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.