BRADFORD – The Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum held its annual Heritage Day Railroad Festival on Saturday, September 12th, with several activities in the Village of Bradford. The Museum, located at 200 N. Miami Avenue, offered tours throughout the event, including tours of the BF Tower at 500 E. Main St. Many activities took place on the grounds of Bradford Community Park and in the Community Center across from the Museum.
The highlight of the day was a ribbon-cutting at 10:00 a.m. on the grounds of the BF Tower (a 2-story interlocking tower, built in 1929) at the East end of the Village. The ribbon-cutting ceremony opened an additional section of track, lengthening the rail system that adjoins the tower. This was made possible through cooperation with the Village of Bradford (for land acquisition), numerous donations from the Museum’s supporters, and funding from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for Cultural Grant Program.
This is the first time since 1985 that the Museum has been able to add additional railroad tracks to support the BF Tower grounds. The ‘switching tower’ is one of 8 such towers located in Ohio – and is the only one that is operational. This is part of a project that will eventually allow the non-profit organization to operate a railroad ‘speeder’ – a small, motorized railcar once used by track inspectors and maintenance crews. The Museum has acquired a ‘speeder,’ and volunteers are currently restoring it. The last phase of the project will be to construct a storage building at the end of the track section to store the vehicle.
The Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum was founded in 2002 by local railroad enthusiasts to preserve a part of history, reflecting the deep railroading roots of the community. The Museum is located in the former Bradford National Bank building, which was built in 1919, at the corner of N. Miami Avenue and E. Main Street in downtown Bradford. For more information about the Museum, hours of operation and the many events that are hosted throughout the year, please visit their website at http://www.
