1926 Baldwin 4-8-2 (#59201) in Mobile, AL

 

1923 Baldwin 0-6-0 in Red Bay, AL

1923 Baldwin 0-6-0 (#56325)

 

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL

 After visiting this museum during our 2018 vacation (on a Sunday when it was closed), we took a day trip to see everything again and do the train excursion.

 Here's the video:

1881 Baldwin (Burnham) 4-4-0 #5892 in Troy, AL

 We took a day trip on a cold January day to seek out some Bama trains. We found this 1881 Baldwin 4-4-0 at the Heritage Museum in Troy, AL.

Here's the video if you wanna check that out:

BAYL1599 and MNA509 of the Columbus & Chattahoochee RR

When we first moved back to Phenix City, AL we were stuck in a hotel for 6 weeks until we closed on our house. Sarah had started a teaching job, and I hadn't found a job yet so I was stuck watching the dog most of the day. Sometimes I would go stir crazy and start doing some urban exploring around old train tracks. That's when I came across these two diesels of the Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad moving some cars around back on Brickyard Road.

The BayLine 1599 is a 1983 EMD GP15T, originally built as Apalachicola Northern #722. The Missouri and Northern Arkansas 509 is a 1978 EMD GP38-2, originally built as Florida East Coast #509.

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Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL

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1953 Davenport 0-4-0F the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

The last train we found at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum was a fireless(!) 1953 Davenport 0-4-0F. It was obviously freshly painted and it was a beauty! 

1944 Lima 0-6-0 at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

As we continued exploring the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum (we had already found a 1924 Baldwin), we came upon a 1944 Lima 0-6-0 that was originally used by the US Army Transportation Corps. It was later sold to the Alabama By-Products Corporation.

1924 Baldwin 2-8-0 (#58101) at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

Our last place to visit on this long roadtrip was the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL. It finally wasn't raining at a train museum! However it was a Sunday and you guessed it, they were closed.

1917 Lima 2-8-2 at the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, AL

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As we continued on southward from Huntsville (we had already visited a 1923 ALCO in Dora and a 1941 Porter in Tarrant), we searched out and found trains at the very cool Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham.

1941 Porter 0-4-0F (#7312) in Tarrant, AL

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After stopping at Alabama Mining Museum in Dora, AL to see a 1923 ALCO 2-8-0, we moved on southward to our next stop in Tarrant, AL. As you entered the city limits there was a 1941 Porter 0-4-0F on display.

1923 ALCO 2-8-0 (#65287) at the Alabama Mining Museum in Dora, AL

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As we traveled on southward from Huntsville, AL, we found the Alabama Mining Museum in Dora, AL which has a 1923 ALCO 2-8-0 out front.

1904 Porter 0-4-0 (#3077) at the Depot Museum in Huntsville, AL

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Just a few miles down the road from the North Alabama RR Museum in Huntsville, AL, was the Depot Museum which most definitely had a steam engine on site. It was a 1904 Porter 0-4-0 (#3077). Oddly enough, this museum was also closed with weird hours (10:00 - 3:00) so I missed out on yet another potential magnet. And yes, this is the same rainstorm that was on the last video.

The North Alabama Railroad Museum in Huntsville, AL

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It seems everywhere we went on this trip rain followed us. The North Alabama RR Museum was no different, as you can tell from the video above. I didn't see any steam trains listed for this place on the website, but it was a train museum and worth checking out anyway. Even if they were open/closed with no one around. No chance at a magnet either, but there were some interesting locos and cars that we took many pics of.

1948 Porter 0-4-0F (#8172) in Gadsden, AL

We finally left the state of Georgia and crossed the border into Alabama. When I plan these road trips I want it to be a quick stop and then move on so I try to get all the details I can on a train location, especially if it is in a generic area instead of a local park, chamber of commerce, etc. Well for this train, Google maps gave me this:

I circled what I assumed was the train. Then I went to street view...

1926 Baldwin 4-8-2 (#59201) in Mobile, AL (2017)

This was one of the better cared for locomotives I saw on my vacation. The silvers and reds had been freshly painted it looked like. This is a 1926 Baldwin 4-8-2, #59201. The Baldwin in Amory, MS was #59203! Very close off the production line.