The Museum in the Park at Chief Logan State Park, working in partnership with CSX Corporation, will present “Train Day” on Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. The day-long, family-oriented event is free and the public is invited to attend.
The CSX locomotive #2755, located next to the museum, will be open from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Retired railroad employees will be on hand, dressed in their uniforms to staff the locomotive, answer questions, and talk about their jobs working on the railroad. In addition, staff from the CSX Community Affairs and Safety office in Huntington will be available with informational handouts and talks on railroad and train safety. Free CSX souvenirs will be given away while supplies last.
One of the highlights of the day will be a video program used by CSX to train engineers. Shot with an over-the-shoulder viewpoint, the video will give visitors the opportunity to observe what the engineer sees in and from the locomotive as it speeds along the track. The program can be seen from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. in the museum’s media room.
Children’s arts and crafts activities will include games, puzzles and songs about trains and the railroads from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Rounding out the day’s activities, participants can tour the museum and see two exhibits, Riding the Rails: Railroads Connecting West Virginia and John Henry: The Steel Drivin’ Man.
Riding the Rails tells the story of railroad development in West Virginia. The exhibit has text panels with the history of railroad development, artifacts from the West Virginia State Museum collection and a photographic display with pictures from the museum collection, Del. Lynwood “Woody” Ireland’s (R-Ritchie) Collection, and the West Virginia State Archives Collection.
John Henry: The Steel Drivin’ Man is a traveling exhibit on loan from the West Virginia Humanities Council. The display was designed by West Virginia University students and gives viewers a better understanding of the legend of the famous steel driver who defeated a mechanized steam drill. It will be at Museum in the Park through Aug. 15.
For more information about “Train Day” at Museum in the Park, contact Elizabeth Williams, site manager for the facility, at (304) 792-7229.
The Museum in the Park is a regional cultural center showcasing the best in West Virginia history and the arts. It features changing exhibits and displays of artwork and historical items from the collections of the West Virginia State Museum and State Archives. One area of the museum is dedicated to local and regional history. It is operated and maintained by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and is located four miles north of Logan on West Virginia Route 10 at Chief Logan State Park. Museum hours are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 - 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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