User:Timwilliamson/City of Foley Museum & Archives and Model Train Exhibit

Foley Railroad museum article



Alabama Travel
he Foley Alabama Railroad Museum (125 E. Laurel Ave.; 251-943-1818; map) is located in the Old L&N Railroad Depot and houses Foley’s archives. The first depot was built in 1905 when John B. Foley of Chicago used some of his own money to bring the railroad to the southern part of Baldwin County. This first depot burned and a second station took its place in 1908. The museum contains reminders of the days when Foley was a thriving agricultural center and the railroad played a major role in its prosperity. It’s open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Switcher acquired
In 1991, he and son Brian of Pascagoula, Miss., teamed up to form a model train company. Ruth Johnston, a retired teacher, came up with the name, One Track Mind.

"We ship models everywhere," Richard Johnston said. "I have between 700 and 800 on hand."

Brian Johnston definitely has his father's enthusiasm for trains.

He became disturbed upon learning that owners of a closed grain elevator in Pascagoula were going to sell an L&N diesel engine left there for scrap. He said General Motors built it in December 1941.

"L&N started buying diesels in 1939, and this one, old No. 13, is one of the oldest in existence," he said. "I wanted to see it preserved."

His dad split the cost with him, and he paid $5,000 for it in 1998.

Then he didn't know what to do with it.

He called his parents. His mother said, "If you don't have a track, you don't need a choo-choo train."

He finally found a home for the 100-ton engine in May 2003 at a railroad museum in Foley.

"The problem was, you couldn't hook onto it and pull it over the rails," Brian Johnston said. "The museum paid $28,000 to truck it to Foley."

Brian Johnston said the two wheel sets weigh 14 tons each.

"They transported them on flatbed trailers and the rest of the engine on a lowboy flatbed heavy duty trailer," he said. "They used two 65-ton cranes to load the parts. The company did a remarkable job, moving them the 75 miles in one day."

And thanks to his son, Richard Johnston went to Foley and compared his 1941 L&N model steam engine with the 1941 diesel.

Al.com article
The exhibit was donated to the City of Foley in 2006 by Alan Goldman of Montgomery. Now, it's one of Foley's best attractions located in the Foley Alabama Railroad Museum. But the exhibit is more than just three fully operational twin tracks traveling over a quarter mile of track on a 24X60 foot display; the entire layout is animated with the details of daily life from 1950s America.

The caretakers for the model trains constant maintenance are members of the Foley Caboose Club which includes Ron Benson, who narrates over the public address system. Benson's narration includes details like as a car moving through a 1950s carwash, automobiles parked at the drive-in movie, folks at church, angry men working along the rails wielding large hammers. He describes it all.

Moody's Manual
Bay Minette & Fort Morgan RR 36.52 miles long, in service May 11, 1905

Website
Foley, Alabama Model Railroad Museum

The City of Foley was fortunate to be the recipient of an "O" gauge model railroad layout. Mr. Alan Goldman of Montgomery, Alabama donated his model railroad to the City in 2004. In giving it to the City, Mr. Goldman asked that the exhibit be available for children and that there be no entrance fee.

The Caboose Club (a group of railroad buffs) went to Montgomery, disassembled the layout, and put it in storage until an annex to the L & N Depot Museum could be built. The building was completed in December 2005, and the Caboose Club began constructing the layout in January 2006.

The exhibit is 24' X 60' and has a quarter mile of track. Some of the features are: 3 operating double track routes 12 different railroads represented remote controlled several animated sites This layout represents the 1950's era, when the rail lines were in the transition of being run by steam to running on diesel fuel.

Much detail has gone into this exhibit. There is a Main Street USA; complete with a fire station, car wash, church, bus station, and a city park with an "N" gauge train that carries children around the park. You will find a farm, a sawmill, and a coal company on one end of the layout and an oil refinery on the opposite end. There is a line shack with working pulleys on lathes and other machinery as well as a man welding on trucks. "Thunder Road", and old Robert Mitchum movie, is playing at the Hub Drive-In. Just about anything that pertains to a community is in this exhibit.

The Model Railroad Museum was officially opened to the public in February 2007. The trains are in operation on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The hours of operation are from 10am - 2pm. Admission is free.

The Caboose Club

The Caboose Club was formed for train buffs to get together; watch videos; and discuss trains, railroads, and anything else that pertained to the railroad. This group of men would meet on a regular basis during the winter months and held "called" meetings on occasion during the summer. When the City Of Foley obtained an "O" gauge model train layout, the focus of the Club changed directions. They then had the task of putting this extensive model train layout into an exhibit that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.

In January of 2006, The Caboose Club began designing the building of this 60' by 24' layout. Groups of men, ranging in number from six to twelve, would come in twice a week for about four hours. As the exhibit began to take shape, Caboose Club members came in more often and stayed later. During "snowbird" season, visiting train buffs from Georgia, Mississippi, and even Canada would come to help. A year later, with approximately 6,000 volunteer hours invested, the exhibit was ready to be opened to the public.

For information on becoming a member of the Caboose Club or volunteering to run the trains, call 251-943-1818.

Harriet Outlaw book
Information about depot, etc.

John Jackson GCM Part one
Part one in a series dedicated to the L & N Railroad that once served Baldwin County. Completed in May 1905, Baldwin County’s L & N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad connected Bay Minette and Foley with 36.5 miles of track. Based on information gathered and reported by Baldwin County historians like Doris Rich and Kay Nuzum, the “Pine Knot Special,” as it became known, helped establish the settlements of central and southern Baldwin County. It was along this stretch of iron rail, also called the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad, that many settlers culminated their long journeys, purchasing property and building homes in Robertsdale, Summerdale and Foley. The train engine that served during this formative period in Baldwin County history was what is referred to as a 4-4-0 type, or the American type. This locomotive was among the classification of steam driven engines that was described by it’s wheel configuration. The 4-4-0 designation is indicative of the four smaller front wheels situated on two axels with two larger drive wheels situated on two additional axels. The “0” indicated that there were no further wheel arrangements aft of the drive wheels. In Baldwin County, there were two engines of that configuration that served on the L & N line just after the turn of the 20th century. What’s more, those two engines featured a unique design that set them a part from many in operation at that time. They were wood burning models. The L & N Railroad placed Engine No. 34 in service just after the railway was completed, and it ran for nearly seven years in Baldwin County, even though it had been built some 30 years earlier. It was a wood burning engine that featured a high stack, used to help dissipate the sparks from the fire as it channeled smoke away from the raging fire in the boiler. The use of coal was the norm because of the fuel's longer lasting ignition, as opposed to wood. Nevertheless, No. 34 burned wood because of a set of specific circumstances within Baldwin County. In 1906, an unnamed storm of intense strength struck the Alabama Gulf Coast, wiping out settlements like Morgantown on the Fort Morgan peninsula, killing dozens of people and destroying hundreds of trees throughout the southern half of Baldwin County. As a result of the destruction, many mills emerged to harvest the trees. Likewise, the L & N Railroad took advantage of the situation by incorporating a wood burning locomotive to operate along its line from Bay Minette to Foley. To accommodate the large amounts of wood needed (10 to 14 cords per day) to operate the engine, several locations along the way were designated as fuel stops where locals would stockpile wood for the train crew. Local woodcutters would receive a ticket from the train engineer, which they would redeem later for cash. Engine No. 34 ended its service on the L & N line in 1912 when it derailed after hitting a horse north of Foley. While no one was injured in the accident, the engine was retired and replaced by Engine No. 2105, which was brought in from the company’s Yellow River Railroad. Soon enough, it was replaced with coal-burning models. In the first quarter of the 20th century, hardships and misfortune only slowed the L & N; it did not stop the line from continuing its mission. As the years passed, more land buyers made the trip to Foley. As they carved out a life for themselves, the railroad continued to be a large part of the community and since has become an integral chapter in the Foley legacy.

John Jackson GCM Part two
Part two in a series dedicated to the L & N Railroad that once served Baldwin County. At the turn of the 20th century, the L & N Railroad helped develop the southern half of Baldwin County as it brought in settlers and carried out the raw materials produced by the farms and timber industry, the mainstay of the area. The railroad became an integral part of the community, and through adversity, its value became evident to those who benefitted from it. Potential settlers used the rail line to make their way into the heart of the county, and once there, they used the line to send their products to the rest of the world and to receive the materials they needed to live their lives. The unnamed storm that devastated the Alabama Gulf Coast in 1906 also changed the destiny of the L & N Railroad in south Baldwin County. The same 1906 storm that downed thousands of trees prompting the use of a wood burning locomotive also destroyed the seven miles of track that had been laid east of Fort Morgan. The project was never revived, and the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad never connected Foley to Fort Morgan. Three years later in 1909, the L & N suffered from a devastating fire that left the depot and some of the rolling stock in ruins. A report from the January 1, 1909 Foley Onlooker described the scene in detail. “The L & N Depot, a passenger coach and a combination passenger and baggage coach were totally destroyed by fire Monday morning,” the article read. “The fire started in the depot, it is thought that rats and matches were the cause.” The news report stated the blaze began at about 3:30 a.m. and was “a raging furnace” within 10 to 15 minutes. The building and all the records were destroyed. Nevertheless, the train’s crew and the townspeople were able to save the engine and five of the freight cars. The L & N Railroad, the parent of the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad, began its existence in 1850 when it was granted a charter by the state of Kentucky to begin operations. The first train to use the line ran in 1855, eight miles out of Louisville to one of the first stops along the proposed route. Four years later, the railroad was completed when Louisville and Nashville were linked. The cost of the original L & N line was a little more than $7 million. Subsequently, the company weathered the Civil War, serving both sides as fortunes changed during the conflict. After the Civil War, the L & N was fortunate enough to be able to expand its operations throughout Tennessee and into Alabama. Service came to the Gulf Coast in the 1880s with a 140-mile rail line that linked Mobile and New Orleans. It was during this period that the Baldwin County rail line was established. Throughout the 20th century, the L & N prospered and expanded its operation. It ran its first diesel engine in 1939 and retired its last steam engine in 1957. The company introduced the streamliners, large passenger trains, for service during this era as well. In 1969, the L & N began a series of acquisitions and also became the focus of mergers that by the 1980s threatened its existence. In 1982 it was absorbed into Seaboard Coast Line Industries, ending more than a century of service. In the end, the Seaboard System also faded away as it became part of CSX Transportation in 1986. Next week we will examine the twilight years of the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad and those local historians who have immortalized the L & N Railroad.

Foley Railroad Museum keeps area's history fresh
Posted: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 7:49 am By John Jackson | 0 comments In 1971, the bustling activity that surrounded the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) Depot in Foley came to a sudden halt. That year, the L&N Railroad shut down its operations at the Foley Depot, ending 66 years of shipping thousands of railcars full of produce grown by the hardworking farmers from the region. During its existence, the depot became the center of a thriving community, just as it was the focal point of the area’s economic mainstay — farming. After the depot closed its doors, it was sold to John Snook, who transported the structure to Magnolia Springs, where it became a warehouse for the Gulf Telephone Company. Originally, the depot was built in 1905 as John B. Foley encouraged the railroad to locate in Foley as a transportation center. Unfortunately, the original building burned; however, it was quickly replaced by a new structure in 1980. In 1995, the depot came home to Foley, where it was placed in its original location. Since that time, full-time staff and volunteers have worked untold hours to improve the facility and to add content to the museum that reflects the importance of the depot to the early history of Foley. Devoted people like Fran Hall worked to make the museum a reality, and Bonnie Donaldson, who has been involved with the museum for the past 13 years, remains dedicated to promoting the museum and guiding tours on a daily basis. In 2004, the Foley Railroad Museum expanded its facility to encompass the gift of an “O” gauge model railroad that was provided by Montgomery resident Alan Goldman. The annex to the L&N Depot Museum was completed in 2005. Soon thereafter, the Caboose Club, a local railroad enthusiasts group, began the construction of the 24-by-60-foot exhibit. After completion, the massive layout reveals the evolution of railroading as witnessed in the 1950s. The display contains representations of a fire station, church, bus station and a city park. There are also depictions of a farm, sawmill, coal company and oil refinery. Additionally, aspects of railroad maintenance are included to underscore the realism depicted by the exhibit. The Model Railroad Museum was opened in February 2007 and is currently open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with no admission charge. Since the museum opened, it has been an integral part of events in Foley that have featured the area’s culture and history. The volunteers have been on hand for events such as Heritage Harbor Days and Christmas in the Park, to name only two. The painstaking effort to keep the museum in top form is evident when you walk in, and that feeling remains as you tour the artifacts. The depot was and is a part of Foley’s history and heritage, and thanks to numerous volunteers and the full-time staff involved, it should remain a viable representation of that culture for many years.

Website history section
The City of Foley Railroad Museum Archives

Foley Train Museum imageLocated in the old L & N Railroad Depot is Foley's Museum Archives. The first depot was built in 1905 when Mr. John B. Foley of Chicago used some of his own money to bring the railroad to the southern part of Baldwin County. This first depot burned to the ground, and a second station took its place in 1908. The railroad line was a spur from Bay Minette and ended approximately a mile south of Foley. At that end, there was a wye when the train could turn around.

The depot and the railroad became the center of activity for the growing town of Foley. At this time, the area was primarily agricultural so the railroad was vital to getting the produce to market. During "shipping" season, thousands of boxcars would pull out of Foley loaded with potatoes, corn, gladiolas, and many other types of produce that was grown in the area.

In 1971, the L & N Railroad discontinued their services to Foley. It was the intention of the company to tear down the depot. However, John Snook, owner of Gulf Telephone Company, bought the building for one dollar. He then moved the whole building Foley Train Museum Imageto Magnolia Springs, a small community five miles West of Foley. For 24 years, Mr. Snook used the building as a warehouse for the phone company before deeding it to the City of Foley. In 1995, the depot was returned to Foley and placed back in its original location.

Visit Foley
Foley Alabama Railroad Museum – Model Train Exhibit

This 60×20-foot “O” gauge model train exhibit provides entertainment for all ages. The exhibit offers over 1/4 mile of track and one mile of wiring along with 84 freight cars, 50 passenger coaches, and a replica of the L&N Hummingbird.

Display locomotive info
Louisville & Nashville #13 EMD SW1 Switcher

Photos prior to restoration

Alabama Communities of Excellence
The Foley Railroad Station, located in the heart of Foley, contains four train elements that kids of all ages will enjoy. First visit the historic Depot Museum, located in the 1909 depot building to see potos, tools and memorabilia documenting Foley history and the improtant part the railroad played in developing our area. Then, visit the “O” Gauge train exhibit, complete with multiple engines, trains and a quarter mile of track. Have your photo taken with the 1940 L& N diesel locomotive, caboose and boxcar on the property. Take a ride around Foley’s Heritage Park on the little train that runs during the summers and on Saturdays.

Al.com busby
The depot was built 101 years ago to replace the first railroad station, which was constructed in 1905 and burned in 1908.

The 1909 structure served as the train station for Foley for more than 60 years.

In 1971, railroad officials announced plans to tear down the depot. John Snook, then-president of Gulf Telephone, bought the building and had the structure moved to Magnolia Springs to prevent the station from being destroyed.

Snook, who died in 1994, gave the depot to Foley. City officials later bought the station site and moved the building back to its original location in 1995.

Alabama Pioneers
As he began to sell off acreage, he realized the need for a better way for the people to come to Foley. Foley used some of his own money to lay the rails so the train could come from Bay Minette. The first railroad station was built in 1905. The original station burned in 1908 and was replaced the following year by the station that is now the City’s museum. John Foley donated parcels of land for a school and churches.

The first train to service Foley was a wood burner called the “Pine Knot Special.” It would leave Foley in the morning and make a return trip in the afternoon. As people cleared the land, they would place liter knots in a wood box for the engineer to use as was needed.