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Railroad Passenger Car Alliance Conference at the North Carolina Transportation Museum 1/13/2023

Elizabeth and I arose at the Holiday Inn Express after a good night's sleep and had breakfast at the hotel then after our Internet duties, we drove to the Salisbury station.

The Southern Railway Salisbury station built in 1908. Consulting the Railroad Station Historical Society printout for Rowan County, we found there was another station here.

Salisbury-Spencer Traction Interburan trolley car barn. Around 1902, the Southern Development Company began building a new subdivision, Fulton Heights, located a mile south of Salisbury. J. M. Maupin, William Murdoch Wiley and three others were the investors. At the same time, Southern Railway began establishing a major maintenance facility in a new town, Spencer, three miles northeast of Salisbury. The Fulton Heights developers pushed for a streetcar system that connected their neighborhood to downtown Salisbury and Spencer. What strengthened the system was the steady expansion of the Southern Railway facility and the communities of Spencer and Fulton Heights, which added an amusement park. In fact, many managers of the railroad lived in Fulton Heights and commuted to work on the streetcar. Though the Salisbury & Spencer Railway Company, operator of the streetcar system, maintained its name for several years, it involved different owners. One source asserts that it was sold to the North Carolina Public Service Company in 1911 - if so, it retained its name until 1920. The North Carolina Corporation Commission reported that this railway remained intact until 1920, and it was then that the North Carolina Public Service Company finally acquired all assets.

The 8th Annual Report of the North Carolina Corporation Commission, dated December 31, 1906, reported that the Salisbury & Spencer Railway Company operated two miles of track within the city limits of Salisbury and two miles of track outside of the city limits. The Electric Railway Journal of June 10, 1916 reported: "North Carolina Public Service Company, Greensboro, NC, has recently placed in service on its Salisbury-Spencer lines two cars which were overhauled and rebuilt at the Salisbury carhouse".

The 21st Report of the North Carolina Corporation Commission, with Railroad Returns dated December 31, 1921, reported that the Salisbury & Spencer Railway Company operated 9.71 miles of track and carried 1,287,500 passengers during the year of 1921. Although this commission continued for another decade, this was the last report they had on the Salisbury & Spencer Railway Company. One source asserts that the S&S continued from 1911 to 1924 under the lease and management of the North Carolina Public Service Company, then in 1924 began using the latter's company name. Another source asserts that the North Carolina Public Service Company took over in 1920, even though the company had been incorporated in 1909 to manage other street railways.

Next I drove us to the North Carolina Transportation Museum and parked the car in the lot. This was Elizabeth's first visit here and my third.

The museum was founded in 1977, when the Southern Railway deeded 4 acres of land to the state of North Carolina for a transportation museum. Two years later, another 53 acres was added to the original donation; the entirety of the railway's largest former steam locomotive repair shops. The museum's first exhibit opened in 1983, called People, Places and Time. The museum grew over the years, most notably in 1996, with the opening of Barber Junction, a relocated railroad depot from some 30 miles away, and the newly renovated Bob Julian Roundhouse. Barber Junction serves the museum's Visitor Center and departure point for the on-site train ride. The Bob Julian Roundhouse serves as the hub for most of the museum's railroad exhibits, but also includes aviation exhibits and site history.

Several bays of the Spencer Shops roundhouse are devoted to volunteered restorations of locomotives and rolling stock in the museum collection. It was here that the 542 was worked on and steam locomotives from 1896-1953 were repaired. In the first 16 stalls, visitors can walk among the massive locomotives and rail cars on display. Moving into the Elmer Lam gallery, aviation exhibits dominate, with a full size replica Wright Flyer, Piedmont Airlines exhibits, and more. Moving into the restoration bays, visitors may also see volunteers working on various railroad pieces, and even manufacturing their own parts, as steam engines have been out of date so long it is impossible to obtain replacement parts from any manufacturer.

The Flue Shop, where all of the flues for steam engines were formerly produced, as become the Bumper To Bumper exhibit, featuring vintage and antique cars. These include several Model Ts, a Model A and even a Ford Model R (the 1907 predecessor to the Model T). A Highway Patrol car from 1935, a Divco Milk Truck, a Lincoln Continental and others are also part of the museum's collection.

In 2005, the museum's Back Shop underwent a massive renovation, which included repairs to the roof, re-pointing of the brick, and a stabilization of the building's floor. This building, where the full overhaul of steam locomotives once took place, is most notable for its size and scope. Nearly three stories tall and two football fields long, it was once the largest industrial building in the state. It may be most notable, however, for the words "Be Careful," standing some three feet tall, visible from nearly anywhere on the north end of the site. In 2009, the museum opened the Back Shop to the public for the first time, with an access ramp on the south end. "Behind the Scenes" tours and special events often featuring a full Back Shop tour.

The museum has a heritage railroad, which operates passenger excursion trains several times per day, year round, but on a seasonal schedule. Trains are usually powered by the Norfolk and Western 620, however, at times it is substituted by the Southern 6133 or Southern 2601. The Southern 6133 and Southern 2601 also assist in special events where two or more trains are operating. Though the museum has no operating steam locomotives of its own, it has used the Lehigh Valley Coal 0-6-0 126 for trips, along with Flag Coal Co. 0-4-0 75, the American 4-4-0 "Leviathan" locomotive, as well as the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's Southern 2-8-0 630. For Caboose trips and at-the-throttle trips, the museum has leased engines from the Grambling Locomotive Works; the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Norfolk Southern previously allowed the museum to use their Norfolk and Western #611 during its two stays. Cab rides to the normal excursion can be purchased at Barber Junction.

Visitors may also purchase tickets to ride the roundhouse turntable every day.

The museum hosts a number of events annually and some one-time railroading events that bring rail fans from across the country. In 2012, the Bob Julian Roundhouse was the stage for all 20 of Norfolk Southern's Heritage locomotives during a two-day photographic event. In 2014, the museum hosted Streamliners at Spencer, with notable 1930s - 1950s era locomotives gathered around the Bob Julian Roundhouse turntable for a four-day event. Streamliners at Spencer included the Class J 611 Steam Passenger locomotive, visiting from the Virginia Museum of Transportation. This notable locomotive remained in Spencer for repair and restoration work to allow it to once again pull passenger excursions across the southeast.

The Museum has also operated 21st century steam trips from its grounds over its property and Norfolk Southern using the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's Southern 630 and rolling stock as well as the NS steam rolling stock fleet in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, the museum was used as the boarding destination for some the Virginia Museum of Transportation's Norfolk and Western 611 trips. Other annual events include Day Out With Thomas, the Polar Express, Fire Truck Show, Automobile shows, the Harvest Festival, the Easter Bunny Express, and Spring and Autumn (Southern leaf specials) excursions that take visitors to destination cities.

The NCTM is also host to Boy Scout Rail Camp, which allows for Boy Scouts and Leaders to camp out on the historic facility and earn the railroading merit badge. It is the largest railroad-related scouting event in the nation.

We started with the station which is where one buys tickets and admission.

The Southern Railway Barber Junction station built in 1898 and donated to this museum by Hall Steel in 1980.

Southern Railway two door box car 262914 built by Pullman-Standard in 1957.

Southern Railway three-part Auto Guard car 599000 built by Greenville in 1973.

Atlantic Coast Line whopper hopper 500000 built by Pullman-Standard in 1964.

Southern Railway Big John Hopper 7993 built by Magor Car in 1965.

The Spencer water tank with the Southern Railway emblem on it.

State of North Carolina 45 ton switcher L-3 built by General Electric in 1943. It was used by the North Carolina Ports Authority in Wilmington its entire life. Donated in 1980, it is one of the oldest diesel locomotives in the museum's collection. With the help of a $2,000 heritage grant from the National Railroad Historical Society, it was recently restored by the museum to its late 1970's condition.

Cone Fabrics box car 16 built by Pullman-Standard in 1937 for the Central of Georgia Railroad. Cone Mills bought 16 of these in 1972 to move flannel a quarter of a mile from its Revolution Mill to its Proximity Print Words. Saved from scrapping by the Greensboro Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1983, this car was donated to the museum in 1999.

At this point, Elizabeth walked over to the large tent near the roundhouse to look around the RPCA booths and attend one of the seminars. She would explore the whole museum site throughout the day.

Southern Sleeper 10-6 sleeper 2003 "Catawba River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949. It later became Amtrak 2864. The Catawba River rises in the Appalachian Mountains east of Asheville and flows east and then south through the Piedmont region of North Carolina and into South Carolina.

Norfolk Southern Railway 6 bedroom-10 roomette sleeping car 2022 "Royal Arch", nee Southern Railway "York River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949. After the original "Royal Arch" was wrecked in 1974, Hayne Shops converted "York River" into an 11-bedroom sleeper and re-named it "Royal Arch". In 1979, the car became part of the Norfolk Southern's office car fleet as 14. It was donated to the museum in 1991.

The Southern Railway back shop building, which opened in 1905. It was the railway's only steam locomotive heavy overhaaul and repair shop between Washington, DC and Atlanta.

Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio caboose 1048 built by the railroad in 1924 and operated until the 1970's. It was been on loan to the museum by the Samuel Spencer Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society since 1987.

Southern Railway 50 foot box car 550555 built by Pullman-Standard in 1970. This was the 200,000th freight car built by Pullman-Standard at their Bessemer, Alabama plant. 550555 was part of a thousand-car, $17.5-million order and its spring-cushioned draft gear underframe protected fragile cargo from rough handling. The car served Southern and successor Norfolk Southern until 2016, when the railroad donated it to the museum for static display. During its service life, the original paint scheme was hidden underneath a coat of standard boxcar brown and the original sliding doors were replaced. Museum volunteers replaced the car’s doors to match the box car's as-built appearance and straightened bent grab irons and other parts. Carolina Soda Blaster sandblasted the car down to bare metal and the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway painted the car at the museum using about ten gallons of paint donated by Axalta Coating Systems and FinishMaster. Volunteers finished the project by reassembling and lettering the car.

The North Carolina Merci Car P.L.M. J54906 which was donated in 1982.

Southern Railway E8A 6900, nee Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific 2923 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951. Until Amtrak took over passenger services in 1971, the seven E8s in Southern's fleet hauled their passenger trains including the Royal Palm, the Southern Crescent, Southerner and Tennesseean. They were initially painted green with aluminium striping but changed to black in the late 1950s. In 1972, Southern President W. Graham Claytor had all the E8s returned to green and aluminium to reflect pride in the railroad's history. At the same time, 2923 was re-numbered 6900. It ended its career hauling the Southern Crescent in 1979 and was donated to the museum in 1980.

From here I went through the roundhouse at this great museum.

Norfolk & Western caboose 518641 built by International Car Company in 1971.

Southern 2-8-0 542, built by Baldwin in 1903. It served mainly in freight service around Statesville and Winston-Salem, North Carolina and was operated by Southern's subsidary the Atlantic and Yadkin Railway from 1946 to 1950. It was donated to Tanglewood Park in Forsyth County in 1954. In 1992, the Winston-Salem Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society helped to fund the exchange of the museum's 0-6-0 1894 for the 542.

Seaboard Air Line 2-10-0 544 1935, ex. Gainesville Midland 206, exx. Detroit, Toledo and Ironton 311 1926, exxx. Wheeling and Lake Erie 1088, nee Russian Railways E1198, built by Alco-Brooks in 1918. Twelve hundred of this type were ordered from Baldwin and Alco for export to Russia. Eight hundred and fifty-seven were delivered but, when the Russian government was overthrown by the 1917 Revolution, about two hundred were diverted to US railroads by the United States Railroad Administration. Built for Russia's five foot gauge, they were not re-gauged for the American standard gauge. Although the front pilot was replaced, the drivers were simply fitted with wider tyres.

544 went on display in Atlanta in 1965 and was sold to the North Carolina Railroad Company in 1980, which then donated it to the State of North Carolina.

Atlantic Coast Line 4-6-0 1031 built by Baldwin in 1913. The locomotives quickly earned the nickname "Copperheads", because they originally had polished copper rims around the tops of their smokestacks. Primarily used to haul both freight and passenger services in the Fayetteville, Rocky Mount and Wilmington district they nevertheless worked as far afield as Richmond, Virginia, and Jacksonville, Florida. As dieselisation gathered pace on the ACL, many were transferred to serve on smaller subsidiary lines. For most of its life, 1031 operated mainly out of Florence, South Carolina, hauling freight and passenger trains. It was taken out of service in 1952, but was then lent to the Atlantic Coast Line subsidiary, the Virginia & Carolina Southern. Later it was transferred to the East Carolina Railway. In 1959, it was placed on open air display behind the Florence passenger station but after continuing deterioration in its condition, the City of Florence donated it to the museum in 1994. Two years later, it was cosmetically restored to its 1940s appearance.

Canadian National coach 5064 built by Canadian Car and Foundry in 1924. At some point it was re-numbered 4953. It is currently lettered Chicago and North Western from the film "Leathernecks".

Duke Power 0-4-0 111 built by American Locomotive Company in 1922 in 1922 and sold it to the Stewart-Jones Company of Great Falls, South Carolina in February 1922. In July 1924, it was sold to the Wateree Power Company, which later became part of the Duke Power Company. They used 111 at their Mt. Holly and Cliffside plants in North Carolina, as well as at the Buck Steam Plant on the Yadkin River north of Spencer. It was donated to the museum in 1978.

Carolina Power and Light 0-4-0F 3 built by H.K. Porter in 1937 and was delivered to the Carolina Power & Light's Lumberton Plant in 1949. It continued in service at the Lumberton plant until 1980, when it was donated to the State of North Carolina and moved for display at the museum.

Clinchfield three bay hopper 56338.

North Carolina Department of Transporation training car 400208, ex. CSX "Illinois", nee US Army kitchen Car 89533 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1953.

Southern Railway Jim Crow coach 1211 built by Pullman in 1922. It was retired in 1969 and the museum purchased the car from the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

Piedmont & Northern Railway box cab 5103 built by General Electric in 1913. The Piedmont & Northern was created in 1914 to consolidate the electrified Greenville, Spartanburg & Anderson Railroad in South Carolina and the Piedmont Traction Company in North Carolina, both owned by James B. Duke of Duke Power. The Piedmont & Northern was the only mainline Class I railroad in the south to use electric locomotives, and was the first electric railroad in the US to operate both passenger and heavy freight electric services.

The railroad also had a divided right-of-way, with part operating Charlotte to Belmont, North Carolina and the other Spartanburg to Greenwood, South Carolina. The company sought to link the two disconnected segments and expand to Durham a number of times, but the efforts never paid off because of stiff resistance from the Southern Railway, which had parallel track in both states. The Seaboard Coast Line bought the Piedmont & Northern in 1969.

5103 started work on the Spartanburg-Greenwood division of the Piedmont & Northern, but moved to the Charlotte-Belmont division in 1950 when the South Carolina division converted to diesel. Electric power ended on the North Carolina section in 1954. Some of the railroad's electric locomotives were then shipped to South America and, except for 5103, the rest were scrapped. 5103 ended its life operating on old trolley tracks on Mint Street in downtown Charlotte in 1958. It was donated to the Atlanta Chapter of the NRHS in 1963.

Seaboard Air Line caboose 5458 built by the railroad in 1926.

The original Norfolk Southern caboose 387 built by Southern Iron and Equipment Company in 1969 from a box car. When the Southern Railway took control of the Norfolk Southern in 1974, the caboose proved to be too wide for its clearance standards, promoting a donation to the town of Spencer in 1976 and ten years later, to this museum.

The original Norfolk Southern AS-416 1616 built by Baldwin in 1955 to replace the railroad's last steam locomotives. It pulled freight trains until the railroad was bought by Southern Railway in 1974, at which time it went to the Peabody Coal Company in Lentzburg, Ilinois, who donated it to the State of North Carolina in 1981.

Fruit Growers Express refrigator car 39650 built by the company in 1949.

Southern Railway boom car 910016 donated to the museum in 1990.

Southern Railway 150 ton crane 903006, nee Southern D99, built by Bucyrus in 1919. Originally steam-driven, it was converted to diesel after 1966.

Atlantic and East Carolina outside braced boxcar 606, originally built in 1930 as a Seaboard wood-sheathed box car and owned by the Atlantic and East Carolina Railway and was rebuilt in 1953 to a steel car. Donated by Norfolk Southern in 181, it was restored in 1996.

Replica of Raleigh and Gaston Railway 0-4-0 "Raleigh", the first steam locomotive to operate in North Carolina. It was built by the Seaboard Air Line shops in 1927. The original "Raleigh" was built by C. Tayleur & Company, an affiliate of Robert Stephenson & Company in England in 1836. It was one of two 0-4-0 locomotives built for the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad and shipped to the United States. Along with the second locomotive, the "Gaston", it was used to begin construction of the first sections of the Raleigh & Gaston. Construction of the Raleigh & Gaston was completed in April 1840 at a total cost of $1,343,380 including locomotives and cars. Laying of the eighty-six miles of wood and iron strap track was largely the work of leased slaves. It was North Carolina's second railroad, the Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad having beaten it to the title by just one month. In 1900, the Raleigh & Gaston merged with the Seaboard Air Line and the tracks eventually became part of the CSX System.

Atlantic Coast Line E3A 501 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1939 for the Atlantic Coast Line Champion train from New York to Miami. It was retired in 1972 and subsequently owned by Glenn Monhart who restored to its 1939 paint scheme then purchased by the museum in 1998.

Florida East Coast coach "St. Augustine", ex. Amtrak 80049, exx. Amtrak 2351, exxx. Seaboard Coast Line 5474, exxxx. Seaboard Air Line 6271, nee Florida East Coast built by Pullman-Standard in 1954. It is owned by the Watauga Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

Norfolk and Western GP9 620 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1958. It was donated in 1985.

Southern Railway GP30 2601 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1963.

Graham County Railroad Company 3 truck shay 1925 built by Lima in 1925. It hauled lumber out of the Snowbird Mountains to the Bemis Lumber Company mill in Robbinsville, North Carolina. The logging portion of the railroad closed in 1948, but the remainder carried general freight between Robbinsville and Topton to an interchange with the Southern Railway. Because of falling demand and deteriorating track conditions, however, the Graham County ceased operations in 1970. Until then, it had been the last commercially-operating steam freight line in the county. In 1974, a tourist operation, the Bear Creek Scenic Railroad, tried to re-open the line to Robbinsville, but this also ceased operation within a few years. 1925 was donated to the museum in 1988 and restored to operation in 1998 to pull on-site train rides. It has also hauled excursions on the Smoky Mountain Railroad out of Bryson City, North Carolina.

Cliffside Railroad caboose 105 built by the railroad in 1924. The Cliffside Railroad was taken over by Seaboard Air Line in 1984.

Southern Railway Post Office Car 800700, nee Southern 36, built by Bethlehem Steel in 1928.

Hampton and Branchville Edwards motorcar M-200 built by Edwards Railway Motorcar Company in 1926. This railroad connected with both the Charleston & West Carolina and Atlantic Coast Line. M-200 was a segregated 42-passenger vehicle which operated between 1926 and 1951. After a "catastrophic" entine failture in 1951, the Hampton and Branchville pushed the car into a shed where it remained undisturbed for 47 years. It was acquired by the museum in 1998.

Duke Power 44 ton switcher 04491 built by General Electric.

United States Army Hospital Car 89480 built by American Car and Foundry in 1945. This car was used as an exhibit car at the golden anniversary of the driving of the golden spike at Promontory, Utah.

I then went outside after a great experience in the roundhouse.

Norfolk Southern coach 44 "Florida" ex. Adirondack Railway Preservation Society 1601, exx. Connecticut Department of Transportation 1601, exxx. ACPA 1601:2, exxxx. 1600:1 "City of McKeesport", nee Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad 1627 built by Pullman-Standard in 1950. It was acquired by Norfolk Southern in 2010 and overhauled in September 2014, numbered 44 and named "Florida".

Altantic Coast Line dining car "Moultrie" built by Pullman-Standard in 1950. This car assigned to the Atlantic Coast Line and later Seaboard Coast Line 5954. It operated on New York to Miami trains until 1971. With the formation of Amtrak, the diner continued Florida service as Amtrak 8084 until 1981 when Amtrak sold the car to a short-line dinner train operation in Virginia. The Watauga Valley Chapter NRHS purchased the car in 1989, completely upgrading the mechanical systems to Amtrak standards and fully renovating the interior. It was assigned AAR reporting mark WATX 400.

Clinchfield business car 100, ex. Atlantic Coast Line dining car "Orlando", nee Atlantic Coast Line 985, built by Pullman in 1911. Until 1951, "Orlando" operated on the ACL's main line between Washington, DC and Miami. It was early in 1951 that officials with the Erwin, Tennessee-headquartered Clinchfield Railroad decided that the railroad’s original office car was getting just too old to keep in service and began their search for a replacement. In May of that year, the Clinchfield purchased "Orlando", which had become unserviceable, from the ACL and brought it to Erwin to undergo major renovations from the ground up. After almost two years of restoration work, completed under the direction of Clinchfield Chief Mechanical Officer P.O. Likens, the Clinchfield Railroad had its new office car, which was christened Car 100. When the Family Lines System absorbed the Clinchfield Railroad in the 1970s, Car 100 was painted to reflect the Family Lines grey, red and yellow color scheme. Car 100 was later retired and transported to CSX headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida in 1983 to be evaluated for use as a fleet car. It was stored in Jacksonville until sold to a private party in Tampa. Car 100 was then again sold to Florida resident Bill Beddell around 1985. Ten years after this, Car 100 was moved to the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway in North Carolina, only to subsequently be moved yet again to the Lancaster & Chester Railroad in Lancaster, South Carolina.

In June 2013, the Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum purchased Car 100 from the Lancaster & Chester Railroad renamed it the Clinchfield, and assigned it AAR reporting mark WATX 100 in honor of its Clinchfield Railroad legacy. The car received major restoration work at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and is now undergoing final improvements required for Amtrak certification that will allow its use in mainline excursion service.

Norfolk & Western caboose 518641 built by International Car Company in 1971.

Southern Railway Bay window caboose X648 built by the railroad in 1951.

This was offered at 10:00 and 1:00 to attendees of the RPCA conference only; not the general public. Since Elizabeth was at the seminar, she took the afternoon tour. I was given a private tour of the four cars that were part of this event.

Southern Railway observation car 449 "Doris", ex. Western Pacific 101, exx. Western Pacific 106, exxx. Western Pacific "Doris", exxxx. Pullman "Davie Crocket" nee Pullman "Pioneer" built by Pullman in 1917. At one time it was owned by James B. Duke (of Duke Power and Duke University fame) and named after his daughter.

A painting of Mr. James B. Duke and his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Doris above the lounge area.

Doris' bedroom on this car.

Mr. Duke's bedroom.

The porter's room.

The chef's bedroom.

The dining car area of the "Doris".

The kitchen. Next I visited "The Survivor".

"The Survivor" was built by American Car and Foundry in 1926 for Jessie Woolworth Donahue, heiress to Frank W. Woolworth. It was named "Japauldon" for Mrs. Donahue's husband, James Paul Donahue. In 1941, it was sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was numbered 904 and assigned to the Vice-President of Traffic. It was re-numbered 902 in April 1942 and used by three presidents of the Baltimore and Ohio. The car was modernized in 1953 for thermopane windows, mechanical air conditioning and a "turtle" roof, then further modified in 1957 to add false ceilings and changes to the rooms. It became Baltimore and Ohio 904 in 1962 and was sold to the Monon Railroad in 1962, re-numbered Monon 3, and was the President's car. It then became Louisville and Nashville 350 in 1968 following the Monon merger and was now the Vice-President's car. It was later painted in Amtrak colours and sold to Aladdin Resources (Aladdin Lamp Company) in 1972. It was the Metrocenter Properties' Vice-President's residence in Nashville then purchased by Dante Stephensen in 1982. It is named "The Survivor 3" and operated throughout the United States, parts of Canada and Mexico until 2010. From 2010 to 2020, it was on a Norfolk Southern siding in Atlanta until Dante passed away and was moved to the North Carolina Transportation Museum in 2021 and is undergoing restoration.

The rear area of "The Survivor".

One of the bedrooms in this car.

The bathroom.

Another of the bedrooms.

The master bedroom in "The Survivor"

The dining area.

The kitchen area. Next I walked into the "Pine Tree State".

New York, New Haven and Hartford six double bedroom-club lounge 553 "Pine Tree State", ex. Amtrak 3212, exx. Penn Central 4435 built by Pullman-Standard in 1955. It was later owned by the Piedmont Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society then the museum acquired the car in 2004.

Another view of "Pine Tree State".

The first bedroom in the car.

The second bedroom.

The third bedroom.

The fourth bedroom.

The fifth bedroom.

The kitchen area of this car.

The lounge area.

Information of the "Pine Tree State". Next I walked back to the roundhouse for my last car.

Private car "Loretto" built by Pullman in 1902. Charles Schwab's father, so the story goes, owned a livery stable at Cresson Springs, Pennsylvania and sometimes rented horses to Andrew Carnegie, the founder of the Carnegie Company. During one of these visits, Carnegie heard Charles Schwab, who was then a young boy, singing. "When that boy of yours is ready to look for a job, you bring him to me." Carnegie supposedly told Schwab's father....Schwab's star rose quickly after his initial entry into the Carnegie Company. Within six months of being hired at the Edgar Thompson Steel Works--which was then the largest steel mill in America-- Schwab became its acting chief engineer. And within twenty years of his hiring, Schwab would be president of the Carnegie Company.

Charles Schwab, who first publicly proposed the concept of creating a new company by merger of two existing industry leaders suggested that the public interest would be served by a strategic alliance between the Morgan and Carnegie interests. J.P. Morgan, who was in attendance, apparently saw the consummation of such a deal as an easy way to save face and acted upon the suggestion. The new company, United States Steel Corporation, would actually be a holding company which controlled 213 steel mills and transportation companies. The (original) "Loretto" was ordered just a few short months after Schwab was named-- at the youthful age of 35-- as the first president of the newly-created corporation....Schwab took delivery of the (original) "Loretto" on March 15, 1902. He named the car after a town in Pennsylvania; though Loretto was not his birthplace, he had lived there since the age of five, and apparently considered it his home town. The car, built to Pullman 1735, Revision E, and designated lot number 2773, carried a price tag of about $40,000. In 1917, Schwab purchased a new car. Upon its arrival, the name "Loretto" was transferred to the new car; the 1902 car was renamed the "Bethlehem" to honor the headquarters town of Bethlehem Steel. The original "Loretto" is currently at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.

The rear area of this car.

Each of the bedrooms were equipped with a fan.

The bathroom area of this car.

The big brass bed.

A unique feature of this bath tub is its depth.

A hidden sink comes out of the wall.

A toilet is under the lid.

The childrens' bed come down from the side.

The dining area.

The car had gas lighting before it was removed, which are indicated by the holes in the ceiling.

The kitchen area.

The controls for the chef and porter.

More of the porter's area.

A letter written in 1905 from aboard "The Loretto", which had its own stationery.

The rear area of this car.

You can see the fine craftmanship of its builders. I finished the tour and was now free to explore the rest of the cars at the great museum.

I started at the cars and will come back here.

North Carolina Transportation Museum table car 604 built by Pullman Standard in 1948 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for its first-class Capital Limited train and would later be sold to New York Central. It was rebuilt by the Virginia Central in 1991 but retains its art deco interior decor and original metal artwork on the walls.

Seaboad Air Line bar-lounge-observation car 6604, ex. Bluewater Chapter National Railway Historical Society, exx. Amtrak 3344, exx. Seaboard Coast Line 5814, nee Seaboard Air Line 6604, built by Budd in 1947 and assigned to the Silver Meteor and Silver Comet.

NS 42 coach "Tennessee", ex. Adirondack Scenic Railway 1681, exx. Connecticut Department of Transportation 1621, exxx. Allegheny County Port Authority 1621, nee Chesapeake & Ohio 1621 built by Pullman-Standard in 1950. It was acquired by Norfolk Southern in 2010, underwent an overhaul in 2013, re-numbered 42 and named "Tennessee". Today the car operates as a coach with a head-end power generator on one end of the car.

Amtrak F40PH 307 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1979.

Southern Railway fifty-foot flat car 99249.

Illinois Central Gulf caboose 199489 built by the railroad in 1970 as Ilinois Central 9489.

Southern Railway box car 43731 built by Pullman-Standard in 1965.

Atlantic Coast Line 250 ton derrick 65358 built by Industrial Brownhoist in 1946.

Atlantic Coast Line tender 992674 built by Industrial Brownhoist in 1946.

Virginia Central coach 4887, ex. South East Michigan Transportation Authority, nee Grand Trunk Western 4887, built by Pullman Standard in 1956.

Virginia Central coach 4888, ex. South East Michigan Transportation Authority, nee Grand Trunk Western 4888, built by Pullman Standard in 1956.

Virginia Central coach 4886 built by Pullman Standard in 1956. The Virginia Central Railroad was operated by the late Jack Showalter.

Dupont one dome tank car 6826 built by the company in 1965.

Dupont covered hopper 38069 built by Magor Car Corporation in 1962.

Southern Railway clay hopper car 72043 built by American Car and Foundry in 1953.

Norfolk and Western hopper car 59159 built by the railroad in 1940.

United States Navy 44 ton switcher 65-00556 built by the Davenport-Besler Corporation in 1953.

Pennsylvania Railroad two-bay covered hopper 258065 built by Pullman-Standard in 1958 and later became Penn Central 74214.

Southern Railway 10-6 sleeping car 2021 "Yadkin River" built by Pullman-Standard in 1949.

North Carolina Department of Transportation 62 seat coach 400025 "Mecklenburg County" ex. American Orient Express "Denver", exx. Amtrak 4619, exxx. Amtrak 4555, nee Union Pacific 5490 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1964.

Tank car of unknown origin.

Original Norfolk Southern tank car used for diesel fuel.

Willetts Rail Service.com caboose VGNX 199462, formerly Illinois Central 9462 built by the railroad in 1970.

Seaboard Coast Lines Family Lines caboose 01000 built by the railroad in 1969.

Seaboard Coast Line caboose 0613 built by Atlantic Coast Line in 1964 using components from retired 36-foot box cars. It is displayed in the colours of corporate successor Seaboard Coast Line. It was donated in 1993 by CSX.

Atlantic Coast Line caboose 0635 built by the railroad in 1964.

Norfolk & Western Railway 58-seat coach 539 built by Pullman-Standard in 1949 for the Powhatan Arrow and Pocahontas. It was built with smooth sides and painted in N&W's tuscan red and black. 539 operated between Cincinnati, Ohio and Norfolk, Virginia. After the N&W passenger service was discontinued in 1971, the car was put into commuter service in Chicago for several years and then retired for storage until 1982 when it was selected for operation in the Norfolk Southern Steam Program. In 1992, the Watauga Valley Chapter NRHS received the coach from Norfolk Southern and completely restored this beautiful example of the glory days of rail passenger service. It was named the Powhatan Arrow and received AAR reporting mark WATX 539 in honor of its service on the N&W.

Norfolk and Western caboose 518641 built by International Car in 1970.

Norfolk and Western caboose 518675 built by International Car in 1967.

Norfolk and Western combine 1506 built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in 1917.

Norfolk Southern business car 26 "New York" ex. Conrail 27, exx. Amtrak 5667, exxx. Penn Central 2949, nee New York Central 2949, built by Budd Company in 1947.

Norfolk Southern 58-seat coach 29, nee Norfolk and Western 533, built by Pullman-Standard in 1949.

Norfolk Southern 68-seat coach 28, nee Norfolk and Western 501, a divided coach rebuilt from 40-seat coach smoker built by Pullman-Standard in 1949.

Passenger car of unknown origin.

North Carolina Department of Transportation coach 400015 "Venus Flytrap", ex. Xanterra 8 grand suites-1 single bedroom sleeping car "Great Smokey Mountains", exx. American Orient Express "Bar Harbour", exxx. Amtrak 4624, exxxx. Amtrak 4579 1971, nee Union Pacific 5539 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1964. It was sold to the North Carolina Transportation Museum Foundation in 2001.

Passenger car of unknown origin.

Norfolk Southern exhibit car 27, ex. Southern 24, nee "Lake Childs" built by Pullman as a 10 section-1 drawing room-2 compartment sleeper in 1926.

North Carolina Department of Transportation caboose 400500, ex. Illinois Central Gulf 199483, nee Illinois Central 9483 built by the railroad in 1970.

Aberdeen and Rockfish 50-foot non-cushioned box car 1046.

Aberdeen and Rockfish 50-foot non-cushioned box car 1043.

Box car of unknown origin.

Southern Railway flat car 51845 built by Thrall Car in 1956.

Southern Railway 48-seat coach 1081, ex. Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad, nee Southern 1630 built by Pullman in 1922.

Original Norfolk Southern engine and caboose.

Southern Railway E8A 6900. I returned to the hotel and started on this story then at 2:30, drove back to the museum, walked in and found Elizabeth and we returned to the hotel where I had a nap to catch up on lost sleep before our next event at this conference.

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