As you plan your activities for the coming weeks, be sure to make May 13 on your calendar.
That’s the date recently announced for the 2023 Depot Day at the Big Four Depot on North Washington Street. May 13 is also National Train Day.
National Train Day was a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of railway travel and the history of trains in the United States. It was held each year on the Saturday closest to May 10, the anniversary of the pounding of the Golden spike in Promontory, Utah, which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. Events were held at major Amtrak stations as well as railroad museums across the country and often have passenger cars and model railroad layouts on display.
Although no longer celebrated on a national basis, the holiday continues to be observed by local and regional rail organizations.
Locally, Depot Day is focused on the storied history of railroads in Galion as well the particular history of the Big Four Depot. That structure was dedicated on December 27, 1900, and was built to serve as a Divisional Headquarters for that rail line.
We will have additional details on Depot Day as the event nears.
Photo: Thomas Palmer
