Home / Arts and Entertainment / Aiken's Rail History Comes Alive for National Train Day
Aiken's Rail History Comes Alive for National Train Day
15 Jun
Summary
- National Train Day celebrated at Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum.
- Event highlighted Aiken's historical significance as a railroad town.
- Interactive activities included model railroading workshops for children.
Families and railroad enthusiasts recently gathered at the Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum to commemorate National Train Day. The event underscored the transportation technology that was foundational to Aiken's establishment.
The town, originally developed by the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Co., was named after its first president, William Aiken. The company's 136-mile line from Charleston to Hamburg, South Carolina, completed in 1833, was once the longest in the world.
Activities included children listening to train-themed stories and riding a trackless train around Gyles Park. Members of the Aiken Model Railroad Club displayed their layouts and offered insights, while a scenic workshop taught children basic model railroading techniques.
Historically accurate dioramas within the museum depicted passenger service between Charleston and Hamburg in 1916. Another exhibit in a vintage Pullman car showcased Aiken and its surrounding industry around 1950.
