Model train display ready for holidays

With a sprinkling of snow and passengers bundled for the cold, the Clyde Bragg model train display at the Cotton Belt Depot looks like a miniature winter wonderland.

Hundreds of model trains were donated to the city by Sharon Bragg in honor of her late husband.

The trains made their inaugural run during the Cotton Belt Depot’s Centennial Celebration in June 2005.

“The display is such a draw for train enthusiasts of all ages. We often see people who have come from miles away just to see the display,” said Norman Schenck, Tyler Transit general manager.

“We thought this would be a fun way to change the display to reflect that the holidays are approaching.” The Clyde Bragg model

train display is open for viewing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on three Saturdays in December. The Depot is located at 210 E. Oakwood.

The Cotton Belt Depot celebrated its centennial last year. It was built in 1905 and began serving passengers on the Cotton Belt Line in 1907.

Service continued until the mid-1950s, and the railroad used the structure for offices and storage until it was boarded up in 1987. The Southern Pacific Railroad donated the building to the City of Tyler in 1988.

The city used federal transportation grants, half-cent sales tax funds, and a grant from the Vaughn Foundation to restore the historic building.

The building reopened as offices for the Tyler Transit bus system in the summer of 2003.