Flatonia Rail Museum’s Biannual Railfan Party is This Saturday
Calling all railfans, train enthusiasts, and “foamers”! Visit the Tommy Shults Photo Pavilion at 422 West North Main Street in Flatonia this Saturday, April 6, for the Flatonia Rail Museum’s biannual Railfan Party.
The pavilion, named after Flatonia’s “Train Man”, is located about 1/2 mile west of downtown at the junction of the Union Pacific, formerly the Southern Pacific “Sunset” line, which used to be part of the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad.
The event will be filled with railroad history, door prizes, friends, family, and oh of course trains. Experienced train guests will also be on hand to help identify the trains that pass by and to tell you some Flatonia and America rail talk.
Come as early and stay as long as you would like. There will be fresh coffee and donuts ready at the pavilion by 8 a.m. Please bring your chairs, cameras, and laptops to capture all the train action. The pavilion is equipped with power outlets.
Once you have finished at the pavilion, don’t forget to continue the train fun by stopping by the Flatonia Rail Museum which Shults also started. Today, Flatonia’s history and influence of the railroad live on at the museum located at 104 E. South Main St. Stop by and see amazing Flatonia railroad history from historical artifacts, model train displays, photos, and more. The museum is dedicated to preserving and educating Flatonia’s rich railroad history. It is free admission and is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. and then from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
And located in the Rail Park just across the street from the Flatonia Rail Museum sits two more main railroad Flatonia attractions, the historic Switching Tower No. 3. built in 1902 by the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway Company, and the Southern Pacific Caboose No. 4743. The bay window rail car was built in 1980 and has undergone moderate exterior and interior restoration in recent years. Along with the tower and caboose sits the old jailhouse, which was built in 1890. One look inside the stark four walls of the dimly lit building leads one to believe that criminal misbehavior was not tolerated in Flatonia. All three are also available for tours during regular business hours at the Flatonia Rail Museum.
The museum also offers after-hour group tours with advanced notice and availability. You can call (517) 927-2727 for your next group tour.
Flatonia also has many other historic attractions like the Lyric Theatre and Arnim Museum, some great places to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner such as Darlin’s Diner or Edna’s Kitchenette, and also Southern Produce Gallery, a great art gallery. Everything is within easy walking or driving distance from the pavilion, and since the railroad runs right down the center of town, trainwatching opportunities are always there.
So if you enjoy watching trains, talking about trains, railroad history, and telling, ‘I was there when…’ stories then make sure you stop by the Tommy Shults Photo Pavilion on Saturday, April 6 for the railfan party.