Heart of Dixie Railroad MuseumHome of the Calera & Shelby Railroad |
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Half a century ago a group of Birmingham area railfans organized a chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society (NRHS) called the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club. Their goal was to preserve the sights, sounds, and artifacts of railroading for future generations. Fifty years later the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum is still carrying out that mission at its museum location in Calera, Alabama.
irst founded as a railfan club in 1962 in Birmingham, today the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum is located 30 miles south in Calera, Alabama, and holds the title of official railroad museum of the state. The museum features 15 miles of operating standard gauge and a half mile of narrow gauge trackage, two relocated and restored railroad depots, an indoor collection of railroad artifacts and memorabilia, and an outdoor collection of locomotives, rolling stock, and cabooses with ties in the history of railroading in Alabama and the Deep South. The standard gauge right of way was part of the former Alabama Mineral Railroad, which by 1910 was the Alabama Mineral Division of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad system. The museum includes a maintenance shop where a collection of end-cab switchers are maintained for tourist service. Admission to the museum is free, but there is a charge for the various standard gauge train rides schedule throughout the year and the narrow gauge loop.
Birmingham, Al / Apr 1970 / JCH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
museum overhead / Google Maps
Click to see the Heart of Dixie Museum plotted on a Google Maps page
1996 brochure / collection
collection
1998 tourist train guide ad / collection
2001 tourist train guide ad / collection
1910 Official Guide map / collection
1910 Official Guide ad / collection
1910 Official Guide ad / collection
1955 Official Guide listing / collection
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
postcard / collection
1996 brochure / collection
1998 tourist train guide ad / collection
1996 brochure / collection
2001 tourist train guide ad / collection
2006 tourist train guide ad / collection
collection
collection
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Aug 2019 / image and artwork RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Nov 2019 / RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
image and artwork RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Nov 2019 / RWH
Aug 2021 / image and artwork RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
image and artwork RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Aug 2021 / image and artwork RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / RWH
Nov 2019 / image and artwork RWH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / ETH
See also Ella's complete Extra Board image collection in Lagniappe
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / ETH
Calera, Al / Nov 2019 / ETH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Aug 2021 / RWH
Calera, Al / Aug 2021 / DKT