All aboard! Historic Cold Spring Village’s Annual Railroad Days will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 20 & 21 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sponsored by Mitchell Iron Works, Railroad Days is the perfect outing for folks interested in railroad history, model and toy trains and rides. Visitors will find presentations, railroad displays and working model trains from a variety of groups throughout the Village. Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Model RR Club is taking over the Welcome Center and the Atlantic County 4H Train Club will set up a display in the Friend’s Pavilion for you viewing enjoyment. Dave Calvert, in the Taylor Poultry Building will display his G scale trains including a handmade Hell’s Gate Bridge, a colorful circus train and antique buildings constructed as early as the 1890s. At 2 p.m. in the Welcome Center on both Saturday and Sunday, Merrill Miller, HCSV Interpreter, will present a talk on Richard Trevithick, the little-known inventor of the modern steam locomotive. The South Jersey Engine Club will feature a variety of their two-stroke engine wonders.
Take a ride on a “speeder,” gasoline-powered railroad track inspection vehicles, provided by the Volunteer Railroaders Association, on the original Cape May Seashore Line railroad tracks located on the east (US Route 9) side of the Village. After purchase of admission, the speeders require an additional $5 for adults and $3 for children (3-12). Speeder will operate from 10:15 a.m. with the last ride of the days at 3:45 p.m. Also, Visitors may enjoy a tractor hayride around the Village 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“This is a wonderful event for the whole family- the model railroads are always fascinating to see in action,” said Anne Salvatore, HCSV Executive Director. “Railroad lore is an integral part of the American experience and we are always excited to share that interest with the public.” Two of the Village’s historic structures are linked to Cape May County’s own railroading heritage. The Rio Grande Station, donated to HCSV in 1974 and recently added to the National and State Registers of Historic Places, was built in 1894 by the Atlantic City Railroad to serve the Middle Township rural farming community of Rio Grande. The Woodbine Junction Tower is a two-story signal tower built in 1894 that originally stood in Dennis Township. It controlled the Woodbine Junction of the Atlantic City Railroad, which was the western end of a branch line that ran east to Ocean City. The tower was acquired by HCSV in 1974.
The Village is located on Route 9, three miles north of Victorian Cape May and a mile and a half west of the southern terminus of the Garden State Parkway. Admission during the season is $14 for adults and $12 for children ages 3 to 12. Children under 3 are admitted free. Unlimited free admission is available with Village membership. The Village Nature Trail at Bradner’s Run is open to the public for free self-guided tours. Visit the Country Store, Bakery, Ice Cream Parlor Cold Spring Brewery and Cold Spring Grange Restaurant. For more information on events, membership, volunteering, or booking private affairs, please call (609) 898-2300, ext. 10, or visit the Village website at hcsv.org.