Temple Celebrates National Train Day

Celebrate National Train Day, Saturday, May 9th, from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., at the Railroad & Heritage Museum (315 West Avenue B) in downtown Temple.

Festivities include family activities and crafts, concerts, vendors, food trucks, model train displays, train watching, Rail fan presentations, and much more!

FREE and and open to the public; however you must pay for any food.

Festivities kick off at 9:00 a.m. when the Central Texas Area Model Railroaders (CentraMod) open the Moody Depot to showcase their model train layouts.

A welcome ceremony will also be held at 11:00 a.m. courtesy of CentraMod.

Starting at 10:00 a.m., spend the morning enjoying family-friendly activities, games, and crafts hosted in the Grand Lobby of the Santa Fe Depot located inside the Railroad and Heritage Museum. The Temple Visitor’s Center, Operation Lifesaver and Amtrak will have information and giveaways for visitors, including a drawing to win a free trip for two on Amtrak!

Railfan presentations showcasing videos and slides of trains throughout North America will begin at the top of each hour from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00p.m.

Outside the museum, the garden gazebo will serve as a bandstand to add a little jazz to the celebration. Musicians from Temple High School’s Blues-N-Trouble and Temple High School Blues will entertain visitors as they explore several historic railcars, including sleeper cars, a locomotive, and a caboose.

Parents will love dining at the food trucks, while children will love taking a barrel train or handcar ride, or the railroad motor cars operated by Railroad Partners, Inc. Donations for the barrel, handcar and motor car rides are greatly appreciated, although not required. The Santa Fe Market is also open on the grounds from 9 :00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

12 Hours at Temple, celebrating National Train Day, is sponsored by Amtrak, CentraMod and the Temple Railroad and Heritage.

For more information about National Train Day and the 12 Hours at Temple event, please call 254.298.5172 or visit http://www.rrhm.org/12-hours-2015/.