Foley Model Train Exhibit

 
 
 
  We went to see a model train exhibit in Foley -- wow, it was really something. Alan Goldman is the man who built this train setup in Montgomery in 1996. He hired carpenters and electricians to help him, and he built an addition onto his home to house this hobby. In 2005, Mr Goldman decided to move (new hobby is touring the world on his yacht) and wanted to donate his train setup; he offered it to several alabama towns. Foley agreed to accept the model railroad and "won" over other towns because they could construct a building right away, and agreed to the stipulation that admission would always be free. Foley built an addition to the existing Railroad Museum Depot. The Foley volunteers had only three days to take apart the entire setup, and had to put it in storage until the new building was finished. It opened in February 2007.

This wonderful train setup is 60 x 24 feet with over a mile of wiring. It does not represent a certain time period -- it has trains from the 1930s to the 1960s, steam to diesel engines. Mr. Goldman wanted to depict the industries that the railroad helped make possible. There is a lumberyard, coal mine, circus and oil refinery among others, even a moonshine still on a mountainside. Attention to detail is amazing. Tiny figures come to life, trains make sounds, fire engines flash lights, a tiny car moves through the car wash. At Mel's Drive-in Restaurant, tiny waitresses come out on roller skates to the '57 Chevy to take orders. There even is a drive-in movie with a movie playing on the screen. Construction workers are hanging over the side of a bridge, laundry hanging on a clothesline -- so much to see everywhere we looked. The zoom on my camera could not get close enough to see many of the smaller details; the workmanship is exquisite. Volunteer (the Caboose Club) railroaders run the setup using remote controls. Funding is provided from the city of Foley. There are two electricians that keep all the wiring working. This is a must-see for anyone interested in railroads. And it is free! If you find yourself near Foley, the model train setup is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Heritage Park, 125 E. Laurel Ave, Foley AL. phone 251-943-1818.

After touring the model train exhibit, we went to old time Stacey's Drugstore where they have an old soda fountain. Chocolate malts and polish dogs - yum.