Southern Appalachia Railway Museum (SARM) has announced its Secret City Scenic Excursion Train will be running fall colors trips on four weekends during October, starting on Oct. 2.
Trains will run on Saturdays and Sundays, with Saturday departures at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm, and Sunday departures at 1 pm and 3 pm.  Each trip will last about one hour.
During the rides, the train will roll through the former Manhattan Project site of the K-25 uranium enrichment building, then exit the north gate and proceed through the picturesque rural landscape of Poplar Creek Valley and into the hardwood forest near Blair, Tennessee.  
Each ride will include a short narrative about the historic achievement that hastened the end of World War II, while riders are treated to the changing colors of the fall season.
Riding on the Secret City Scenic is a trip back in time, as the coaches used are from the 1930's and 40's, and have been restored by the Museum's volunteers.  Even the track itself is a rich part of East Tennessee railway history, as the railroad was built in 1943 to serve the Manhattan Project and carried up to 50,000 freight car loads into and out of the site during World War II.
Tickets for rides are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 through 12.  Payment can be made with cash or personal check only, and reservations are strongly suggested as these trips are very popular.  The train boards next to the Heritage Center on Highway 58, 10 miles west of downtown Oak Ridge.
Reservations can be made at 865-241-2140 and more information can be found on the museum's web site at www.southernappalachia.railway.museum.

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