brad's blog
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Kingman Railroad Museum.
09/13/24 - On Route 66 in Kingman, AZ, you can find the Kingman Railroad Museum. This is located in Santa Fe Railroad Depot and shares about half the building with the Amtrak station. This is the fourth iteration of the building, built in 1907. The museum opened in 2012. Admission is $2, with kids under 12 and active military free. The building has a nice collection of railroad items, memoribila,informational placards, and three model railroad displays. Many of the artifacts are local and there is a quite a mix of different things. All kinds of tools used by the railway workers, scales used for weighing freight. sineage, interior accoutrements like china and a whole lot more. There are several static model train display cases too. The museum also has a store where you can get souvenirs, t-shirts, used books, and even model train sets
As for the trains, there are three working displays. HO, O, and N. They have differing levels of detail with the HO and N being what I consider more realistic, but they are all worth an extended look. These are a operational and have multiple lines running at once. The HO layout is undergoing a rebuild of the yard, but still has a lot of great detail and action. The N scale seem to have the most varied terrain, with a neat downtown along with a nice forrested area. The O scale is always very active and features some celebrety trains like Thomas the Tank for the kids. (and grown up train geeks) And if you are into 1':1' scale, this entire place sits right next to a very active BNSF freight line, so you are bound to see one on your visit.
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
09/06/24 - Another thing in Blue Ridge, for the locophiles (my word - testing it out) is the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. This is an out and back excursion railway that takes you to McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. These two towns are adjacent and there is a blue line through the middle to indicate which state you are in. You get two hours there. I'd suggest going hungry, have a bite to eat there, and then take the ride back. The train is a diesel electric, and you have a choice of premier, coach, or open air seating. It's not the most scenic train I've been on, but the conductor does a great job pointing out the local points of interest and after all, it's a train ~ what else do you need.
The cars are vintage and there are multiple classes. There is the Open Air Coach, which faces out to each side. It's one of the best ways to do a scenic train, if the weather is right. There is the Closed Coach, which has nice padded seats, two facing two, and also has Air Conditioning, This is what I would liken to coach class. They also have the Premier Car, which has nicer appointments like cloth seats, carpet, air conditioning, and complementary snacks and drinks available for purchase. You can also rent the caboose or ride in the locomotive. One of these days, I am going to spring for a locomotive seat somewhere. If you are into rail bikes, they have them too as a separate offering. The trains are all nicely restored and its a very pleasant excursion.
