The museum will offer a flat admission of $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 4-12. Visitors must mention National Train Day to receive the discount; no additional discounts apply.

At 11 a.m. on May 11, Dr. Richard Banz, executive director of the Southern Museum, will give a presentation about the Great Locomotive Chase and the first Medals of Honor. The Museum is home to one of the first Medals ever bestowed, given to a participant in the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase.

Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., staff members will offer railroad-themed tours and programs throughout the museum. At 2 p.m., the museum will present the “Top 20 Railroad Songs of All Time,” a free musical program in the 1908 historic train depot in downtown Kennesaw; Robert Jones from the Kennesaw Historical Society will perform the top 20 railroad songs.

“Railroads have played such a crucial role in the development of not only Georgia, but also the entire country,” Banz said. “We hope people will take a few minutes on National Train Day to think about and explore how railroads have helped change the country and the role they continue to play.”

The museum will also have a special G gauge layout operating. In honor of the day, the layout will be open to anyone who wants to run his or her G gauge trains around the loop.

For more information, visit www.southernmuseum.org or www.facebook.com/southernmuseum.

The national railroad, created as a result of the President Richard Nixon-signed Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, took over passenger service from struggling railroads, and its first train, The Clocker, departed from Union Station in New York at 12:05 a.m. on May 1, 1971. Today, the railroad operates 305 weekday trains across a network of 21,100 rail miles.

“With record ridership and strong financial performance, Amtrak is successfully fulfilling its national mission and daily demonstrating its value to the country,” President and CEO Joe Boardman said in a statement. “However, Amtrak has been underfunded and has too many conflicting missions with only year to year funding to plan, build and maintain safe infrastructure and provide national surface transportation mobility and connectivity. In addition, multiple layers of oversight have been added to what Congress intended to be a ‘private’ company that carries out public policy.”

Added Boardman: “If Congress provides predictable and needed levels of federal funding support, Amtrak and our state partners can better deliver a future of improved reliability, enhanced capacity, more service, increased speeds and reduced trip times on the Northeast Corridor and other passenger rail corridors around the country, including the development of new ones.

More than 200 communities are expected to host events at local train stations, railroad museums and other locations commemorating this year’s theme “trains matter.”

“National Train Day invites communities big and small to share the importance of trains as a vital transportation option and engine of economic
development and employment,” Amtrak Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Matt Hardison said in a statement.

In addition to events in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, Amtrak is expanding its efforts to support events in many local markets across the country served by Amtrak. Event offerings will vary to include train equipment displays, family-friendly activities and local dignitaries.

During the inaugural Museum Night, guests had the rare chance to climb aboard The General locomotive made famous during the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase. Visitors also partook in a multitude of family-friendly activities – including a railroad camp, slot cars and an operating model train layout – and could view a pair of antique vehicles on display – a 1940 Packard and a 1955 Chevrolet.

Museum Night is the first of two new events to be unveiled in 2013; the other – Railroad Rendezvous – is scheduled for July.

“The General has attracted throngs of visitors over the years, and we’re thrilled so many people turned out for the rare chance to climb on this historic locomotive,” said Dr. Richard Banz, the museum’s executive director. “We know this event will be a popular one for years to come.”

The Southern Museum reopened on March 30, 2003, following a $6 million expansion to the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, where the General resided since April 12, 1972.

The event was sponsored by Atlanta Bonded Warehouse. Cornerstone Cookie Co. of Marietta and Subway in Kennesaw donated food for the event.

For more information about the Southern Museum and future events, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

The inaugural Museum Night: Trains, Planes and Cars, scheduled for 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, will feature an evening of family- and history-centered activities in addition to providing visitors an up-close look at museum artifacts. The museum will be closing at 3 p.m. on March 23.

During the event, guests will have the rare opportunity to climb aboard the General locomotive made famous during the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase. Visitors can also explore the entire museum, see vintage automobiles, participate in interactive games and handle select artifacts – under curatorial supervision – normally off limits to museum attendees.

“Guests who attend Museum Night will see the museum’s exhibits and artifacts in an entirely new light,” said Dr. Richard Banz, the museum’s executive director. “This event will be enjoyable for not only history buffs, but for families who are looking for fun, unique and educational events to enjoy together.”

Additional activities during Museum Night include slot cars, an airplane competition and a railroad camp. The museum will also have an operating model railroad layout and a pair of antique vehicles on display – a 1940 Packard and a 1955 Chevrolet.

Admission for Museum Night is $10 for adult museum members, $15 for adult non-members and $7 for children between the ages of 4 and 12. Museum members can purchase a family pack of tickets (for two adults and up to four children) for $25; the family pack is $35 for non-members.

Museum Night is the first of two new events to be unveiled in 2013. The other – Railroad Rendezvous – is scheduled for July.

The Southern Museum, located at 2829 Cherokee Street in downtown Kennesaw (exit 273 on Interstate 75), opened on March 30, 2003, following a $6 million expansion to the Kennesaw Civil War Museum, where the General resided since April 12, 1972.

To purchase tickets, contact the museum’s director of operations at (770) 427-2117 and for additional details about Museum Night, contact the Kennesaw Museum Foundation at 770-427-2117 ext. 3174.

For more information, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

Last week, the passenger railroad paused to highlight that ticket sales and other revenue support 88 percent of its operational costs. Federal tax revenues supported “just 12 percent of Amtrak’s operating costs,” the railroad noted.

For years, the railroad has served as a lighting rod for federal critics, who point to it as an example of a bloated federal government. Amtrak says it is providing a public service by giving residents a choice of transportation where other options might not exist, but the railroad says it needs more money for infrastructure improvements.

“Previous federal capital investment levels have sufficed to keep the system going, but they are not going to be adequate in the future,” Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman said in a statement. “If we are to realize rail’s potential, we will need much higher levels of federal capital funding.”

Amtrak operates more than 300 daily trains across a network of 22,000 rail miles. The railroad classifies its routes into three buckets: long distance trains, state-supported service and those operating on the Northeast Corridor.

Two of Amtrak’s long distance trains – the Palmetto, running from New York to Savannah, Georgia, and the Silver Meteor, running from New York to Miami – are profitable, while the Auto Train – running from Lorton, Virginia, to Sanford, Florida – breaks even, according to numbers from the railroad. A dozen other long-distance trains – including the Southwest Chief, running from Chicago to Los Angeles, and the Crescent, running from New York to New Orleans – are money losers for the railroad.

More than 31.2 million passengers took Amtrak during 2012, setting a new ridership record for the railroad.

At the same time, Amtrak, which relies on taxpayer dollars, also reported a 6.8 percent increase in ticket revenue for the year, collecting more than $2 billion. That includes a 3.3 percent increase in ticket revenue on the Acela trains that operate in the Northeast.

Amtrak wants to upgrade its operations along the Northeast Corridor and bring about true high speed rail. But, the railroad made it clear public money will be needed to fund upgrades to the 457-mile-long corridor, which could cost taxpayers upwards of $151 billion and take as long as 30 years to complete.

Museum visitors explored model train layouts, vendors selling train-themed wares and various activities geared toward families.

“This event is so much fun because kids have the opportunity to get up and close with trains,” said Dr. Richard Banz, the museum’s executive director. “We’re grateful to everyone who came out, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone at our future events, including next year’s Trains, Trains, Trains.”

The museum’s next major event, “Museum Night,” is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. The night will include refreshments at the museum and an evening of family- and history-centered activities.

During the event, visitors can explore the entire museum, see vintage automobiles, climb aboard The General locomotive, participate in interactive games and handle certain artifacts – under curatorial supervision – normally off limits to guests.

To view photos from Saturday’s event, visit facebook.com/southernmuseum.

For more information, call (770) 427-2117, visit southernmuseum.org or follow the museum at facebook.com/southernmuseum.

As Amtrak looks to upgrade its operations in the Northeast Corridor, the railroad made it clear public money will be needed to jump start the project.

In testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure earlier this month, Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman said revenues of $1 billion or more annually from Northeast Corridor operations could lead to private investment. But, that is likely to come after taxpayers pony up the dollars to fund upgrades.

Early next year, Amtrak plans to start the process to replace its 20 Acela Express train sets. The railroad wants to buy so-called “new next-generation high-speed train sets” rather than buy 40 additional high-speed passenger cars to add to the existing Acela Express fleet.

“International experience and our own initial investigations make it clear that the initial stages of these programs must be funded predominantly with public money,” Boardman said, according to a transcript. “It is only after the public sector has allocated significant funding and committed itself to a project of this magnitude that the private sector is willing to enter the deal and deliver value for money.

“In fact, looking around the world, private sector involvement in high speed rail development is often sought after a government or state railway has constructed a line and high speed rail service is initiated,” Boardman added. “Once these services are generating revenue streams and most of the planning, environmental and financing risk has been borne by the public, these projects can and will attract private funding that can help repay initial capital costs.”

U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said high speed rail in the Northeast Corridor “makes sense if done properly,” but he considers the railroad’s $151 billion, 30-year plan too expensive and too slow. Instead, “we must bring in the private sector” to make true high speed rail a priority, Mica contends.

“While I have been a vocal critic of Amtrak, I am also a strong proponent of high-speed rail, passenger rail and transit,” Mica said. “But we have to ensure that any rail development or project makes sense, in places where there is the greatest need and at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayers.

High speed rail is defined as any service that is “reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 mph.” Acela trains averages 83 mph between Washington and New York and 72 mph between New York and Boston.

The layout focuses on Amtrak of the mid-to-late 1980s, which makes the F7A model (No. 157) seem a bit out of place.

When the table is complete, it will feature an outer circle and a small three-track station with a pair of high-level platforms. In addition, a spur will feature street running for a small short-line railroad (and streetcars).

Please check back soon for a full back story about the railroad and town that is under construction.