Celebrate ‘The Tail of the Train’ at Caboose Days

The Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth celebrates spring and the return of the caboose to its popular vintage train ride during Caboose Days Saturday & Sunday, April 6 & 7. In the winter, visitors ride on a heated passenger train while the cabooses hibernate.

Besides the caboose ride, the museum has several historic cabooses that visitors can board and explore.

Caboose Days visitors also will learn all about cabooses and why they are no longer used.

The weekend will be filled with fun, family-friendly activities including a daily Caboose Hunt with prizes for the kids, snacks on board a real caboose, caboose-themed crafts for children, and an all-day caboose slide show. Knowledgeable docents will be on hand to answer questions about the museum, its exhibits, or railroading in general

“For a lot of people, cabooses really represent the mystery and excitement of trains,” said SRM Administrator Randy Pirkle in a news release announcing Caboose Days. “They haven’t been in general use since the 1980s, but they’re still so much a part of what we imagine when we think of trains that even small children recognize them immediately. Caboose Days gives us an opportunity to remember and relive the magic of railroading through that familiar, iconic image.”

Caboose Days will run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Admission to the museum is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens (65+), and $5 for children ages 2-12. Younger children enter for free. Caboose rides cost an additional $3 per person. Rides on the newly restored park train are $2 per person.

The museum is located at 3595 Buford Highway, just north of Pleasant Hill Road and south of downtown Duluth.

In operation since 1970, the Southeastern Railway Museum is Georgia’s Official Transportation History Museum. Occupying a 35-acre site, the museum’s collection features about 90 pieces of railroad rolling stock, including historic locomotives, passenger and freight cars, and maintenance vehicles.

The museum also exhibits historic automobiles, firefighting equipment, and buses from MARTA and its predecessors.

Because many of the exhibits are outdoors, the Southeastern Railway Museum varies its operating hours seasonally. Find information on current days and hours, educational programs and other special events on the museum’s website.

~ Duluth Patch