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Prototype Tours

Rails to Raleigh

Prototype Tours

NCDOT Rail Yard

NC Transportation Museum

NRHS – New Hope Valley Railway

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Visits to the "real thing" at model railroad conventions are always a popular activity. We have lined up three tours where you can get up close and touch prototype locomotives, rolling stock and other railroad equipment. These tours provide an excellent opportunity to take up close photographs, especially of details on an item you might model.

From the old to the totally modern these tours provide a great perspective of the history of railroading from the late 19th century to current times.

Not all locations in these tours are wheelchair accessible.

NCDOT Rail Yard

Date:

Friday, October 28, 2005

Time:

9:00am

Duration:

2-1/2 hours

Departs from:

Hotel lobby at 8:15am

Fare:

$5.00

North Carolina is one of several states that provide operating and capital support for Amtrak passenger service. While Amtrak operates the Piedmont passenger service, the equipment is state-owned. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Rail Division currently owns three locomotives and several coaches and food service cars. This equipment is maintained at a facility that the NCDOT built in Raleigh in 1995, which is the focus of this tour.

The Rail Yard is located approximately 15 minutes from the hotel. A map and directions will be provided to tour participants, who will be responsible for their transportation between the hotel and the Rail Yard. There will be a carpooling sign-up sheet at the hotel to facilitate transportation. NCDOT staff will provide a tour of the maintenance facility and answer tour participants' questions.

NCDOT has advised that photographs at the Rail Yard are permitted and welcomed. Bring your camera.

Note: Tour participants are required to wear hard-soled shoes (no sandals, tennis shoes or high heels) and long pants (no shorts or skirts). The Rail Division has safety helmets and goggles for only 15 people, so once at the Rail Yard, the group will be divided into 2 subgroups, with one subgroup touring the facilities where that safety equipment is required while the other subgroup tours another part of the facility. Midway through the tour, the subgroups will swap areas and the second subgroup will don the safety equipment and tour the shop area.

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North Carolina Transportation Museum
(Southern Railway Spencer Shops)

Date:

Friday, October 28, 2005

Time:

6:30am

Duration:

14 hours

Departs from:

Hotel

Fare:

$47.50

October 20: This tour has been cancelled due to lack of sufficient numbers signing up for the tour. Attendees who have signed up for this tour may receive a full refund or switch to the NCDOT Rail Yard tour and receive a partial refund.

While this state-owned museum attempts to cover all forms of transportation relevant to NC, railroads are the primary focus. The site was a Southern Railway heavy maintenance shop for much of this century, located halfway between Washington and Atlanta.

The roundhouse is the largest surviving roundhouse in the south, and enables the proper display of much rail equipment, including a Shay (Graham County #1925), Seaboard 2-10-0, ACL 4-6-0, SR 2-8-0 #604 (ex BC&G #4), SR GP30 #2601, N&W GP9, ACL E3 #501, SR FP7 #6133, SR E8 #6900 and Amtrak F40PH #307. Some of these locomotives pull a weekend train on a 3 mile trip around the 57-acre grounds. Check the museum's web-site or call for train ride schedules.

The restoration job done on the roundhouse and passenger station, and the working equipment, is first class. This museum is among the finest.

Prototype Tour: Convention attendees taking this trip will travel from Raleigh/Cary to Salisbury, NC aboard the NCDOT passenger train "The Piedmont". A bus will provide transportation to and from Salisbury Station and the Museum. Attendees will have about 8 hours at the museum. The Little Choo Choo Shop, one of North Carolina's finest model train stores, is across the street from the Museum. Return to Raleigh/Cary in the evening aboard "The Piedmont."

Schedule Details: Following is an outline of this tour.
 

Time

Event

6:30am

Depart hotel for Cary Amtrak Station

7:27am

Depart Cary Station on board The Piedmont

9:40am

Arrive Salisbury

9:40am

Transport from Salisbury Station to Museum

10:00am–4:00pm

NC Transportation Museum open

10:00am–4:00pm

Little Choo Choo Shop open

12:30pm

Box lunch served at museum

4:00pm

Transport from Museum to Salisbury

4:30pm–6:00pm

Dinner at the Wrenn House Grill and Pub (see note)

6:14pm

Depart Salisbury station on board The Piedmont

8:26pm

Arrive Cary Amtrak Station

8:45pm

Arrive hotel

Note: Dinner not included in tour fare. Other restaurants available in immediate area.


The Carolina Piedmont Division and/or the Mid-Eastern region is not responsible for any extra costs associated with a tour participant missing an event such as boarding The Piedmont prior to departure.

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East Carolina Chapter, NRHS
New Hope Valley Railway

Date:

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Time:

9:00am–12:00pm

Duration:

3 hours

Departs from:

Bonsal

Fare:

$10.00

As well as a museum, the New Hope Valley Railroad operates over 6.5 miles of track. Equipment includes two General Electric, two Whitcomb diesel-electric locomotives, a tank (0-4-0) steam locomotive, and passenger and freight cars.

Normal Train Ride Days are the first Sunday of each month from May through November. Halloween trains operate the Saturday before Halloween. Christmas trains operate on the first three weekends (both Saturday and Sunday) following Thanksgiving. Group Rides are available to Civic Groups, schools and other organizations.

The museum has constructed a 6,685 sq. ft. G scale garden railroad with a walking path surrounding the layout. There are 3 main outer loops, consisting of 210, 215 and 220 feet of track with 2 large tunnels and a 12-foot long overhead truss bridge. Aristo-Craft, Bachmann, LGB, Piko and USA Trains stock, buildings and equipment are used on the layout. Current construction is the 1200 sq. ft. center layout area, consisting of 9 loops, 2 large mountains and numerous bridges, trestles, waterfalls, ponds, buildings, cars, people and many plants. There will be a model of the City of Apex, logging, industrial and rural areas of North Carolina.

Special Note: On the Saturday before Halloween the NHVRy operates special Halloween trains at 4:00, 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45pm at a cost of $7.00 per person. We have reserved a limited number of tickets on the 4:15 and 5:30 trains for attendees. If you are interested in one of these train rides, please send an email to the Webmaster. Click here to send email.

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Last Updated:

October 23, 2005

Webmaster:

John M. Wallis (Email to John)

This page and all contents are Copyright 2004–2005 by the Carolina Piedmont Division 13, NMRA MER.
(CPD13 is a Not-For-Profit Corporation incorporated in North Carolina.)
The various logos and heralds shown here are the property of their respective organizations.