Have you ever visited the train station where a train does not stop anymore? Most of the old train stations have disappeared or have been left as cultural assets.The old Gokseong Station which this reporter visited is the latter. The old station was transformed into part of a train theme park in the Seomjingang Train Village in an attempt to attract tourists to Gokseong.
It took about one hour to Gokseong from Gwangju by bus. The train theme park was only a little way from the Gokseong bus terminal. Admission to the theme park was free, but visitors have to buy one of two kinds of tickets to take a rail-bike and a steam-powered locomotive. The rail-bike ticket was also divided into two. One is for visitors who want to enjoy sightseeing of Sumjingang, a river at a distance from the theme park, ridding a rail-bike. Another is for visitors who just want to look around the facilities of the theme park. It was too hot to go to Sumjingang; I just bought the second ticket and entered the park through the old Gokseong station.
The old Gokseong station was outdated but it seemed very charming. Beside the station, there was a long rail, an old platform, and two steam trains. And near the rail, I saw a flowerbed full of colorful flowers. It was so beautiful I could not stop taking pictures. Some families and couples enjoyed taking pictures like me. Others went to ride the rail-bike. The rail-bike was capable of taking four persons so it was perfect for a family to ride.
▲ A family enjoying a ride on the rail=bike
I also rode the rail-bike and looked around the entire park while pedaling the bike slowly for about 15 minutes. It was a funny and exciting experience. The theme park I saw on the bike was much bigger than I thought. In addition to the trains and the old station, the park has a rose garden, a small animal farm and an insectarium, so after I had finished my bike ride, I looked around those places. Lastly, I went sightseeing around the set of a popular Korean movie, TaeGukGi: Brotherhood of War, near the steam-powered train. The movie set had been built for a steam train scene because steam trains are very rare nowadays. Recalling a scene in the movie, I stood alone at the center of the movie set for quite a long time as if I were an extra in the movie.
▲ The sets of movie 'Brotherhood' near the theme park of train.
During the day tour, I became as excited as a child over the various attractions in the train theme park near the Seomjin River. Therefore, I could not recover my composure for a long time after the tour had finished. The train theme park in the Seomjingang Train Village was beautiful and it gave me a happy memory. I would like to recommend CNUians the train theme park for a day tour outside Gwangju.
▲ Two steam trains displayed on the theme park of train.
