North Alabama Railroad Museum

The North Alabama Railroad Museum, located in Chase, Alabama, just east of Huntsville, is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1966 that preserves and operates the Mercury & Chase Railroad — a 5-mile stretch of former Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway trackage. Passengers board at the historic 1937 Chase Depot, the smallest Union Depot in the United States, for a 10-mile round-trip excursion through the scenic Tennessee Valley behind vintage ALCO diesel-electric locomotives, all built prior to 1950. Regular excursions run approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, while shorter themed rides such as the crowd-pleasing Santa Train and North Star Limited last 30 to 45 minutes. The season runs from April through December, with excursions operating on select Saturdays; the museum grounds are open daily for free self-guided tours, with volunteers on hand each Wednesday and Saturday morning.