On Saturday the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum is celebrating the 130th anniversary of the first train chugging into town.
The free festivities start at 11 a.m. at Tucson's Historic Depot, 414 N. Toole Ave. Museum historian Bill Kalt said about 100 people will be dressed in period garb to re-enact the arrival of the train. Mayor Bob Walkup will play Mayor R.N. Leatherwood and proclaim it to be Railroad Day in Tucson.
The event commemorates the arrival of a Southern Pacific Railroad Company train in 1880, when Estevan Ochoa - the namesake of Ochoa Elementary - a Tucson mayor and legislator who helped pass legislation authorizing public schools, presented a silver spike to railroad magnate Charles Crocker.
The 4th Cavalry Band will set the mood at 10:30 a.m. by playing music from the 1880s.
Parking is available for $2 at the Pennington Street Garage, 110 E. Pennington St.
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Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
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