Middle Tennessee & Alabama Railroad

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====== The Years of Innovation ======
The MT&A was an early entry into the business of railfan and tourist railroad rides.  The MT&A had retained a steam locomotive, a Baldwin 2-8-0.  They rebuilt the consolidation locomotive and by the mid-1970s, the MT&A was operating as a heritage railroad as well as an operating freight railroad.  The MT&A was offering railfan and tourist rides behind that steam locomotive, while still offering freight service with diesel-electric locomotives on the same line.  They were able to install a wye at Madison like the one already at Fayetteville to allow the turning of the locomotive, allowing for a ride of over seventy miles round trip from Madison, the base of operations for the tourist and railfan efforts.  These rides grew in popularity and the MT&A became an early innovator in the heritage railroad business.

===== Themed Rides =====
The MT&A worked with various groups along the right of way to provide different themes for special, themed rides.  These rides are worth a description.

==== Berry Ride ====
There is a series of berry rides, a group of springtime rides.  These rides would take passengers to the berry patches at the farms during the spring berry seasons.  These trains run three days a week and usually consist of one passenger coach and one baggage coach or often the doodlebug is used.  The passengers ride to the berry fields, pick their berries, and return to the train as it returned from the turnaround.  These rides are typically about four hours in length and involve about two and one-half to three hours in the berry patch and on the farm.  Families love these rides as it provides an interesting day for everyone.  The farmers love these rides as it brings customers directly to them, but also provides them with a way to educate the public about what they do.

==== Cotton Pickin' Ride ====
The Cotton-Pickin’ Ride is primarily an educational ride, while area schools primarily book these rides, families that want to know more about where they live, and the history of the area also enjoy these rides.  These rides leave from Madison and proceed to the turn around.  They make a stop at a local cotton farm where the riders experience what it is like growing cotton historically.  They see demonstrations of plowing with horses and planting cotton by hand.  The passengers can hoe cotton by hand, just like the workers of the past.  They also can pick cotton by hand.

The train then leaves the cotton farm and proceeds to Clark (Clarkdale) and stops near the team track.  The passengers disembark the train and get on specially modified cotton wagons for a horse-drawn ride to the Jeff Gin.  At the Jeff Gin, there is a demonstration of the removal of cotton seeds from the cotton.  There are demonstrations of using the hand methods as well as using the gin.  Upon their return to Clark (Clarkdale), there is a demonstration of loading cotton bales onto the train for shipment to market.  The passengers then return to Madison after a long day of cotton and train rides.

==== Yard Sale Ride ====
The MT&A also has an annual yard sale ride.  This ride started in the 1980s and continues to today in the 2020s.  On the second weekend in October, each community along the line has a yard sale.  The MT&A loads passengers at Madison and takes them up and down the line stopping in each community for their yard sale.  This ride is typically about 10 hours long with 30-minute stops at each community involved.  A diesel-electric locomotive usually pulls this ride instead of steam because of the time involved in the ride.  There are usually several baggage or box cars on this train for the passengers to carry their purchases back to Madison.

==== Christmas Tree and Gift Ride ====
But the favorite of the locals is the Christmas Tree and Gifts ride.  The Christmas Tree Farm sponsors these rides annually.  They provide a space for Arts and Crafts dealers and small businesses to setup near the tree farm.  Families ride the train to the farm, pick their Christmas Tree, cut it, and tag it for the return trip to Madsion.  They then shop with businesses setup near the tree farm.  These rides occur three nights each week and there are usually a couple on Saturday as well.

The train for these rides usually includes passenger coaches and flat cars for carrying the christmas trees.  If the weather is expected to be wet, the flat cars may be replaced by baggage cars or box cars.  The MT&A makes the majority of its passenger revenue from these rides each year.