Train ride offers trip back to the 1940s

The Secret City Scenic Excursion Train, operated by The Southern Appalachia Railway Museum, will run its Welcome to Summer train rides Saturday, June 2 across a mountain route that has been in existence since 1943. Riders can enjoy viewing the historical Manhattan Project K-25 plant site and the lush green hardwoods of Roane County while riding in the air-conditioned comfort of restored 1940s-era passenger cars. From the boarding site next to the Heritage Center on Highway 58, the train will proceed north through the plant complex, passing by the huge K-25 building itself. It will then leave the complex, crossing Blair Road and Poplar Creek and heading north to where the track joins the Norfolk Southern main line to Harriman. From there, the train will roll back south, again passing through the plant complex and continuing to the southern end of track where riders will see the Museum’s work track and the site where the Museum’s new building will be built. Scheduled trips are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and each trip is narrated by knowledgeable car hosts. Restrooms are available on board and riders can purchase cold drinks, popcorn and candy, along with T-shirts and other railroad souvenirs from the Commissary Car. The one-hour rides are $15 for adults and $10 for children 3 through 12. Reservations are not required, but recommended. Call (865) 241-2140 or go to the museum’s Web site at www.southernappalachia.railway.museum. The train’s boarding site is at East Tennessee Technology Park off Highway 58, six miles north of I-40 exit 356, or 10 miles southwest of Oak Ridge.Southern Appalachia Railway Museum is a non-profit organization and all members are volunteers dedicated to the preservation of East Tennessee’s railroad history. All equipment used on the train was originally in service on southern railroads in the 1940s and ‘50s, and is restored and maintained by the museum’s volunteers, using funds derived from operation of the excursion train.