In late December 2002, I had a chance to visit the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.  They have some different sights there than I've seen at most museums:

In the main museum building, away from where other construction work is ongoing, Southern Railway E-8 passenger diesel # 6901 rests after 28 years of passenger service.  If this engine looks familiar, you may remember its appearance in various railroad magazines or at the head of the Southern Railway's Crescent passenger trains on the Atlanta - Washington DC route.  This locomotive is different than most "cold engine" as the engine number boards, the cab and some internal lights in the A and B units are lit rather than the usual "park it and darken it" display method.

Outside in the museum's display yard, a different sort of boxcar is displayed...a milk car!

This General American Plaudler Milk Car has two stainless steel tanks, one at each end of the box car, which hold thousands of gallons of milk for shipment to a bottling plant.  This car was operated on the Boston and Maine Railroad through a lease from H.P. Hood & Sons Dairy headquartered in Boston.  (Ed. Note:  My mom's mom, Grandma Leamy, served Hood milk in her home in Worcester, MA when we visited in the 1960s.  The museum is working on removing one portion of the car's old paint layers to determine the original paint colors and lettering so it can be restored to its original appearance.

Further down in the museum yard track area, a very interesting car serves out its retirement--a US Army Kitchen car.  Imagine the tales it could tell if the walls could talk!

This center door car was built by ACF in 1944 to feed military members shipped on troop trains.  It has two coal fired ranges, a coal bin, 2 refrigerators, utensil lockers, vegetable bins, a meat cutting table and a bread locker.  As I walked through it, I thought of how its kitchens probably fed troops heading to WWII and Korean battle fronts and fed wounded on their way to hospitals for extended treatment.  Rest well, US Army # 200, in your well deserved retirement!

The Southeastern Railway museum does something more railroad museums should do--your gate admission covers unlimited rides on their train.  Sure, it's just a trip from one end of the yard to another on an enclosed caboose and an open deck work car, but it's still a train ride!

I know Matthew, Keith, and Jeffrey (from left to right) enjoyed the ride with me, even if it was a very brisk and windy day there!

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For more info, please visit the Southeastern Railway Museum web site