 1994. Pullman cars, invented by George Pullman in the early days of train travel, were cars made for sleeping.
In 1980, when the one millionth car came off the line, it was dedicated to the city and erected to commemorate the milestone.
Located across from the Bessemer Hall of History Museum, the car contains a working model of a railroad display depicting downtown Bessemer. You have to ask for a key to the car at the museum.
Derailed Diner
27801 County Road 64 Ext, Robertsdale, Ala.
This fun transportation-themed eatery is temporarily closed. The owners asked to be listed, however, because it will reopen “later this year.” Just be sure to check the website before going.
The diner is located inside the Oasis Travel Center. An outside entrance lets visitors walk past a “wrecked train” into a “station.” Guests can eat inside a dining room that looks like a train car or sit beside a real indoor school bus. Added bonus: The check-out counter inside Oasis Travel Center looks like a pirate ship!
Read more: 15 quirky Alabama restaurants
Inside the Derailed Diner train car, which is expected to re-open later this year. (Courtesy of Oasis Travel Center)
