This cache was placed with the permission of the director of the museum.
The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, the official railroad museum of the state of Alabama, is a wonderfully unique place, hosting everything from old burned out cars, to functioning locomotives, and you can even hop a ride on the Polar "North Pole" Express on certain Saturdays during the Christmas season! Naturally, this cache is placed well away from any live tracks, but you should still be aware of your surroundings when visiting this cache. While this area can be accessed at any time, including days when the museum office is closed, it's recommended by the director of the museum that you only attempt this one during the daytime for safety reasons.
The area across the street from the parking lot is known as Clark Yard. This is where all the old cars are housed, and you'll notice there are MANY. There's a MILLION places this little cache could be hiding, on six different tracks. It's highly recommended that you take a stroll down each of them, if you have the time, and you'll notice some locally famous rail names, such as the Nashville and Louisville (L&N) line, which was prominent in the area at one time, and Heart of Dixie. If you have little ones, keep an eye on them, as some of these cars have a lot of rust on them. This yard was built by hand by Wayne Clark, former president of the museum, with only a small crew. Walking down the rows really gives a sense of scale of the place.
"Alabama has a rich railroading history beginning in 1830 when the General Assembly of Alabama chartered the the first railroad in the state, the Tuscumbia Railroad. The Tuscumbia Railroad connected the town of Tuscumbia, AL to what is now Sheffield on the Tennessee River. Since 1830, railroads became a major form of transportation for people as well as goods. Many towns came to be because of the railroad and railroads enabled young Alabama (the 22nd state to join the Union on December 14, 1819) on to develop a thriving economy.
Although many railroads and routes no longer exist, Alabama still has a strong railroading presence through various shortlines as well as Class I railroads. We encourage you to learn more of our railroading past as well as our railroading future!"
Still reading? Good. This cache is NOT on any of the cars. You will not need to crawl under any of the cars to find it.
.Click here to learn about the collection!