Ellerbe Creek Railway at the Museum of Life & Science in Durham

All aboard! Climb aboard the Ellerbe Creek Railway for an old-time train ride through the Museum grounds. The 10-minute train ride makes two laps through our Nature Park on the beloved scaled replica C. P. Huntington locomotive, made possible by a generous donation from the Teer family.

Train Schedule

The train runs daily (weather permitting) beginning at 10:30 a.m. every 30 minutes in the morning, and every hour in the afternoon until 4 p.m.

Train Tickets

Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis daily. Rides cost $3.00 per person. Children under 3 years of age ride free on an adult’s lap. Refunds are provided for cancelled runs only.

Visit http://lifeandscience.org/visit/ellerbee-creek-railway!

The Museum of Life and Science is one of North Carolina’s top attractions. Situated on 84-acres, our interactive science park includes a science center, a butterfly conservatory which is one of the largest in the world and beautifully-landscaped outdoor exhibits which are safe havens for rescued black bears, lemurs, and endangered red wolves.

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For more information about the train, please call:
(919) 220-5429 x339

Santa Claus is coming to ride The New Hope Valley Railway!

The New Hope Valley Railway (NHVR) presents its annual Holiday Santa Trains the first two weekends in December departing from its rail yard located in Bonsal, N.C., just 10-minutes south of Apex off of U.S. Highway 1, Exit 89.

Santa and his helper will visit each open-air passenger car pulled by either a diesel or steam locomotive. Children will get a treat and the opportunity to talk with Santa. The train, along with other areas of the railroad, will be decorated for the holidays during the hour-long excursion.“Riding a real train with Santa Claus is a fun and memorable way to celebrate the holidays,” says NHVR President Mike MacLean. “It’s a special time for families as well as our volunteers who help bring smiles to children’s faces.”

Purchase tickets online at www.TriangleTrain.com or at the train yard the day of the ride. Holiday Santa Trains will be operating on Saturday, Dec. 1; Sunday, Dec. 2; Saturday, Dec. 8; and Sunday, Dec. 9.

Diesel train rides will be departing at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. and steam train rides at 12:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children, ages 2-12. NHVR recommends arriving at the train yard 30 minutes before the listed departure time.

Learn more by visiting www.TriangleTrain.com or www.facebook.com/TriangleTrain.

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New Pictures Of Daniel Boone Railroad Locomotive Found!

This engine is an old 0-4-0 that the Daniel Boone Railroad used in conjunction with Melodia, which was sold. The railroad continued to use this Cooke 0-4-0 even after Melodia had been sold. I have no recollection of the Daniel Boone Railroad having 2 locomotives.

Tom Flanary from The Gold Coast Railway Museum was nice enough to share with me some new pictures of old #2. He sent me a link to it (HERE) with a photograph. The engine has been painted and is on display. Visit http://gcrm.org/!

Click on an image to enlarge…

  

   

41st Annual Southeast Old Threshers’ Reunion Happening Now!

Featuring, The Handy Dandy Railroad, The Southeast Threshers Reunion is the greatest steam, gas and antique farm machinery show in the Southeast, featuring 800 antique tractors and gas engines, arts & crafts, border collie demonstration, 15 restored buildings, music, food and more.

The festival is held in Denton Farm Park in Denton, NC, which is located in southern Davidson County.

The story of Denton Farm Park and the Southeast Old Threshers’ Reunion must begin with the introduction of Brown Loflin and Howard Latham.

Loflin is a lifelong resident of Davidson County’s Handy community, the home of this museum park. Farmer, entrepreneur and con-summate hobbyist, he has done everything from driving race cars, flying and restoring old machinery to building the park. He is the organizer and director of the Threshers’ Reunion.

Latham, a field engineer for Georgia-Pacific, lives a few miles east in Randolph County. One of their early associations was as co-owners of an airplane based at Loflin’s Denton Airport, a grassed runway with an open-sided shelter as a hangar. Both piloted the airplane, and the airport was a frequent gathering place for other aviation hobbyists and their flying machines.

Latham may have been harboring a desire to be a railroad engineer. Taking vacation during the Reunion, with traditional striped cap and red bandana, he drives the steam locomotive on the park’s standard gauge Handy Dandy Railroad. “It’s hard work and hot,” he said, “but it’s also fun when I see how much it’s enjoyed by kids from 2 to 92.”

Check out Denton Farm Park on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dentonfarmpark

Visit http://www.threshers.com/farmpark/seotr_history.html

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Train show exciting for young, old alike

Source: http://www.enctoday.com

Charlie Hall

Sun Journal Staff

There was a common denominator between the hundreds of people who came to Saturday’s opening day of the Carolina Coastal Railroaders show and the trains they came to see — both were all ages and sizes.

The 16^th annual show, which continues today at New Bern High, featured a lobby full of vendors with any possible train or accessory. Inside the gym, there were 10 layouts — complete with detailed miniature scenery — and trains of varying sizes and historic reference.

Nic and Juanita Nicastro come from Newport to the show each year and walk away with memories and bags of trains and parts.

“I’m a collector, an operator and an accumulator,” he said of his own home layout, which measures more than 13 by 19 feet, with three different train “yards.”

He had trains as a child and when the couple started a family in the early 1970s, they wanted trains for the children.

He saw a want ad for trains for sale, so he bought six two-foot-square boxes. The Nicastros were off and running as collectors.

“It’s a toy,” he said of trains. “And I’m just a bigger kid.”

Juanita said that while collecting trains that date to the 1900s, it had given her a sense of watching changes in the way American manufacturing has changed over the years in production and materials, from tin to injection plastics.

Allison Stusse of Havelock brought her sons Noah, Henry and George — ages 2 to nearly 6 — because “They love trains. They have trains, too many trains.”

The Stusse brothers are still in the early stages of train love, with wooden trains that they have to push around the tracks.

“But, they build new track every day,” said their mother, as the three boys pointed and intently watched larger motorized miniatures in front of them at the Garden Railway Society’s layout.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

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NC Transportation Museum Offers Excursions

Day Trips To Roanoke, Va. and Asheville, N.C. Scheduled for October 30 and 31

SPENCER –  The N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation and the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society will host day trip train excursions to Roanoke, Va. October 30 and Asheville, N.C. October 31. These excursions, now in their fourth year, allow travelers to see beautiful fall foliage, experience a great destination and enjoy the romance of riding the rails.

The N.C. Transportation Museum and Watauga Valley NRHS revived fall excursions in 2007, offering trips to Charlottesville, Va.  Sell out crowds and satisfied passengers made those excursions incredibly popular. Last year’s addition of Asheville, N.C. as a destination created an even greater demand for tickets. The trips sold out in record time, with dome car tickets selling out in mere minutes.

This year, the “Virginia Autumn Special” will travel to Roanoke, Va. Saturday, Oct. 30.  The “Blue Ridge Special” will travel to Asheville, N.C. Sunday, Oct. 31. More dome car tickets have been added but the demand is expected to be just as strong as years past.

Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., Saturday’s Virginia Autumn Special” will offer additional passenger pick-up at the Greensboro Amtrak Station at 8 a.m., allowing those in the Triad a more convenient boarding opportunity.  The train will travel through the northern portion of the North Carolina Piedmont, including the cities of High Point and Reidsville before crossing into Virginia.  The western part of central Virginia offers spectacular views of the fall foliage, crossing the Dan and Roanoke Rivers.  Moving onto the old Virginian Railway line, passengers will travel westward, passing through several tunnels and enjoying the rolling Virginia countryside.

The train will arrive in Roanoke, the “Star City of the South,” at noon.  Passengers will have nearly three hours to enjoy the attractions offered. Downtown Roanoke offers an array of dining experiences, shopping and sightseeing opportunities.

Passengers will depart the train at the old Norfolk and Western Passenger Station, home of the O. Winston Link museum.  The museum offers a grand photographic and auditory history of 1950’s steam engine locomotive history. Advance tickets to the museum are available to excursion passengers at the discounted group rate of $4 per person.
Meals will also be available at the famous nearby Hotel Roanoke

The nearby Taubman Museum of Art features a permanent collection of 19th and early 20th Century American art, while the Historic Roanoke City Market has fresh food and handmade crafts.

Passengers can also take a drink from the historic Dogmouth Fountain, constructed in 1898.  Legend says those drinking from the fountain will always return to Roanoke.

Departing Roanoke at 3 p.m., the train will arrive back in Greensboro at 6:45 p.m. and Spencer at 8 p.m.
During Sunday’s trip, the “Blue Ridge Special” will travel through the western Piedmont into the foothills and on to the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., the train will roll through the cities of Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, Black Mountain and Swannanoa.  The train will climb the famed “loops” of the Blue Ridge Mountains and pass through several tunnels before arriving in Asheville at noon.  Passengers will have nearly three hours for an outing at Biltmore Village.

Established in the late 1890s as a planned community near the entrance of the Biltmore estate, Biltmore Village stands near the entrance to Biltmore Estate.  Shopping will be available in unique, locally-owned boutiques.  Passengers can dine in restaurants and take walks along brick sidewalks that parallel tree lined streets.  All of this will be enjoyed alongside spectacular views of the North Carolina mountains.

Departing Asheville at 3 p.m., the “Blue Ridge Special” will return to Spencer at 8 p.m.

Dome Tickets offer the best views of passing scenery with two levels. Windows stretch across the walls and ceiling on the second level, providing a panoramic view of the entire ride. Dome tickets are available for $280 per person.
Premium First Class fare includes continental breakfast and newspapers on the journey to both Roanoke and Asheville, plus dinner on the return trip served in vintage lounge and dining cars. Premium First Class tickets are available for $245 per person.

Deluxe Coach Class tickets feature spacious seating with large windows, lunch on the dining car and light snacks during the trip. Deluxe Coach tickets are $175 per person.

Coach seating, featuring wide windows, adjustable seats and convenient access to the commissary car, are also available for $145 per person. All cars feature air conditioning, heat and rest rooms.

For those wishing to eat on the train to provide more time for sightseeing, an optional box lunch will be offered.  The $14 meal, served in a souvenir lunch tote, includes include a half turkey wrap, pasta, chips & salsa, a cookie and drink.
Tickets will be available online at www.nctrans.org or by calling 704-636-2889 ext. 232.  Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 24.

The N.C. Transportation Museum, located in historic Spencer Shops, the former Southern Railway repair facility is located just five minutes off I-85 at Exit 79 in Spencer, N.C., and about an hour from Charlotte, Greensboro or Winston-Salem. The museum is part of the Division of Historic Sites and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future.  Visit http://www.nctrans.org for more information.

For information on the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, visit www.wataugavalleynrhs.org.

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Tweetsie Officially Opens For The Season On April 30th!

Tweetsie Railroad, North Carolina’s first family theme park, opens for the 2010 season on Friday, April 30th. Come join the fun!!

Source: Wikipedia

Opened in 1957, Tweetsie Railroad began as an excursion train ride aboard steam locomotive #12, the only surviving narrow-gauge engine of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC). Built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, #12 is a 3 ft  (914 mm) (narrow gauge) 4-6-0 coal-fired locomotive that was used to haul passengers and freight over the ET&WNC’s 66-mile (106.2 km) line running from Johnson City over the Appalachian Mountains to Boone, North Carolina. After the narrow gauge portion of the ET&WNC ceased operations in 1950, the locomotive was purchased by a group of railroad enthusiasts and was taken to Rockingham County, Virginia to operate as the small “Shenandoah Central” tourist line in 1952.

Floodwaters from Hurricane Hazel washed out the Shenandoah Central in 1954, and Locomotive #12 was once again put up for sale. Hollywood actor Gene Autry considered purchasing the locomotive to move to California for use in motion pictures.

Instead, Grover Robbins, an entrepreneur from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, bought the locomotive in 1956 and moved the engine back to its native Blue Ridge Mountains as the centerpiece of a new “Tweetsie Railroad“ tourist attraction. A 3-mile (4.8 km) loop of track was constructed near Boone, North Carolina for the train to run on, and on July 4, 1957, the locomotive made its first public trip over the line.

Tweetsie Railroad became a popular tourist attraction, and evolved into one of the nation’s first theme parks. A western town and saloon were built around the depot area. A train robbery and Indian attack show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and movies. The theme was enhanced by regular visits WBTV television personality/singing cowboy Fred Kirby, who hosted a popular children’s show. In 1962, a chairlift and amusement ride area was constructed at the top of the mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, restaurants, and special events.

One of Tweetsie Railroad’s two steam locomotives, 2-8-2 #190, on May 20th, 2007.The Tweetsie Railroad theme park is open from early May through October of each year. One of its most popular annual events is the nighttime “Ghost Train Halloween Festival” in October. In addition to the Wild West train adventure and the amusement rides, Tweetsie Railroad has a variety of live entertainment shows featuring talented performers selected from the immediate area and from the Southeast.

Tweetsie acquired another steam locomotive, USATC S118 Class 2-8-2 #190, the “Yukon Queen” from Alaska’s White Pass and Yukon Route in 1960. Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1943 for the US Army, the engine was part of an 11-locomotive fleet of “MacArthur” 2-8-2s originally purchased for use overseas. During World War II, the locomotives were sent to Alaska for use on the White Pass and Yukon.

In 1961, Grover Robbins built another train ride and tourist attraction called “Rebel Railroad” in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Renamed “Goldrush Junction” in 1966, it was sold to the Cleveland Browns football team in 1970. In 1976, the attraction was sold again to Jack and Pete Herschend of Branson, Missouri, who redeveloped it as a theme park, “Silver Dollar City Tennessee”. In 1986, country music star Dolly Parton became a partowner with the Herschends, and the theme park was renamed Dollywood to reflect her involvement.

The name “Tweetsie” was given to the original East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad by area residents who became accustomed to the shrill “tweet, tweet” of the train whistles that echoed through the mountains. The nickname stuck with the train and became more identifiable than the railroad’s actual name.

Visit http://www.tweetsie.com!

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Rail Camp hosted at NC Transportation Museum

Source: www.salisburypost.com

SPENCER, N.C. – More than 400 Boy Scouts will spend a busy and fun-filled weekend at the N.C. Transportation Museum during Rail Camp, Nov. 6-8. Troops will spend Friday through Sunday at the museum, the site of the former Spencer Shops steam locomotive repair facility.  

Most of the 28 troops attending this year’s Rail Camp come from North Carolina. However, troops will also be traveling from as far north as Danville, Va. and as far south as Anderson, S.C. All will learn about locomotive travel and rail transportation and earn their Railroading Merit Badge.  

Many troops and their leaders have been attending Rail Camp for several years. Dwight Creason, who leads Troop 525 from Mocksville, has attended for the past eight years. Creason’s says the scouts are able to learn a lot in a few days. “Most of them, even though they’ve read this stuff in the history books, they really don’t have a concept of it until its hands on,” he said. Creason credits the location, the former Spencer Shops, as making those lessons more tangible. “Being there on site where thousands of men worked several years ago, that’s a pretty awesome experience in itself.”

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Visit www.TarheelTrains.com!

 

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Wilson, NC Train Ride!

Wilson, NC has a train ride in the city park that has been in operation for more than 50 years. I love all the train rides in the city parks. It reminds me so much of growing up riding the train Burlington and the book, “Mr. Punnymoon’s Train.”

For more information, visit: http://www.wilsonnc.org

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Scenic Town Has Many Ties To Old Railway

Source: Tricities.com

 By Joe Tennis
Features Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: August 20, 2009

Roll into West Jefferson, N.C., and you wonder: What if? What if the old Virginia-Carolina Railway had not been broken up and lost in time?
What if this place looked more like the Old Dominion?
“If they had done it like they did in Virginia, with that bike trail, it would have been great,” said West Jefferson’s Calvin Green.
In Virginia, from Abingdon to Whitetop to the North Carolina border, this old railroad – later part of the Norfolk & Western line – has been preserved today as the Virginia Creeper Trail.
That logging line was once called the “Virginia Creeper Train.” And, at one time, it ran from Abingdon to West Jefferson, an Ashe County, N.C., town that boasts a bustling downtown district, including an arts scene with 13 murals on various buildings.
West Jefferson also has its own cheese factory. So … what if this train had become a trail here, too?
“My gut tells me it would have changed the dynamics of the community,” said Mike Everhart, the owner of Ashe County Cheese.
Today, you can still see parts of the old railroad bed in West Jefferson. Mysteriously, a cardboard sign nailed to a telephone pole says R/R – with no explanation – and points to the rail bed.
Yet, nearby, another sign marks this level, grassy area as “PRIVATE PROPERTY.”
Several yards from here, near the town’s new Backstreet Park, you can still see the old West Jefferson train depot, now used for storage by Green, 51, the owner of W.J. Hardware on the town’s Main Street.
Green bought the depot in the mid-1970s, just as the trains had quit running on the line. Once painted white with green trim, like so many other depots, it is now bright red.

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