PLEASE NOTE: The start/end date above is NOT the event date. This event will be held Nov. 19-Dec. 10 as described in the text below.

JOHNSON CITY (Posted Nov. 16, 2011) — Since 2007, East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum has celebrated Johnson City’s rich railroad history as an important stop for the Southern Railroad and the Clinchfield Railroad and as railhead for the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina “Tweetsie” Railroad.

Every Saturday, from Nov. 19-Dec. 10, the museum will celebrate its fourth anniversary. Model railroad clinics and demonstrations from the past several years will be combined into one continuous demonstration event with the construction of an 18-inch by 72-inch module, beginning with the basics of benchwork construction and continuing toward a complete scenic module.

The public is invited to see how a model railroad layout is created, with volunteers available to answer questions.

Clinchfield Railroad memorabilia will be on display, along with the “ETSU Express,” a model featuring a string of heavyweight blue and gray coaches pulled by a Berkshire 2-8-4 steam locomotive.

In addition, on Saturday, Nov. 26, the museum will hold one of its Heritage Days series by showcasing the Norfolk and Western Railroad with “Nights and Weekends — Long Trains on the N&W” during a special evening session from 3-8 p.m.

Admission is free at the Carter Railroad Museum, which is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and can be identified by a flashing railroad crossing signal over the back entrance to the Campus Center Building. Visitors should enter ETSU’s campus from State of Franklin Road onto John Robert Bell Drive and turn left onto Ross Drive.

The Mountain Empire Model Railroaders club works in conjunction with the museum to demonstrate and maintain the model layouts, museum exhibits and other projects. Visit www.memrr.org to learn more about the group.

For more information about the event or to request special assistance for those with disabilities, contact Dr. Fred Alsop, the museum’s director, at (423) 439-6838.