newbern depot & railroad museum

To ride the rail from West Tennessee outside Memphis, it is necessary to jump on here and the place is inviting and has a good museum to browse while waiting.

The Newbern Depot Museum has many interesting artifacts dealing with the railroad history of northwestern Tennessee. Actually the museum is a hodgepodge of railroad and depot items. You'll see everything from tools, uniforms and schedules, donated model trains and photos, local railroad art work, to items relating to the annual Depot Days festival held here. The depot was built in the 1920's, and is the third one to be built in Newbern. The museum occupies the south end of the building. You enter through what is now the Amtrak waiting room, and turn right into the museum. The northern part of the building is the old warehouse, now used for public functions, such as dinner theaters. The depot is also a great place to watch freight trains, as you can stand literally just a few feet from them as they pass. Amtrak's "City of New Orleans" passenger train makes two daily stops, but these are both in the dead of night, so the casual visitor won't see one.Outside is some old luggage carrying equipment on display, as well as a small monument to the Illinois Central Railroad, the company that built the depot. Also outside is a brick walkway, with depot donor names engraved in them. And the newest monument on the depot grounds is to 16 Dyer County citizens killed by a tornado, in 2006, with many from Newbern. Overall, the depot museum is a fantastic example of the variety of uses a town can use an old depot for. The only negative note is with the model train displays. There are two of them, and neither are operational. That's disappointing, especially for children.The depot museum is open 1-4 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays. A volunteer guide will give you a tour. There is no admission.