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| Blair Gaines looks around the shed of the old Western Railways of Alabama near North Perry Street in Montgomery in March 2002.
– David Bundy, Advertiser |
By Neil Probst
March 3, 2003 - Montgomery Advertiser
Article reprinted with the express permission of the Montgomery Advertiser.
A Montgomery group wants to restore railway facilities that date back to the 1830s, but funding for the ambitious project may be too low to get it off the ground.
The $30 million project, which includes a large-scale rail park from which people can embark on local and in-state train rides, has no financial support from the city, even though a large number of people love the idea.
"At this point, I don't know where the city can get money for a rail park museum," Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright said.
Bright said current projects -- including an amphitheater, baseball stadium and renovation of the Tallapoosa/Bell street interchange -- just don't leave any room for the project.
Old Alabama Rails, the group which is proposing the rail park, is inviting families and rail fans to the Union Station train shed March 15, where organization members will present information about the rail park. The day of activities includes bands, school music groups, and fun activities for children, such as a magic show.
Families with ties to Alabama railroads are urged to bring railroad pictures; an Old Alabama Rails member will copy the photo and return the original to the owner.
Andrew Waldo, who conceived the railpark proposal and was president of the Old Alabama Rails board of directors for its first four years, said he understands that the city has other priorities now, but would like to see some railroad preservation efforts.
"(We're) willing to go longer term, but unless these historic buildings are at least stabilized for future development, they will be gone, and there will be no opportunity to do this -- to preserve and to bring this history to life," Waldo said.
The railpark would be located in the vicinity of Sabel Steel on about a ?-mile stretch of land that runs parallel to North Court Street on its east side. The group wants to rebuild a roundhouse that once housed a train turntable at the site.
Waldo said the buildings in danger of falling apart or being razed some day rest off North Court Street near Sabel Steel.
They include a paint shop, a planing mill, a train car shed and a coaling tower.
The history of the railway Western Railway of Alabama Shops dates back to the 1830s. The buildings housed upholstery, painting, carpentry and machine and inlay cabinet shops, as well as brass and copper foundries, where essentially all parts of the trains were assembled.
The property is owned by CSX Transportation, Waldo said.
Some Montgomery residents favor Waldo's plan.
"That sounds interesting," said Peggy Kohn of Montgomery, who said her husband, Tilford, is a train buff.
Kohn said she believes the railpark is a better idea than the baseball stadium, which is supposed to be built by April 2004. Phase I of the project is scheduled to be accomplished over two years. According to projections, 110,000 to 130,000 people would visit the park in its first year.
"I think that would be a great idea," said Earl Lane of Montgomery, who said similar parks in Hartwell, Ga., and Williams, Ariz., were well-received.
Meanwhile, the planned baseball stadium, which will be built at Coosa and Tallapoosa streets, has been a partial blessing for train enthusiasts.
An agreement between the Alabama Historical Commission and the Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation will allow for the destruction of part of the Riverfront Center, which sits at Coosa and Tallapoosa streets, but also for the preservation of much of the structure.
The Riverfront Center is home of the former Western Railway of Alabama's freight terminal, built in 1898.
What once served as the railroad's main offices will become the stadium's offices, and the terminal's loading docks along Tallapoosa Street will become ticket booths and main entry doors for a variety of events.
Waldo said the railpark would be a huge attraction that would draw history buffs and children.
"Kids just love trains. They absolutely love trains," Waldo said.
The railpark would have learning centers that would teach children about the railroad and technology, he said.
Also, the railpark and its steam excursions would emphasize the antebellum agricultural development of the state, Confederate military history, and the city and central Alabama's connection to the civil rights movement.
Waldo said railroads that ran through Montgomery were key North-South routes for the Confederate military and that during the civil rights movement, organizers traveled by railway between Montgomery and Selma.
Railroads between Montgomery and Tuskegee carried pilots who would later be revered as the Tuskegee Airman to their destinations.
"Montgomery is infused with history, and these railroads are an absolutely critical part of that history," Waldo said.