Tours
of the City of Meridian Railroad Museum and a 1950 locomotive will be featured
as Meridian celebrates National Train Day on May 10, 2008. Visitors to the Railroad Museum, located next
to Union Station on Front Street, will also enjoy watching the Meridian Model
Railroad Club's scale model train in operation.
The celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The
date of National Train Day, May 10, holds special meaning as it is the
anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad at
Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. On that
day, the "golden spike" was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776
miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, ceremonially creating
the nation's first transcontinental railroad.
And America was transformed.
From 1869 to the creation of Amtrak in 1970 to the launch of the Acela
Express in 2000, Amtrak employees and communities across the country will
celebrate the history of train travel.
Celebrating
National Train Day will help raise awareness of the vital role rail plays in
our nation's transportation system. With
passenger rail ridership growing to record levels, there continues to be a
strong demand for rail travel as a link between growing communities. And with a global, growing concern about
ecology and conservation, trains are becoming known as a more energy-efficient
way to travel. National Train Day will
build awareness of the comfort, ease and efficiency of train travel and the
network of services available from coast to coast.
"Celebrating
National Train Day is another way to focus on Meridian's greening
commitment," said Mayor John Robert Smith.
"Besides, it will be a great day for the family to explore the
world of trains."
Serving
as spokesperson for National Train Day is television personality Al Roker. Mr. Roker will experience first-hand the
benefits of rail travel when he rides from New York to Washington by train for
the day's festivities there. Amtrak will
also host events in Los Angeles and Chicago as part of the May 10 celebration.
Maureen
Lofton
Assistant
for Governmental Affairs
City
of Meridian
P.O.
Box 1430
Meridian,
MS 39302
Phone: (601) 485-1819
FAX: (601)485-1911
e-mail:
maureenlofton@meridianms.org
