A train turntable built in the 1940s was relocated to Watertown from Atlanta.
The turntable can change the direction of steam locomotives. Historic Watertown plans to install it for locomotive No. 576. The engine was recently moved from Centennial Park in Nashville to be restored.
"It's really remarkable that both a steam locomotive and a turntable exist in the modern day," said Joey Bryan, of Nashville Steam Preservation Society. "This could easily have been scraped."
The locomotive will be restored in the next two years to working condition to take passengers on excursion trips in Middle Tennessee. Watertown is preparing to be a destination.
"Train days around here...it's just a big plus for this community," local grocer Bill Shults said.
Shults owns Three Forks Marketplace. About ten times a year, trains bring tourists to the town on holidays and for events. It gives the community an economic boost.
Historic Watertown estimates that it will take three to four years to restore the turntable bridge, build a new station and a museum.
"We really want to make the whole turning process a part of the excursion experience and teach people why these were so important in the '40s," Bryan said.
Historic Watertown and the Nashville Steam Preservation Society continue to apply for grants and ask for donations to move the project forward.
