COTTON BELT DEPOT TO OFFER TRAIN DISPLAYS TYLER, TX -- The Cotton Belt Depot in Tyler, Texas will be open for tours May 5 in conjunction with the Tyler Train & Memorabilia show that weekend. The depot features train artifacts and memorabilia. One of the most popular items at the depot is the Bragg model train display. 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. Currently, a portion of the H.J. McKenzie collection is on temporary loan from The University of Texas at Tyler. The depot will be open for tours from 10:00 to 15:00 hours on May 5. Admission is free. The depot is at 210 E. Oakwood. The Cotton Belt Depot 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. - The Tyler Morning Telegraph
