Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will salute the part trains had in World War II on Saturday when it partners with the Southeast Veterans Museum and the Tri-State Military Vehicle Club host the first “From the Rail Line to the Front Line: Remembering D-Day.”
D-Day, the invasion of the France by Allied soldiers on June 6, 1944, widely is credited by historians as shortening World War II.
Railroads, according to TVRM officials, afforded smooth transport of military personnel and material in the United States before being shipped overseas.
IF YOU GO* What: “From the Rail Line to the Front Line: Remembering D-Day.”* When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.* Where: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road.* Admission: Free (train rides, presidential tea extra).* Phone: 894-8028.* Website: www.tvrail.com.
In addition to the vintage equipment owned by the museum, Louis Varnell of the Southeast Veterans Museum will provide exhibits, encampments, re-enactors, a WWII Marine Corps Jeep and memorabilia. Additional memorabilia and exhibits will be available aboard the museum’s Battle Bus.
The Tri-State Military Vehicle Club also will provide a contingent of military vehicles, Freer said.
Military veterans of the war also will reflect on the era.
Another feature of the free event will be the appearance by Dr. Ed Beardsley, a South Carolina former college professor who portrays President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Beardsley, as the president, will make whistle-stop speeches at 10 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. from the rear platform of the museum’s 1917 business car, Eden Isle. He also will hold a limited-seating tea with the president at 2:30 p.m. Admission to the tea is $25.
While there is no charge to attend the D-Day commemoration and displays, the museum’s Missionary Ridge Local will continue its regular-fare ($15 adults, $9 children), scheduled departures at 10:40 a.m. and 12:05, 1:15, 2:25 and 3:35 p.m.