Back on track: Berea celebrates L&N Day's return to normal schedule
Jun. 7—Berea's L&N Day was back on track Saturday when the event returned to its normal schedule.
Train enthusiasts, collectors, and former railroad employees gathered in Old Town Artisan Village at the historic former L&N Depot to celebrate the 22nd Annual L&N Day.
The event returned this year to its normal celebration date in June after it was delayed last year to August due to the COVID-19 concerns, according to organizers.
Electric model trains buzzed around scale-model villages, model railroading suppliers and purveyors of railroad memorabilia offered their wares, and folks stopped to talk and reminisce about the days when the old railroad offered passenger service through town. In front of the depot, attendees were entertained with live music acts throughout the day and kids took part in several train-related activities.
Nancy Conley, operations manager for Berea Tourism, said L&N Day is a treasured event for train lovers and those just getting started in the hobby.
"We've just had a really great, fun day of it," Conley said on Saturday. "We have so many train enthusiasts and young folks that are starting to get into trains, and we are trying to keep this interest in trains alive. We are actually in an old L&N depot here that was built in 1917. It's really special, and a lot of people come in here to learn the history of this station," Conley said.
The current building where the annual event is held, now serves as the visitor's center for Berea.
In its former days, the building served as a stop on the now-defunct Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N).
"It was part of the original main line from Louisville to Nashville and the line increased over the years and this particular line went up to Cincinnati and down all the way to Atlanta. There were passenger trains back then and this depot was used quite a bit by students going to Berea College," train historian Wes Ross said. "In the 1970's, L&N quit running passengers trains and depots fell out of use. Eventually, the city bought the building. I believe this particular depot is the only brick L&N depot left on this line."
Bill Hunter, a vendor at L&N Day on Saturday, said events like the one in Berea are crucial in helping keep train hobbies alive as well as celebrate the history of trains.
"Technically, it is a dying hobby... Which is why it is so important to get younger people interested and involved in trains and model railroading. It's actually not a hard hobby to get into and kids usually start off with Thomas the Tank Engine and progress from there to other realistic models," Hunter said.
Kids that enjoy building LEGO sets or tracks for Hot Wheels are ideal candidates to transition into building model railroads, Hunter said. The hobby also builds STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) skills in young people, in addition to a knowledge of history and geography by studying specific rail lines.
According to L&N Day exhibitor Shelby Jett, the Scouts even have a merit badge dedicated to railroading. Jett had a model train set up on Saturday and walked attendees through a switching sequence Scouts can participate in to earn a merit badge.
"It's like a puzzle. So if you like puzzles, you'll do okay," Jett said of the exercise which involves remote-controlling a train engine through several track switches and moving train cars around a large track to specific drop-off locations.
Many youngsters took a turn at Jett's exhibit on Saturday, with most leaving the trains reluctantly.
"Trains are just fun," Conley said simply. "Which is why I think people really enjoy L&N Day and with the history of this being a train depot — it just adds to the excitement."
