Photo by Timdwilliamson, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
About Wales West Train & Garden Lovers RV Resort
Wales West Light Railway – The Cottontail Express is at the station!
At a Glance
Verified daily- Type
- Heritage railroad & tourist attraction
- Location
- AL
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ 652 Google reviews
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for Wales West Train & Garden Lovers RV Resort. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
Plan Your Visit
- Parking
- Free lot
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance · accessible restroom · accessible parking
- Good For
- Families
Find the Depot
The Trains
The flagship is Dame Ann, an 11,700-pound 0-4-2ST steam locomotive built by Exmoor Steam Railway and based on the Penrhyn Port Class engines the Hunslet Engine Company produced in the 19th century. She shares the 2-foot-gauge line with Gareth, a roughly 2,000-pound Simplex 40S diesel built by Motor Rail in the mid-1960s; once a steam-outline engine pulling a single-car train in Scotland, he was rebodied in the style of the Simplex diesels Alan Keef produced in the 1980s. Passengers ride in replica coaches built to 19th-century plans — wood over steel frames, with wheels imported from England and modern air brakes — and a separate 7.5-inch-gauge miniature ridable railway also operates on the property.
History
See full history
Wales West is the project of owners Ann and Ken Zadnichek, who laid a mile of 2-foot-gauge track at their Silverhill, Alabama RV resort expressly to recreate the character of a Welsh narrow gauge railway. The couple commissioned a brand-new steam locomotive, Dame Ann, from the Exmoor Steam Railway in Bratton Fleming, England; she completed her steam trials at the Launceston Steam Railway in Cornwall and was delivered to Alabama in 2004, and because she follows a 19th-century Hunslet Engine Company design, she was the first Port Class Hunslet-pattern engine built in 83 years. A vintage Simplex diesel named Gareth, bought from Alan Keef Ltd, did the heavy work of building the railway before joining the operating fleet. Today the railway and its associated RV park host more than 30,000 visitors a year.
Around the Depot
Getting There & Staying Nearby
Optional trip extras from our travel partners.
Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Tours & Activities Nearby
Tours
Guided tours, day trips, and things to do around the area, bookable in advance through Viator.
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