Goal is to create an experience both visitors and locals can enjoy
According to a report by The Connection, the Watertown Railroad Museum is eyeing a late-2027 groundbreaking for its 14,000-square-foot nonprofit facility located near the former Railway Express Agency in Watertown.
According to the report, the facility is set to feature:
- a museum
- restaurant
- observation deck
- outdoor park
- train hosting facilities
- event center
From mainstreetmediatn.com.
“It’s really been a longtime idea for the residents to develop the train concept. We have had the excursion train coming for 30 years, and now we want to do multiple things, like the railroad museum. We’ve talked about it and thought about it and have some people very instrumental in getting it started,” Watertown Railroad Museum President Chris Ferrari said.
He says the project has been a team effort with the city of Watertown, the Watertown Railroad Museum, the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum, and the Nashville Steam Preservation Society.
The goal, according to Ferrari, is to create an experience both visitors and locals can enjoy. A daily stop, not just a destination experience.
From mainstreetmediatn.com.
“The goal is to be a very immersive and interactive museum that tells the railroad history of Watertown and its connection to Middle Tennessee. It’s meant to be a community and economic driver. It would be a combination of things and once fully operating, we hope to bring 75,000 people to Watertown every year.
“We want to start this year doing some pop-up museum displays and begin hosting the excursion train when it comes to town and have welcomers and to really start operating and continuing fundraising,” Ferrari said.
Additional details — including a potential opening timeline — are expected to be released once the project officially breaks ground. Check back for updates.
Read the full report HERE
UCBJ image.
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