The General II steam locomotive at the museum.
By Chuck Miller
DULUTH, Ga. | The Southeastern Railway Museum (SRM) will welcome the return of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus on Saturday, November 16. The museum’s timetable reports an expected arrival of the festive couple on the #3 Local arriving on Track 22 at 1 p.m. Track 22 is the museum’s current passenger loading area in Building 2, adjacent to Southern locomotive 6901.
Miller
There will be a professional photographer for family portraits between 1 and 3 p.m. with Santa and a holiday scene in front of Norfolk Southern’s “Tugalo River.” After a quick collection of your contacts, we will snap the complimentary portraits and then send them to you digitally. Pictures are free with admission. Admission is $18 for adults, $12 for children and $15 for seniors and students.
Santa’s arrival also opens the Duluth Fine Arts League’s annual Festival of Trees, featuring holiday trees designed and installed by a variety of community-minded individuals and businesses. This year promises upwards of 70 trees decorating Building One. The museum is offering new holiday hours to enjoy the holiday scenes. Between November 16 and December 29, the museum will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from Noon to 5 p.m.
Running concurrently with the Festival of Trees is the ongoing exhibit Beebe and Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy through December 29, 2024. Featuring dramatic black and white images, Lucius Beebe and his life partner Charles Clegg introduced railroad photography and the world of railroading to popular audiences. Their pioneering efforts over a quarter century established a broad market and wide appreciation for rail photography, leading to its far-reaching appeal in print today. With several prints never before seen by the public, the exhibition has been assembled by the Center for Railroad Photography and Art in Madison, Wis.
Beebe and Clegg: Their Enduring Photographic Legacy is supported by a grant from the Gwinnett Creativity Fund. The 20 images and storyboards were staged by Steve Storey and Ora Ball of the museum and can be seen in the Building One exhibit hall. Normal museum admission also includes the Festival of Trees, Santa on November 16, the remaining collection of 90-plus rail cars and locomotives, train rides, and the deeply decorated Duluth railroad station.
SRM occupies a 35-acre site in Duluth, Georgia, in northeast suburban Atlanta. In operation since 1970, SRM features about 90 items of rolling stock, including historic Pullman cars, classic diesel & steam locomotives, freight cars, and even maintenance of way cars.
SRM is operated by a community-based board as a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The Museum receives operating funds from grants, donations, sponsors’ support, and gate receipts.
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