View from a brief train ride at the Southeastern Railway Museum.

View from a brief train ride at the Southeastern Railway Museum.

With the annual celebration of National Train Day falling on Saturday, May 10, it’s the perfect time to visit the Southeastern Railway Museum just outside suburban Atlanta in Duluth. 

As a local attraction, the displays are “hiding in plain sight.” While the museum sits off heavily traveled Buford Highway, it’s easy to miss.

Exterior and interior views of the railway cars at the Southern Railway Museum.

Exterior and interior views of the railway cars at the Southern Railway Museum.

The museum has been placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2025 Places in Peril list because many of its rare railcars are in desperate need for restoration. The museum’s collection, spread across 35 acres, is unexpectedly cool, vast, and varied as we discovered.