Full steam ahead Blair Gaines, a board memeber of Old Alabama Rails, looks around the shed of the old Western Railways of Alabama site near North Perry Street in Montgomery last March. The group hopes to make the site a museum, restaurant and retail center as a historical railroad-themed attraction. --Advertiser photos By Rick Harmon Montgomery Advertiser March 14, 2003 - Montgomery Advertiser Article reprinted with the express permission of the Montgomery Advertiser. AFor many it will simply be a fun family event, but for the members of Old Alabama Rails, Saturday's Montgomery Riverfront Railpark Rally will give their cause a little more steam -- a cause they hope will put the city on track to go back to the future. Old Alabama Rails, which became an official non-profit organization in 1998, believes a major part of Montgomery's future could lie in its railway history, which will be the focus of its free 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. event. "Eventually, we would like to have an interactive railroad museum, and in the big plan there is an eating facility, things for children to do and excursion trips," said Anne Waldo, chairwoman of the event. "The reason we decided to have this event was that it seemed very few people in Montgomery seemed to know about our hopes and vision for the railroad park." She admits the organization is a long way from realizing the vision. Broken windows and crumbling walls are common sights at the old Western Railways of Alabama site. Gaines looks over the debris of the old Western Railways of Alabama site. While Old Alabama Rails has long known that it would like to build the railroad park at the Western (Railways) of Alabama shop, at the end of Perry Street, the group is not close to having the funds to purchase the property. But Waldo hopes Saturday's event, which will feature food, music on two stages, railroad artifacts and children's activities, will bring the group a little closer to its goal by raising public awareness about the impact railroads had on the city. "Most people probably don't realize how important the railroad was to the city," said Royce Kershaw, one of the organization's members who has been involved in the railroad industry for about 30 years. "There is a lot of railway history here that the organizations wants to preserve for the future. "Around the 1930s and'40s, Montgomery wasn't just the biggest railway center in Alabama, but maybe the Southeast. Five major railroads came through Montgomery. That's more than came through Birmingham, and probably more than came through Atlanta." The organization hopes to give some visitors the chance to relive the days of railway travel. There will be drawings each hour for two tickets to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera. Also, there will be a raffle for two round-trip tickets aboard an Amtrak train, traveling from Birmingham to New Orleans with a two-night stay in a New Orleans hotel. Broken windows and crumbling walls are common sights at the old Western Railways of Alabama site. Those who might want a shorter ride will have the chance. There will be an authentic handrail cart for adults and a kid's train for children. There will also be several model railroads on display. But while Old Alabama Rails hopes to provide a fun time for families, it also hopes to get something from the event itself. "We hope that people with family ties to the railroad will bring in old railroading photos so we can scan them for our collection," Waldo said. The non-profit organization also hopes to increase its membership rolls. There will be a membership booth, and for $25 you can become an Old Alabama Rails member. If you can't attend Saturday, but want to become a member, you can mail your check to Old Alabama Rails, P.O. Box 4422, Montgomery AL 36103.