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Heart of Dixie Ralroad Museum Calera & Shelby Railroad Trip 4/18/2021

Elizabeth and I got up and went to Cracker Barrel restaurant where I had French Toast and bacon while Elizabeth enjoyed sausage, eggs, harsh browns and toast with orange juice. We finished the story from the day before, then checked out and drove to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum where we met David Brewer, the Executive Director. After exchanging business cards, he told us to have a good look around the grounds.

Half a century ago a group of Birmingham area railfans organized a chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society 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. In November of 1962, an exciting event for railroad enthusiasts was taking place in Birmingham. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad had restored the famed Civil War locomotive The General to operation and was touring the L&N system with the engine as a public relations tool. The General’s visit to the Magic City brought together area railfans, and the idea of forming a Birmingham chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society was born. The first meeting was held in November at the Transportation Building on 1st Avenue North with thirty members present. Over the next several months members began the work of organizing their new chapter, which would be called The Heart of Dixie Railroad Club. An application for a charter was submitted to the NRHS and officers were selected. Members quickly got to work organizing meetings and railroad-themed outings. In addition to special events, the Club enjoyed regular monthly meetings where the members could get together to discuss chapter business and enjoy a railroad-themed presentation. Many of the early meetings were held in the Alabama Power Company’s headquarters auditorium, or in the assembly room of the Transportation Building, or at Handley Memorial Presbyterian Church, which was pastored by the father of David P. Morgan, the well-known editor of Trains Magazine. Chapter officers for the first year were Elliot Eggleston, President, Don Christie, Vice- President and Charlie Hudson, Secretary & Treasurer.

Birmingham was a good home for the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club though its location in the center of the city became problematic. Vandalism was taking a toll on the club's collection. Several pieces of equipment were destroyed by fire and vandalism. The club decided it was time to find a new location that the museum would own and could build facilities to host a museum. The club decided to make Calera, Alabama its home and incorporated into the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Inc. The museum purchased a 10 mile stretch of the former Alabama Mineral Railroad's roadbed (which was part of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad or L&N.) from Calera, Alabama to Shelby, Alabama. Shelby, Alabama is the site of the Shelby Iron Works that operated during the War Between The States. At the time of purchase, there was only one mile of track still existing between Calera and Hwy 301 in Shelby County. The museum has since laid another 5 miles of track to hwy 86 in Shelby County known as Springs Junction. The museum acquired and moved two historic depots to Calera. The Wilton Depot from Wilton, Alabama now serves as the museum's depot museum. The Woodlawn Freight Depot from the Birmingham area of Woodlawn, Alabama was relocated to the museum and now houses the Boone Library. Improvements over the years also include yard tracks to house the museum's rolling stock. A shop building for maintenance and restoration work. A visitor's center to house the museum offices, gift shop, and restrooms. The former Birmingham Zoo park train was relocated to the museum for a 1/2 mile ride through the woods. With the new site and infrastructure in place, restorations of museum rolling stock are taking higher priority. In 2011 the museum painted and restored the Chicago & Northwestern Bilevel coach. In 2013, work began restoring the Long Island Commuter Coach with full restoration completed in 2013. We have many more projects to come!

We Invite you to come visit us at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum to see our hard work! Take a ride on the Calera & Shelby Railroad! Our museum trains are operated by 100% volunteer effort. Many of our exhibits, displays, and restorations in our depot museum are completed with volunteer effort. If you would like to help further the museum's work, please consider donating to the museum or volunteering to help out!

Elizabeth and I then walked the ground taking pictures as we went.

Birmingham Southern HH900 82 built by American Locomotive Company in 1937.

Alabama Power Company fireless 4-4-0 40 built by American Locomotive Company's Cooke Works in 1910 for the American Rolling Mills Company (ARMCO) where it was assigned number 3801. Between July 1926 and May 1927, Birmingham Rail and Locomotive Co purchased it. In May 1927, it was sold to the Georgia Marble Company where it was used by the Alabama Marble division. At this time it was also given the road number 3. During its time with Georgia Marble, it saw service at Gantt's Quarry located in Sylacauga, Alabama. There it was affectionately known as "the Dinkey". In August 1966, 3 was donated to the to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club.

Missouri Pacific Planetarium Dome Coach 892 built by Budd in 1948 for use on the Colorado Eagle, an overnight train that ran from St. Louis, Missouri to Denver, Colorado via Pueblo and Colorado Springs. It was re-numbered 592 in 1963. In June 1967, Missouri Pacific sold this and two other dome coaches to the Illinois Central Railroad and it became 2200. In 1972 the Illinois Central sold dome coach 2202 to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club.

Museum scene. We walked across the street to Clark Yard.

Alabama By-Products and Coke Company 0-6-0 4046 built by Lima in 1944 for the United States Army Transportation Corps. The Mississippi Valley Equipment Company (MVE) in St. Louis, Missouri acquired the steam engine and sold it to the Alabama By-Products and Coke Company in Tarrant, Alabama. It was used in regular service until August 1956 when it was assigned to backup the company's new SW900 diesel switcher. It continued in this role until 1962. Alabama Power Company leased 4046 from January to June 1965 during the construction of the Greene County Electric Generating Plant. The locomotive supplied steam during the initial start up. Eventually the plant became capable of generating their own steam via their newly constructed, coal-fired, boilers. At the end of the lease, 4046 was returned to Alabama By-Products and Coke Company. In September 1969, Alabama By-Products elected to the steam engine to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club.

Louisville and Nashville wooden camp car 42476 built in 1921 from a box car.

Southern Railway bay window caboose X461 built by Gantt Manufacturing in 1970.

Louisville and Nashville caboose 6907 built by International Car Company in 1952 for the Monon Railroad as C-361. Later, the Monon Railroad renumbered the caboose 81502. After the merger with the L&N, the caboose was given the road number 907 and later 6907. In the late 1970's L&N it was again renumbered to 154 and assigned to the Cincinnati Division.

Pullman 10-section, one-drawing room, two-compartment car 4527 "Shrewsbury" built by Pullman in 1915. It became Tourist Car 5139 in 1951 and was sold to Southern Railway. In 1953, it was converted to Mail Express Car 4527 then finally to a baggage car. Donation to the museum was in the 1960's.

Cast iron trucks with integrated pedastels.

Truck with bolt on pedastels.

Two axle cast steel roller bearing truck.

The Louisville and Nashville Woodlawn depot built 1887 which houses the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum.

Woodward Iron Company 2-8-0 38 built by Baldwin in 1924 as Battson-Hatten Lumber Company 12. Primarily, the locomotive was used to haul logs over the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) main line from Forrest County, Mississippi. The Battson-Hatten Lumber Company eventually closed in May 1932. The locomotive was then sold to the Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. where it was renumbered 1825. On October 14, 1935 the locomotive was acquired by the Woodward Iron Company in Woodward, Alabama where it was again renumbered 38; the number it carries today.

Trinity Industries scale test box car built by Pullman-Standard.

Wheel sets.

Metra bi-level commuter coach 7715, originally Chicago and North Western 64, built by Pullman-Standard in 1960.

East Alabama (formerly Louisville and Nashville) flat car 21417 built by American Car and Foundry in 1956.

Memphis Union Station (MUS) SW-1 10 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1942. As Memphis station's lone switch engine, known as "the ten-spot", it proved up to the task. Any changes in a train's consist was handled by 10. On its final day of operations - in addition to its normal duties - No. 10 was also pulling all of the spare passenger cars out of storage and placing them on the ends of outbound trains or in strings to be picked up by their owners from the ready tracks. When MUS ceased operations in 1964, the switcher was sold to Republic Steel where she was renumbered 904 and operated in Thomas, Alabama until the plant shut down in 1984. In 1989, a Heart of Dixie salvage crew went to work making her operational once again. Prior to joining the Heart of Dixie roster, she actually spent a few weeks pinch-hitting for American Cast Iron Pipe Company while their engines were down. After that, she was brought to the museum's Powell Avenue site in Birmingham, Alabama.

Euclid 35 ton centre cab switcher 2430 built by General Electric in 1953. Birmingham Slag Company (later named Vulcan Materials Company) operated 2430 using the road number DE4. Vulcan Materials Company later retired 2430 and it was donated to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in 1973.

Mary-Lee Railroad S-8 37 built by Baldwin in 1953. 37 was originally built as a calf of a cow-and-calf unit delivered in 1954. In January of that year, Baldwin shipped the cab-equipped unit to Armco Steel in Ashland, Kentucky as 1201. Later in that year, Baldwin outfitted the calf unit and it departed for United States Pipe & Foundry in Birmingham, Alabama, which assigned it the road number 37. Originally No. 37 operated primarily on daily coal trains on the "Mary-Lee Railroad". By 1964, 37 was usually assigned to work the No. 5 blast furnace at the east end of the North Birmingham coke plant. In the later part of the 1960's, 37 had become the coke plant switcher. By 1972, No. 37 was assigned to the coal yard weighting and car-spotting job. Jim Walters Resources gained control of the USP&F in 1969 and 37 was eventually re-lettered as Jim Walters Resources, Inc. 37. At some point the locomotive was equipped for remote control operation on the Jefferson Warrior Railroad of Jim Walters Resources. Once 37 was finally removed from service, it was donated to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum.

Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company center cab switcher 520-020 built by Plymouth in 1942.

Jefferson Warrior Railroad steel caboose with side door 99X built by the railway in 1951.

Jim Walter Resources steel caboose 100X.

Chattahoochee Valley Railroad box car 9007 built by American Car and Foundry in 1942 as Atlantic Coast Line 32253. Later, following the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line, it was re-numbered SCL 632253.

Chattahoochee Valley Railroad box car 9003 built by American Car and Foundry in 1942 as Atlantic Coast Line as 32353. Later, following the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line, it was re-numbered SCL 632353.

Southern Railway double-door box car 40240 built by Mount Vernon Car Company in 1945.

Amtrak material handling car 1400 built by Thrall Car Company in 1986.

The Calera and Shelby Railroad's station from Winton built in the 1890's.

Southern Railway 150 ton derrick crane and boom car built by Industrial Works in 1926.

Louisville and Nashville flat car 41326 built in the 1890's.

Norfolk and Western hopper car 27894 built in 1966.

Southern Railway hopper car 7966 built by Magor Car in 1965.

Southern Railway bay window caboose X-458 buit by Gantt Manufacturing in 1970.

Southern Railway baggage car 329 built by Pullman in 1924.

Department of Defense flat car 38623 built by Magor Car Corporation in 1951.

Department of Defense flat car 38485 built by Magor Car Corporation in 1951.

Department of Defense flat car 38101 built by Magor Car Corporation in 1951.

Louisville and Nashville baggage car 1551 built by Pullman-Standard in 1949 as railway post office car 1121. In 1953, it was converted to a baggage car and re-numbered 1551.

United States Air Force troop car G-51, by American Car and Foundry in 1943. It was converted to a guard car in 1964.

Louisville and Nashville Railway Post Office car 1550 built by Pullman-Standard in 1949 as railway post office car 1120. In 1953, it was converted to a baggage car and re-numbered 1550.

"Mount Gibbs", built by Pullman in 1926 which had 10 sections and an observation lounge with an open platform on the rear. During August 1938, the Pullman Company had the open platform removed from the car and picture windows installed in the ends of the car in place of the platform. At this time, the car was also renamed "Alabama". In December 1948, the Pullman Company sold "Alabama" to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, who in turn, leased the car back to Pullman. "Alabama" was withdrawn from lease in March 1954 then was rebuilt into tavern lounge car 3050. At this time, the name was again changed from "Alabama" to "Alabama Club". From 1960 through 1965, this car was assisnged the Louisville and Nashville train The Pan-American.

Empire Coke electric locomotive 2 built by General Electric in 1912 for Semet Solvay.

Empire Coke electric locomotive 1 built by General Electric in 1912 for Semet Solvary.

Heart of Dixie baggage car 102.

United States Army H12-44 1850 built by Fairbanks Morse in 1953.

Burro Model 15 crane built by Cullen Friestedt Company of Chicago in 1949.

Southern Railway sleeper "The Lake Ainslie" built by the Pullman Company in December 1923.

Turntable.

Track Maintenance wood flats and crane.

Whitcomb 25 ton switcher 2 built by Whitcomb Locomotive Company of Rochelle, Illinois in 1951 for the United States Air Force.

Track equipment.

Southern Railway Railway Post Office car 30 built by American Car and Foundry in 1928.

Union Pacific speeder A4 2060.

An unknown Southern Railway car.

Unknown switcher.

Box car body.

United States Army flat car 38558 built by Magor Car Corporation in 1951.

Trackmobile.

Unknown baggage car.

Track equipment.

Museum scene.

United States Army guard car G-64 built as a hospital kitchen car in 1944 for the United States Army.

Burlington Northern caboose 10522 built by International Car Company in 1970.

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy coach 4741 "Silver Maple" built by Budd in 1947. This car ran mostly on the California Zephyr as a sleeping car but was rebuilt into a 48-seat coach by the CB&Q in 1963. At that time, the CB&Q also assigned the car the number 4742 and dropped the "Silver Maple" name. The Silver Maple was assigned the car number No. 400 as well as its name when it was built. 4741 was transferred to Amtrak in 1971 and became Amtrak 4805 running on many trains during its lifetime including the Abraham Lincoln, Prairie State, Empire Builder and San Francisco Zephyr.

Santa Fe coach 2823 built by Budd in 1953 and operated on the El Capitan, the San Francisco Chief and the Texas Chief. In 1971 it became Amtrak 4817 and after Amtrak service, it ran on the Montana Daylight train. This car was in the consist of the Montana Daylight that my mother Nancy and I rode in August 2003.

Calera and Shelby SW8 2019 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951 for the United States Army.

Calera and Shelby power car HEP-54.

Chicago and North Western bi-level commuter coach 7710 built by Pullman-Standard in 1960.

Long Island Railroad coach 2972 built by Pullman-Standard in 1956.

St. Louis-San Francisco heavyweight coach 1062 built by American Car and Foundry in 1910.

Calera and Shelby open car 1221, formerly United States Army flat car 35211 built by Magor Car in 1940.

Calera and Shelby open car 1222, formerly United States Army flat car 35300 built by Magor Car in 1942.

Southern Railway caboose X201 built by Gantt Manufacturing in 1971. This was the consist of the train Elizabeth and I rode twenty-five minutes after these photographs were taken.

Santa Fe El Capitan coach 2931 built by Pullman in 1950.

Signals and crossing wig-wig display.

Museum scene. Now it was time to ride the train but it will be in the next part of this story.

Click here for Part 2 of this story!