Larry Morton, president of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club, will fascinate his audience by telling stories of what it took to take a train up and down the Saluda grade during his presentation at the Saluda Historic Depot on Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. He will tell about the wrecks that occurred on the grade and what Southern Railway did to cut down on the cost, both in dollars and in human injury and loss of life.

 

“I am honored to be asked to do a presentation at Saluda Train Tales. As the representative of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club in Hendersonville, I am enjoying watching the progress being made in turning your depot into a railroad museum. You have something here that is very unique in railroading and you should use the story of the Saluda Grade as a magnet to draw folks into town. I am looking forward to our club’s relationship with your town and the depot project,” expressed Larry.

“As a young lad, I became fascinated with toy trains and then model railroads. This continued into my teenage years, but once I entered college the interest waned. It wasn’t until my retirement in 2000 that I seriously pursued the hobby again. When I relocated from New York to Hendersonville and discovered the club in the Hendersonville depot, I was really hooked. Through this club I became involved in the project in the Heritage Museum in Hendersonville and designed and managed the construction of the “Coming of the Railroad” project that opened three years ago in the Henderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Hendersonville,” Larry continued.

Saluda Train Tales is a free monthly event to educate the community of the importance of Saluda’s railroad history and the Saluda Grade. These events are at the Saluda Historic Depot, 32 W. Main Street, Saluda, N.C.

– Submitted by Cathy Jackson