Enjoy a day of railroading

Love trains? Model trains? Real trains?

Then Palatka Railfest 2017 is the place you want to be this Saturday (Oct. 14) at Palatka’s Historic Union Depot and Price-Martin Center. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 11th Street and Reid Street. Admission and parking are free.

Among things to see RailRodeo, an HO scale model railroad depicting the Pennsylvania country side. It is 32 feet long with 16 operating trains, amazingly detailed landscape and animation. Created by Irvin P. Saylor, it was promoted as “The Worlds Largest Mobile Scale Model Railroad” when it toured the U.S. in 1975. It’s now part of the David Browning Railroad Museum.

The depot is also the home of maps, lanterns, photos and other RR artifacts.

Railroad memorabilia and collectibles will be for sale at the Price-Martin Center next to the museum. Also set up will be an N scale modular railroad from the Ocala Model Railroaders’ Historic Preservation Society.

The old ACL/Union Depot is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was built in 1909. Palatka was a tourist center and at one point more than 22 trains a day stopped. Today it is still an Amtrak stop, one of the top in Florida.