Southeastern Railway Museum facts for kids

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Southeastern Railway Museum
Georgia's Official Transportation History Museum
New York, Ontario & Western Railway General Electric 44-ton switcher #104 at the Southeastern Railway Museum.
Established	1970 by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
Location	3595 Buford Hwy. Duluth, Georgia USA
Type	Railroad and transportation Museum
Collection size	over 90 pieces of rolling stock exhibited

The Southeastern Railway Museum (also called SRM) is a fun museum about trains in Duluth, Georgia. It's located near Atlanta.

The museum started in 1970. It was created by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Today, the museum has more than 90 different trains and vehicles. These are spread out over a large area of 30 acres.

In 2000, the museum became Georgia's official museum for transportation history. This means it collects all kinds of vehicles, not just trains. You can see many cool things here.

Besides the trains, there are lots of old railroad items. There's also a huge collection of historical papers and photos. You can visit a restored train station from 1871. There's even a small train ride and a model train display. Visitors can also ride in old cabooses on a short track.

Explore the Train Collection
Transit Vehicles: Beyond the Rails
Special Events: Fun for Everyone
See also

Explore the Train Collection

The museum has a huge collection of trains. These include old steam engines and modern diesel locomotives. You can also see passenger cars, freight cars, and cabooses.

Steam Locomotives: Old Powerhouses

Steam locomotives are like giant kettles on wheels. They use boiling water to create steam, which makes them move. These engines were very important a long time ago.

Atlanta and West Point Railroad 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific No. 290
Savannah and Atlanta Railway 4-6-2 Light Pacific No. 750
Gainesville Midland Railway 2-10-0 No. 203
Chattahoochee Valley Railroad 2-8-0 No. 21
Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad 4-4-0 General II
Georgia Power USATC 0-6-0T No. 97
Southern Railway 1509 "Maud" 0-4-4T
Campbell Limestone 2-Truck Heisler No. 9

GA Railroad #1026

Diesel Locomotives: Modern Workhorses

Diesel locomotives use powerful diesel engines. They are like giant trucks on rails. These engines replaced steam trains because they were more efficient.

Southern Railway EMD SW7 No. 8202
Southern Railway EMD E8 No. 6901
Southern Railway EMD GP30 No. 2594
Armco Steel Baldwin-Westinghouse Boxcab No. B-70
Hartwell Railroad General Electric 44-ton switcher No. 2
New York, Ontario and Western Railway General Electric 44-ton switcher No. 104 (pictured in infobox)
Georgia Railroad EMD GP7 No. 1026 (pictured)
Louisville & Nashville ALCO S-4m No. 2326
CSX EMD SD45-2 No. 8954
SMRX GE 50-Tonner No. 3

Passenger Cars: Travel in Style

Passenger cars are where people rode the trains. The museum has many different types. Some were very fancy and used by important people.

Norfolk Southern/Central of Georgia No. NS 30 Marco Polo/Savannah. This car was used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad No. 301 Superb. This car was used by U.S. Presidents Warren G. Harding and Woodrow Wilson.
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Sleeper/Lounge Washington Club
Clinchfield Railroad Bar/Lounge car No. 112. This car was used for meetings and parties.
Southern Railway Diner No. 3168
Southern Railway Coach No. 3780. It is painted as New Georgia Railroad No. 1104.
Southern Railway Coach No. 812 Charlottesville
Southern Railway Coach No. 1212
Southern Railway Coach No. 1065
Southern Railway Coach No. 1078
Central of Georgia Coach No. 527
Central of Georgia Coach No. 651. It is painted as New Georgia Railroad No. 1111. You can ride this car in winter.
Central of Georgia Coach No. 662
Atlantic Coast Line Business car No. 307. It is now called SMRX No. 307 Georgia On My Mind.
Southern Railway 10-1-2 sleeper Thomas Ruffin
Southern Railway 10-6 sleeper No. 2019 Tugalo River. It is now called Norfolk Southern "NS17".
Amtrak 24-8 Slumbercoach No. 2092 Loch Arkaig
USAX Troop kitchen car No. 200

Head-End Equipment: Mail and Baggage

These cars were usually at the front of the train. They carried mail, packages, and luggage.

Southern Railway RPO/Baggage car No. 153. It is used to store museum archives.
Southern Railway RPO No. 1701 Grand Junction
Southern Railway Baggage car No. 116
Southern Railway Baggage car No. 451. It is used for archive storage.
Southern Railway Baggage car No. 582
Southern Railway Baggage car No. 6457
Southern Railway Baggage car No. 4529. This car is used for meetings and parties.
Central of Georgia Railway Baggage car No. 405

Freight Cars: Moving Goods

Freight cars are used to carry all sorts of goods. They move everything from coal to cars across the country.

Central of Georgia Railway Bulkhead flat No. 11403. It carries parts from other trains.
DODX heavy duty flat car No. 38416
Southern Railway flat car No. 117092. It carries the frame of Southern Railway 1509.
Southern Railway hopper car No. 74745
Southern Railway "Big John" hopper car No. 8717
Southern Railway 86 ft boxcar No. 9690
Southern Railway gondola No. 900097
Southern Railway gondola No. 291069
Southern Railway boxcar No. 33309
Norfolk Southern hopper car No. 993359
L&N (H.P. Hood and Sons) milk tank car No. 40605
Fruit Growers Express reefer No. 55558
Norfolk and Western gondola No. 99984
Seaboard Air Line boxcar No. 9028
Chattahoochee Valley boxcars Nos. 1010, 9012, 9014, 98703, 98705, 98707, 98708
GATX Kaolin tank car No. 40649

Cabooses: The End of the Train

A caboose is a special car at the very end of a freight train. It was used by the train crew.

Southern Railway Wood caboose No. 2156
Southern Railway Transfer caboose No. XC7871. You can ride this car in spring, summer, and fall.
Georgia Railroad No. 2866
Georgia Railroad Steel braced wood caboose No. 2849
Norfolk and Western No. 500837. You can ride this car in spring, summer, and fall.
Clinchfield Railroad No. 1064
Seaboard Coast Line No. 01077
Central of Georgia Wood caboose No. X92

Maintenance Equipment: Keeping Tracks Safe

These vehicles help keep the railroad tracks in good shape. They are important for safety.

Seaboard Air Line bunk car No. F70413
Chattahoochee Valley flatcar with burro crane No. 522
Jordan Spreader No. JX635
WofA Pile driver No. 20 with tender No. 7302 and boom car No. 7001
USAX self-propelled crane No. C-271
Western Union tool car No. 3558-AB

Other Cool Equipment

The museum also has other interesting pieces of equipment.

L&N M-1 Berkshire Tender No. 1966
L&N Auxiliary Water Tender JLDX No. 55. This was once a coal tender.
The collection also includes a Trackmobile.

Transit Vehicles: Beyond the Rails

The museum also shows other types of transportation. These include streetcars and buses.

Rail Vehicles: City Transit

These vehicles helped people get around cities.

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority MARTA CQ 310 heavy rail car No. 509
Georgia Railway and Power Company streetcar No. 269. This car was used on the Decatur Line.
Georgia Railway and Power Company streetcar No. 636

Rubber-Tired Vehicles: Buses and More

The museum has a collection of buses and other vehicles that run on tires.

Atlanta Airport Automated People Mover Westinghouse C-100 vehicles Nos. 1 and 53
Atlanta Transit System Trackless trolley No. 1296
Atlanta Transit System Nos. 1732 and 1756
BC Transit CCF-Brill T-44 Trackless trolley No. 2207
Cobb Community Transit RTS bus No. 8956
Gwinnett County Transit Orion VII 32.5' CNG bus No. B014

MARTA-Owned Vehicles: Atlanta's Transit History

These vehicles were used by MARTA, Atlanta's public transportation system.

Mule streetcar No. 1866
Georgia Power Company 1941 White bus No. 401
Atlanta Transit Company 1956 GMC bus No. 253
Atlanta Transit System 1963 GMC bus No. 946
MARTA Flxible Metro bus No. 3360
MARTA New Flyer 40' CNG bus No. 2701
MARTA GMC "Fishbowl" bus No. 4211

Special Events: Fun for Everyone

The museum holds many special events throughout the year. These events are a great way to learn and have fun!

Caboose Days in April
The Fast Track 5K race in May
Locomotive Celebration in June
Trains, Trucks & Tractors in August
Classics at the Crossing in October