Tucked inside a railroad station built in 1909, the Foley Railroad Museum gives visitors a firsthand look at the history and culture that shaped Foley and Baldwin County. The museum is housed in the former Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad depot, a building that once anchored the city’s identity as a thriving agricultural center where the railroad played a central role in local prosperity.
Exhibits inside the historic depot preserve reminders of that era, when rail lines connected Foley’s farmers and merchants to markets across the region. For visitors interested in Baldwin County’s roots as an agricultural hub, the museum offers a tangible connection to the infrastructure that once drove the local economy.
A Model Train Exhibit for All Ages
Adjacent to the historical exhibits, the museum’s Model Train Exhibit is a draw in its own right. The 60-by-20-foot layout is built to “O” gauge scale and includes a quarter mile of track wired with roughly a mile of electrical wiring. The display features 84 freight cars and 50 passenger coaches, along with a detailed replica of the L&N Hummingbird, a passenger train that once ran along the same rail corridors the museum now commemorates.
The scale and detail of the layout make it a popular stop for train enthusiasts, families and history buffs alike, offering entertainment that spans generations in a single exhibit hall.
Hours and Visitor Information
The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Model Train Exhibit keeps a more limited schedule, running Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Saturdays, visitors can also catch a ride on the museum’s event train, which operates during regular hours with a final boarding call at 2:45 p.m. Because the train runs outdoors, operations are subject to weather conditions, which may affect scheduled times.
The Foley Railroad Museum is located at 125 E. Laurel Avenue in Foley. Lindy White serves as the director of the city’s Museums and Heritage Department, which oversees the site.
For residents and visitors looking to spend an afternoon exploring Baldwin County’s past, the museum offers an accessible, family-friendly way to step back into the era when the railroad put Foley on the map.
The Depot’s History
Foley is named for John B. Foley of Chicago, who in 1902 bought roughly 50,000 acres in the area and helped bring rail service to it. The first station was built in 1905, when L&N service began; it burned in 1908 and was replaced the following year by the depot that now houses the museum. The city was incorporated in 1915, and rail service to Foley ended in the 1970s.
