Watch Clinton’s trains live on Olde Towne Depot train cam

By Randy Bell

Trains running through Clinton can be viewed live on the new Olde Depot train cam.

People from as far away as Japan have clicked on a new online railroad camera to watch freight trains passing through Clinton. Since the train cam was installed at the Olde Towne Depot in mid-July, it’s gotten about 4,000 views from over a thousand people, who—as of October 9—had spent 449 hours livestreaming the train video.

“I was the one who brought up the idea for the webcam, because I thought it would be cool and an asset to the town in the long run,” says Chris Shepherd, with the Olde Towne Rail Club. He and others around the country have made a hobby out of train watching, and some even travel to the camera locations to see the trains in person. Shepherd says the only other train cam in Mississippi is in Brookhaven.

The City’s rail line stays busy, helping to increase the camera’s popularity.

“We get about fifteen trains a day through Clinton,” Shepherd says. “I have a scanner feed set up, so people can hear when the trains come through town; and there are a few people in Louisiana that watch it, so they can keep track of any cool trains that are coming their way.”

He says the train cam has gotten good reviews.

“I like it, and, from what I’ve heard from others that I talk to on some of the train Facebook groups, they like it a lot too,” says Shepherd.

Olde Towne Depot Manager Ashley Hammack says they launched the project with an inexpensive security camera, wanting to start small and upgrade as needed.

“Our viewers are primarily in Clinton and Vicksburg, but we have viewers from across the world (United Kingdom, Japan, France and Poland),” said Hammack. “I feel good about the progress we’ve made and continue to make. Overall, I think our stream is a simple, effective asset to the rail cam community.”

Hammack has some advice for those who want to watch the trains.

“The best way to find the live rail cam is to go to the Olde Towne Depot You Tube page,” she recommends.

She says the most current feed will show up as “Live” in the corner of the screen or as part of the page menu.

Shepherd says the Depot has done a good job of promoting Clinton’s railroad history with a model train layout for the holidays and other special occasions and a train-oriented reading program for kids.

And there could be another blast from the past if a proposed east-west Amtrak route from Meridian to Dallas ever becomes a reality. Shepherd says restoring passenger rail service through Clinton has been talked about for years.

“I think now that CPKC Railroad has the line, we may see it happen.” But, first, he says, the tracks will need to be upgraded. Even if that Amtrak route is established, there are no plans for the train to stop in Clinton, since Union Station in Jackson is only eleven miles away.

Shepherd is inviting other train aficionados to become part of the Rail Club.

“We hope to get more people interested in the hobby,” he said.

For more information about the Rail Club, train cam or other Olde Towne Depot events or offerings, call 601-924-0113. The Olde Towne Depot is located at 281 East Leake Street.