February 5, 2010 by tarheeltrains
Andy Fletcher’s career as an artist started early. He began drawing trains—one of his first loves—from his own photos when he was still in school. All of his drawings are done by hand with a pencil and watercolor pens. Andy’s first engine to draw was BN’s 1991 “DESERT STORM” SD60M. 
Then in 1992, Burlington Northern Railroad asked him to design their popular SD70MAC Executive color scheme. Altogether, Andy has drawn over 1,500 trains, from steam to modern diesel and cars, cabooses and other equipment. He has been commissioned to paint trains for railroads, railroad historical societies and museums.
Andy has epilepsy and was unable to draw from 2001-2007. During his hiatus from drawing trains, he did some watercolor paintings, but as soon as he was able, he came back to trains. People often ask, “Why trains?” and the answer is he just loves them.
He feels rewarded by the joy his drawings have brought others. His magnets and prints make great gifts and promotional items. If you are interested in having Andy draw a piece of equipment you can e-mail him for more information.
Here are a couple of excerpts from Andy:
Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The year is 1952. Spring is in the air. The engineer blasts two sounds of whistle and the Atlantic Coast Line Florida Special gives its 7:10pm highball. The train gains momentum. Eager passengers await their vacations and loved ones along the southward trek. Onto Fayetteville and Florence, through the night the Special rolls, onto its 11:25am arrival in Miami.
Coal Runs on Norfolk Southern’s Winston Salem District. One hundred cars of coal roll at Belews Creek, NC. This is Norfolk Southern’s Winston-Salem District. A pair of SD70M-2’s keep the southbound unit train on time as it rolls from Roanoke. Coal from the Appalachians rolls to the Carolinas. Coal to power industry. Coal to light the cities, to power the South. Norfolk Southern rolls coal into North Carolina. This is railroading on the Winston-Salem District.
To learn more about Andy Fletcher and to order prints, magnets, etc…..visit his incredible website at http://customtrains.org.
To order Andy’s book, “The ABC’s of America’s Railroads” …CLICK HERE! 
Stay Connected!
Posted in Christmas & Trains, Train Art, Train Books | Tagged america's railroads, andy fletcher, custom trains, north carolina trains, train artwork, train paintings, train pictures | Leave a Comment »
January 22, 2010 by tarheeltrains
Good news: It was a normal day in Sharon Springs , KS when a Union Pacific crew boarded a loaded coal train for the long trek to Salina.
The Bad news: Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting a metal support drop down and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the rail.
The Good news: A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train and immediately stopped the train in compliance with the rules.
The Bad news: The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and trusses.
The crew tried to explain to higher-ups but were instructed not to move the train! They were instructed Rules prohibit moving the train when a part is defective!
But….rules are rules!
Posted in Train Wrecks, Uncategorized | Tagged bridge on fire, Freight Trains, train disaster, train rides, train wreck, union pacific | Leave a Comment »
January 20, 2010 by tarheeltrains
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is pleased to announce its’ special Valentine’s Sweetheart Dinner Train on February 13, 2010.
For a romantic evening with that special someone, enjoy a delectable three-course dinner in a candlelit vintage dining car aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The train will depart our Bryson City, NC depot at 7:00 pm and will feature the cuisine of Chef Deborah Douthit.
The Sweetheart Train’s dining menu features a choice of Prime Rib or Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo accompanied by a Fresh Baby Green Salad served with Tangerine Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and a Fresh Vegetable Medley. Your meal will end with a Raspberry White Chocolate Cheese Brule topped with fresh berries and a Champagne toast.
Prior to departure, each Sweetheart will receive a long stemmed rose during the reception beginning at 6:00 pm. Full bar and wine service is available for purchase on board the train. The Valentine’s Sweetheart Train is $104.00 plus tax & gratuity per person.
New for 2010 – Sweetheart Dinner Train Package
Round trip scenic train excursion
Three-course dinner for two on a candlelit dining car
Overnight stay for two at the new Bryson City Microtel Inn & Suites
Bottle of our Whistle Stop Wine
Valentine’s heart chocolate sampler
All this makes for the perfect evening your Valentine is sure to remember! All for just $278
(plus tax and gratuity).
For more information and reservations please call 800-872-4681 or WWW.GSMR.COM.
Admission to the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum is included with ticket purchase. Without tickets, admission to the museum is $9 for adults and $5 for children.
Proud member of the American Heritage Railways family. Visit our sister railroads in southwest Colorado at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and in east Texas at the Texas State Railroad.
Posted in Train Rides in NC | Tagged bryson city, diesel engines, dillsboro, great smoky mountains railroad, railroads nc, Train Rides in NC | 2 Comments »
January 14, 2010 by tarheeltrains
Source: http://www.mtairynews.com
by Tom Joyce
Trains have held a fascination for Mike King since he was 3 years old, but his professional involvement with them soon will end when King closes his model-train store in downtown Mount Airy.
Since September 1995, Dry Bridge Station has been a popular stop for railroading enthusiasts in Surry County and other parts of North Carolina and Virginia.
Those venturing into the business on North Main Street have encountered a miniature world of locomotives, freight and passenger cars, tracks, buildings and scenery — helping them pursue a widespread interest dating to the mid-1850s when trains first steamed into American culture.
However, shelves at Dry Bridge Station have become a little emptier in recent days due to King reducing his inventory in anticipation of the store’s closing, the date of which had not been set as of Tuesday.
Although he has a lifelong interest in trains, King said he decided to retire from the store that he has operated with the help of Beulah Whitaker, its only full-time employee.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Posted in Model Trains, Train Stores | Tagged dry bridge station, ho, model trains north carolina, mount airy, n scale, o guauge, Train Stores | Leave a Comment »
January 14, 2010 by tarheeltrains
The following are books on railroading and Western America by Lucius Beebe or Lucius Beebe and his partner. Charles Clegg.
1. High Iron: A Book of Trains. (New York: D. Appleton-Century Company, 1938).
2. Highliners: A Railroad Album (New York: Bonanza Books, 1940).
3. Trains in Transition (New York: Bonanza Books, 1941).
4. Highball: A Pageant of Trains ( New York: Bonanza Books, 1945)
5. The Narrow Gauge Railroads of Colorado (Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin
No. 671, August 1946).
6. Mixed Train Daily: A Book of Short-Line Railroads. (Berkeley, CA: Howell-North, 1947).
7. Virginia City & Truckee: A Story of Virginia City and Comstock Times (Oakland, CA:
Grahame H. Hardy, 1949).
8. U.S. West: The Saga of Wells Fargo (New York: Dutton, 1949).
9. Legends of the Comstock Lode (Oakland, CA: Grahame H. Hardy,1950).
10. Cable Car Carnival (Oakland, CA: Grahame H. Hardy,1951). 
11. Hear the Train Blow: A Pictorial Epic of America in the Railroad Age (New York: Dutton,
1952)
12. Comstock Commotion: The Story of the Territorial Enterprise and Virginia City News
(New York: Dutton, 1954).
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Posted in Train Books | Tagged illustrated trains, locomotives, railroads, Train Books, train rides, trains | Leave a Comment »
January 4, 2010 by tarheeltrains
Source: SalisburyPost.com
By Hugh Fisher
hfisher@salisburypost.com
SPENCER — Roy Johnson, president of the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation, is looking ahead to a bright new year.
Under his leadership, the organization is making changes to protect itself, and is thriving despite a down economy.
“We’re trying to tell the full story of how transportation developed North Carolina,” he said.
The N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation provides fundraising and political advocacy for the 57-acre museum.
In particular, the foundation has helped acquire millions of dollars in historic artifacts for the museum.
Johnson, a Charlotte-based architect, has been president of the foundation since June.
Under his tenure, the museum has weathered continued fiscal belt-tightening by the state of North Carolina, and has seen visitors to the Spencer museum it supports increase by 15 percent.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Posted in Museums, Train Industry, Train Rides in NC | Tagged nc trains, nc transportation museum, spencer, train rides, trains in north carolina | Leave a Comment »
December 29, 2009 by tarheeltrains
New technology allows the train’s engine to capture the energy it now wastes, store it in a battery and use it for acceleration.
Click on the image below to watch the video. You’ll have to sit through a 15-second ad, but it’s very interesting.
Posted in Freight Trains, Train Industry | Tagged engines, environmentally friendly, GE, green, locomotives, sustainability, train rides, trains | Leave a Comment »
December 24, 2009 by tarheeltrains
By Denis Cuff
Contra Costa Times
George and Georgia Schumann needed to get across America to spend Christmas with their daughter in Fayetteville, N.C., but they weren’t keen about the rigors of a drive or the hustle and bustle and sardine-can packing of an airline flight.
“My husband likes to “… stretch in his seat. It’s not easy to do in a plane,” Georgia Schumann said. “And we both like the window seat.”
So, the retired couple from San Pablo rode the train, an option that more Americans are choosing this year for the holidays.
Amtrak train ridership nationwide rose 4 percent to a record 659,184 passengers during Thanksgiving week, while airline ridership declined slightly and auto holiday travel was up.
All three types of travel are expected to increase over the next two weeks with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays as travel rebounds along with a partial recovery of consumer confidence, according to a poll commissioned by the American Automobile Association.
“We’re starting to see a rebound after some dismal years for travel,” said Cynthia Harris, a AAA spokeswoman in Northern California. “Train travel is a strong part of that rebound trend.”
Some train users said the rail’s relaxed pace draws them into the coaches. Others say they appreciate the nostalgia of a travel mode that helped settle and develop the nation before losing ground to cars and planes.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Posted in Christmas & Trains, Traveling By Train | Tagged Amtrak, christmas and trains, holiday travel, riding the rails, train rides | Leave a Comment »
December 16, 2009 by tarheeltrains
Source: Salisbury Post
By Hugh Fisher – hfisher@salisburypost.com
SPENCER — He’s making a list, and checking it twice, but not on a sleigh with snow and ice.
Santa Claus is taking the train to town.
With festive decorations aboard, the Santa Train’s been running at the N.C. Transportation Museum for the last two weekends.
Santa and his elves board to pass out treats and talk to each child and family.
“You kids stay sweet and smart,” Santa Claus said to Chloe and Cameron Mullinax of Mount Pleasant.
“Santa’s going to visit you real soon!”
Their mom, Christy Mullinax, has been bringing her daughters to Spencer for the Santa Train for years.
Chloe, who’s 3 years old this Christmas, smiled while one of the volunteers took her picture with Santa, her sister and her mom.
Cameron, who’s 7, had a long wish list ready for Santa:
“A DVD player that sits on your lap and a (Nintendo) DSi,” she said, among other things.
“You think he’s got enough time to get all that together?” Christy asked with a smile.
Cameron smiled and nodded. “He got my letter!”
Families from as far off as Shelby and Winston-Salem were among the riders sharing wishes with Santa yesterday afternoon.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
Posted in Christmas & Trains, Train Rides in NC | Tagged christmas train, nc steam engines, nc transportation museum, santa train, spencer, Train Rides in NC | Leave a Comment »
December 8, 2009 by tarheeltrains
This is actually a year old, but I just had to re-post it. Model railroaders of all ages will love this. What a cool interactive Christmas card from our friends at Norfolk Southern.
Visit Norfolk Southen: http://www.nscorp.com.
Click on the image below to open the card in a separate window….Enjoy!
Posted in Christmas & Trains | Tagged Christmas & Trains, norfolk southern, Train Rides in NC | Leave a Comment »
Older Posts »
Andy Fletcher’s career as an artist started early. He began drawing trains—one of his first loves—from his own photos when he was still in school. All of his drawings are done by hand with a pencil and watercolor pens. Andy’s first engine to draw was BN’s 1991 “DESERT STORM” SD60M. 
