Choo! Choo!
Hear that?
It’s not just trains that will be chugging through Historic Downtown Plant City this weekend. The city’s first Railfest will celebrate the new train platform and memorabilia that has been donated by R.W. Willaford.
The two-day event is family friendly and designed for railfans. Modeled after a similar event at the Folkston Funnel in Georgia, Railfest is designed to bring more tourism to Plant City’s quaint downtown while highlighting its rich railroad history.
“We were finding that railfans were coming from all over the nation to see our railroad,” event coordinator Deanna Hurley said. “We’re really hoping to get the attention of the railfan community.”
The event kicks off Feb. 7, with back-to-back movie showings at the north parking lot on the corner of Reynolds and North Palmer streets. There will be free popcorn, sponsored by TECO, and Blue Bell ice cream. At 6:30 p.m., the showing of “Thomas and Friends King of the Railway” will start. After a short intermission, “The Great Locamotive Chase” will start at 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to come early to set up lawn chairs and get prime spots in front of the screen.
The fun continues Feb. 8, with an all-day festival. Guests will enjoy coloring stations, free museum admission, a scavenger hunt, tours of the train caboose in the front and even a train ride around McCall Park.
From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. there will be live music. Attendees also will be able to purchase barbecue, hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch. Money raised will benefit the museum.
A dedication ceremony will take place at 11 a.m., to rename the depot in honor of R.W. Willaford.
A railroad enthusiast and former railroad employee, Willaford spent decades growing his collection of memorabilia. Last fall, he donated much of his collection to the city. Appraised at $220,000, the collection includes a 1963 red caboose, signal lights from crossings, benches Willaford made out of steel wheels and wood pallets and different types of carts and service vehicles among other things. There are about 27 items in the collection.
The caboose had been anchored in his front yard for years. Every year, Willaford and his wife, Felice, threw Easter and Christmas parties for children.
The dedication also will include a presentation of all those involved including C.J. Bridges Railroad Contractor, Brewington’s Towing Service, Wetherington Tractor Service, CSX and Sims Crane & Equipment along with many other Railfest sponsors.
Commissioner Mike Sparkman helped spearhead the train viewing platform, located on the south side of the depot.
“We’re real excited about it,” Sparkman said. “We’ve spent a full year to get this up and going.”
Like Folkston’s platform, Plant City’s will have a scanner to hear the transmissions between trains. Both platforms also have restored depots. However, Plant City’s version features a 14-foot tower, in addition to the lower deck platform.
About 25 trains come through Plant City every day.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
RAILFEST
WHEN: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb 7; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8
WHERE: Union Station Depot, 102 N. Palmer St., Plant City
WEBSITE: plantcityrailfest.com
FAST FACTS
• The Plant City Union Depot was built by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads.
• Even after the merger of the two railroads into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967, Plant City Union Depot continued to operate until 1971.
• As an important element in the early development of the city, which depended so heavily on railroad transportation, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1975.
Source: PlantCityGov.com