North Alabama Railroad Museum in Huntsville (Chase), Alabama

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Huntsville (Chase), Alabama · Updated October 19, 2026 · 14 min read

Heritage railroad with a museumTrain ridesFreeGrounds open for free self-guided tours; train rides April to December

The North Alabama Railroad Museum, founded in 1966 and run entirely by volunteers, preserves the railroad history of north Alabama and south central Tennessee at Chase, home of the 1937 Chase Depot and the museum's own Mercury & Chase Railroad.

  • Founded in 1966
  • Smallest union depot in the country
  • 10-mile round trip train rides
  • Over 30 pieces of rolling stock
  • Free self-guided grounds tour
  • All volunteer organization

North Alabama Railroad Museum at a glance

Hours
Grounds open for self-guided tours; volunteers on site Wednesday and Saturday mornings
Admission
Walking the grounds is free; train rides are ticketed
Train rides
Scheduled excursions April to December, about 10 miles round trip; buy tickets on the museum's website
Seasonal events
Santa Train Rides, North Star Limited, School Field Trip Program, Railroading Merit Badge session
Plan for
About 1 hour to walk the grounds, plus about 1.5 hours for a train ride
Best for
Families who want a real train ride and rail fans who love ALCo diesels
Best ages
Ages 3 and up; school program for kindergarten and first grade
Accessibility
An accessible loading platform; coach No. 1000 loads wheelchairs, with 2 spaces when it is on the train.

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to North Alabama Railroad Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Huntsville (Chase).

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

From mainline steam trips to a railroad of its own

The North Alabama Railroad Museum began in 1966, and its first years revolved around its own steam locomotive, No. 77, which members worked hard to get running for several mainline excursions. For more than twenty years NARM sponsored trips over the main line, usually to Chattanooga, Tennessee, behind steam engines such as Southern No. 4501 and later Norfolk & Western No. 1218. Between 1971 and 1986 the museum also ran school trains across north Alabama with Southern Railway, and more than 100,000 teachers and children rode them.

The big turn came in the mid-1980s. In 1984, as CSX was retiring the old Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis line between Huntsville and Winchester, Tennessee, the museum had a chance to buy about five miles of the right of way. Members sold No. 77 to pay for it. That stretch of the historic Huntsville Branch became the Mercury & Chase Railroad, the museum's own line, where its trains run today.

The heart of the property is the Chase Depot, built in 1937. Because it served both the Southern Railway and the NC&StL, it is known as the smallest union depot in the country. Its main customer was the Chase Nursery, which shipped plants all over the nation on both railroads, and the nursery's old office building is now the Hugh Dudley Railroad History Center, named for one of the museum's founding members.

Everything here is the work of a volunteer crew of more than one hundred people. The museum says they put in long hours of hard, physical work in every kind of weather, and Eagle Scouts have pitched in too, helping restore equipment, landscape the grounds and build an accessible loading platform.

A walk down the line at Chase

Visitors can take a free self-guided walking tour, with tour sheets and brochures waiting in the waybill box on the north side of the Chase Depot. The museum has preserved more than thirty major pieces of rolling stock, and most of them sit at Chase where you can look and take photos during daylight hours: baggage cars, heavyweight and stainless steel coaches, box cars, a flat car, a tank car, an ice bunker reefer and cabooses. The small wooden Plevna Depot, a whistle stop shelter where passengers once waited to flag down the train, stands beside the loading platform.

The locomotives are first generation ALCo diesels, including S-2 No. 484, built in 1949 for the Lackawanna, and RSD-1 No. 8652, built for the U.S. Army in 1945. On ride days the Hugh Dudley Railroad History Center is usually open, with lanterns, bells, signs and signals on display, and you can board the excursion train for a 10-mile round trip over the museum's Mercury & Chase Railroad. From the train you can see the Mercury shed where volunteers maintain and restore the equipment.

Don’t miss

  1. Chase DepotBuilt in 1937 to serve two railroads at once, it is called the smallest union depot in the country, and it is still where you pick up train tickets.
  2. Southern Railway caboose X3087This 1947 steel bay window caboose near the entrance is set up as crews once lived and worked in it, and it is opened when volunteers are on site.
  3. ALCo RSD-1 No. 8652Built for the U.S. Army in 1945, it is a sister to units sent overseas under Lend-Lease, and it still pulls excursion trains.
  4. Railway Post Office car No. 3585Built in 1928 for the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific, it shows how mail was sorted on the move, and part of it now holds a model train layout.
  5. Hugh Dudley Railroad History CenterThe former Chase Nursery office holds the museum's library and displays of lanterns, bells, signs and signals, usually open on train ride days.
  6. 1926 boxcab locomotive No. 11An early diesel built with ALCo, GE and Ingersoll-Rand parts for Union Carbide, now under restoration.

Caboose tours, a mail car and a real train ride

The best day for kids is a ride day, when they can board a real excursion train and roll ten miles out and back on the museum's own line, then walk past a long row of freight and passenger cars at Chase. When volunteers are present the 1947 caboose by the entrance is open, so young visitors can see where railroad crews once worked and slept. Each spring the museum runs a field trip program just for kindergarten and first grade classes, with a caboose tour, a Railway Post Office car visit, a model train layout, a railroad safety movie and a train ride.

Picnic tables sit under the pavilion, with restrooms next to it, which makes an easy lunch stop. Keep little ones close: the museum asks everyone to stay off the tracks, not climb on equipment and follow all posted signs.

Plan your visit: tips for North Alabama Railroad Museum

  • Visit on a Wednesday or Saturday morning if you want volunteers on hand to answer questions.
  • Pick up a free tour sheet from the waybill box on the north side of the Chase Depot.
  • The museum is sometimes closed to the public for private events, so check before a special trip.
  • Stay off the tracks and do not climb on equipment; security cameras are on site.
  • Bring a picnic: tables under the pavilion are open to visitors, with restrooms nearby.

Christmas is the museum's busiest season. The daytime Santa Train Rides and the nighttime North Star Limited both run on the Mercury & Chase Railroad, and the museum calls them a growing Christmas tradition in Huntsville. Tickets sell through the museum's website, and you can compare other holiday options on our list of Christmas train rides in Alabama.

The volunteers behind NARM

NARM is an all volunteer nonprofit with more than one hundred members, and it depends on train ride income and visitor donations to keep going. Adults 18 and older can join for $25 a year, or $30 for a family, and members receive the newsletter White Flags and Full Steam. Applications are accepted by email or at the depot on Wednesday or Saturday mornings, and donations are welcome on site or online.

More railroad history around Huntsville

The Historic Huntsville Depot downtown is only about 5 miles away and makes an easy pairing. The Decatur Historic Railroad Depot is about 28 miles west, and the Scottsboro Railroad Depot Museum is about 30 miles to the east. Plan a longer trip with every train museum in Alabama.

Every train museum in Alabama

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of a dad lifting Rally the corgi up the big stairs of a red train car
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

The museum's little Plevna Depot was a whistle stop, the kind of place where you waited by the track and flagged the train down. I can picture the moment it stops and those tall steps appear, because that is Rally's problem in our book. His short corgi legs cannot manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. If your kids like that part, there are free coloring pages of Rally to print.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Work or volunteer at North Alabama Railroad Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

North Alabama Railroad Museum: 20 questions families ask

Where is the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

The North Alabama Railroad Museum is at 694 Chase Road NE, Huntsville, Alabama 35811, in the small community of Chase just east of Huntsville. The Chase Depot is the center of the site, and the excursion train boards at its platform. Call (256) 851-6276 if you need help finding the entrance.

What is NARM in Huntsville?

NARM is the reporting mark and short name of the North Alabama Railroad Museum, Inc., an all volunteer museum incorporated in 1966. Its mission is to preserve the railroad history of north Alabama and south central Tennessee. It keeps a collection of rolling stock at Chase and operates its own short heritage line, the Mercury & Chase Railroad.

Is the North Alabama Railroad Museum free?

Walking the grounds is free. The museum offers a self-guided tour, with tour sheets and brochures in the waybill box on the north side of the Chase Depot, and most of the equipment can be viewed in daylight. Train rides are ticketed, and the museum relies on ride income and donations to keep running.

What are the North Alabama Railroad Museum hours?

The grounds are open for self-guided tours, and the volunteer staff is on site Wednesday and Saturday mornings for work sessions and to help visitors. A Huntsville visitor listing describes daily access from 9 am to 4 pm. The museum is sometimes closed for private events, so check narm.info or call (256) 851-6276 before you go.

How do I buy North Alabama Railroad Museum train ride tickets?

Tickets for train rides are sold through the Buy Tickets page on narm.info, which also shows the upcoming events calendar. You can pick up your tickets at the ticket window in the Chase Depot on the day of your ride. For ticket questions, the museum lists (256) 851-6276 as its ticket information line.

How much are North Alabama Railroad Museum tickets?

The museum posts current fares with each ride on its online ticket page rather than in a fixed price list, and prices can differ between regular excursions and holiday trains. Check the Buy Tickets page on narm.info for the ride you want, or call (256) 851-6276 for ticket information before you plan your day.

Are there senior tickets at the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

The museum does not post a separate senior fare outside its ticketing page. Each excursion lists its own ticket options when you buy online at narm.info, so look there first. If you do not see a senior option for your date, call the ticket line at (256) 851-6276 and ask before you book.

What are the North Alabama Railroad Museum train rides like?

The regular excursion is a 10-mile round trip over part of the historic Huntsville Branch of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, and a trip takes about an hour and a half. ALCo diesels at each end pull a train that usually includes stainless steel and heavyweight coaches, a baggage car with benches and sometimes a Pullman sleeper.

When does the North Alabama Railroad Museum run trains?

Train excursions run on scheduled dates from April through December on the museum's own Mercury & Chase Railroad. The exact days are posted on the Train Ride Schedule and upcoming events calendar at narm.info. Trains do not run every day, so check the schedule before you plan a trip around a ride.

What upcoming events does the North Alabama Railroad Museum have?

The museum posts its upcoming events calendar on narm.info alongside the Buy Tickets page. The calendar lists regular excursions from April to December, special trains, and the Christmas season Santa Train Rides and North Star Limited. Following the museum on Facebook is another good way to catch new dates as they are announced.

Does the North Alabama Railroad Museum run a fall color special?

The museum runs scheduled excursions through the fall months, and special trips are announced on its upcoming events calendar. It does not describe a fall foliage train on the pages it keeps online year round, so check the calendar at narm.info or the museum's Facebook page in late summer to see what is on the fall schedule.

What is the North Alabama Railroad Museum Christmas train?

Each Christmas season the museum runs two kinds of holiday trains. The Santa Train Rides run in the daytime, and the North Star Limited runs at night. The museum calls them a growing Christmas tradition in Huntsville. Tickets sell through narm.info, and the museum shares tips for the season on its Facebook page.

Can you go inside the trains at the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

You can ride inside the coaches on excursion days. The 1947 Southern Railway caboose at the entrance is opened when volunteers are present and is set up as crews once used it. Otherwise, the museum asks visitors to stay off the tracks, not climb on equipment and follow all signs.

Is the North Alabama Railroad Museum good for young kids?

Yes, especially on a ride day. Kids can ride a real train, peek into a caboose and walk past a long line of rail cars. The museum's spring field trip program is designed only for kindergarten and first grade classes, with a caboose tour, a mail car, a model train layout and a train ride.

Is the North Alabama Railroad Museum wheelchair accessible?

The museum has an accessible loading platform, built with help from Eagle Scouts. Coach No. 1000 is used to load wheelchairs, with 2 spaces, when it is on the train. During the Christmas season that car becomes a gift shop, so call (256) 851-6276 ahead of a holiday ride to ask about seating.

Does the North Alabama Railroad Museum have a gift shop?

Yes, on the train. When Coach No. 1000 runs with the excursion, it is used to sell souvenirs and gifts. During the Christmas season the car comes off the train and serves as a static gift shop at the museum. Ask a volunteer at the depot what is open on the day you visit.

Can I take photos at the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

Yes. Photography is welcome, and most of the equipment at Chase can be viewed and photographed in daylight while you walk the line of cars. The museum keeps a page about taking photos and video on its website, so read it before a serious shoot, and always stay off the tracks.

Can I charter a train at the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

Yes, private excursions run on the museum's line. A Huntsville visitor listing says a charter of about an hour and a half needs three weeks' notice and a deposit. The museum also hosts a spring school field trip program. Call (256) 851-6276 or email narm-mail@comcast.net to ask about a group or private train.

How can I join or volunteer at the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

Join as a member. Membership is open to adults 18 and up for $25 a year, or $30 for a family, and members can volunteer on the grounds and the excursions. Members get the newsletter White Flags and Full Steam. Send an application by email to narm-mail@comcast.net or bring it on a Wednesday or Saturday morning.

What train museums are near the North Alabama Railroad Museum?

The Historic Huntsville Depot is about 5 miles away in downtown Huntsville. The Decatur Historic Railroad Depot is about 28 miles away, and the Scottsboro Railroad Depot Museum is about 30 miles. Across the Tennessee line, the Cowan Railroad Museum is about 40 miles from Chase, which makes a good second stop for rail fans.

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