New Hope Valley Railway facts for kids
The New Hope Valley Railway is a special train line in Bonsal, North Carolina. It's run by the North Carolina Railway Museum, which is a group of volunteers. They are a non-profit organization that teaches people about trains and their history.
This railway has about 5 miles of track. It runs between the towns of Bonsal, North Carolina and New Hill, North Carolina.
At the North Carolina Railway Museum in Bonsal, North Carolina, you can see many old train cars and cool train items. They also have a large model train display.
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Fun Train Rides
The railway offers fun train rides almost every month, from April to December. They have special trains for holidays like Halloween, usually on the last three Saturdays in October evenings. They also have many other themed train trips throughout the year. This means there's always something new to see!
Be a Train Engineer!
Have you ever wanted to drive a real train? The New Hope Valley Railway has a special program called "Operate-a-Loco"! On certain Saturdays and Sundays, people aged 18 and older with a valid driver's license can drive one of their diesel locomotives.
You will be guided by a trained engineer along 4 miles of track. This makes an 8-mile round trip. The railway provides all the equipment you need for this exciting experience.
How the Railway Works
The New Hope Valley Railway is run entirely by volunteers. These dedicated people are part of the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc. This museum used to be known as the East Carolina Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society until 2008. The railway is also a member of the HeritageRail Alliance, a group that helps preserve historic railways.
Train Collection
The North Carolina Railway Museum has a cool collection of historic railroad equipment. These trains were once used in North Carolina. You can see them at the railway's Bonsal station. Most of the exhibits are outdoors. They are open to the public on days when the trains are running. For more information, you can visit www.triangletrain.com.
Locomotives (Train Engines)
- 5 - General Electric diesel locomotives. These came from the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Marine Corps.
- 1 - Whitcomb diesel locomotive.
- 1 - Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton diesel locomotive.
- 1 - ALCO S1 diesel locomotive.
- 1 - A 0-4-0T steam locomotive built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1941. It was taken out of service in 2017 for a special inspection. Work on its boiler was finished in 2019. A new smokebox was ordered in late 2019 and completed in January 2020.
- 1 - A 2-6-2 Prairie Type Steam locomotive built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1927. This engine was later sold to the Cliffside Railroad in 1933. It was the last steam train to run there before they switched to diesel in 1962. The engine was then sold to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It ran there until 1982. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association donated this engine to the New Hope Valley Railway in 2012. The railway plans to fix it up so it can run again.
Rolling Stock (Train Cars)
- Seaboard Coast Line Family Lines Railroad #01190: A steel M-8 Caboose.
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad #5228: A wooden Caboose.
- Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad #308: A wooden Caboose.
- Norfolk Southern Railroad #335: A wooden Caboose built in 1913. This is the last surviving wooden caboose from the original Norfolk Southern.
- Norfolk Southern Railroad #711: A crane boom tender and camp car.
- Southern Railway Combine baggage car and Railway Post Office #188.
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Express Baggage Car #1665: This car is being restored and is sometimes open for visitors.
- US Marine Corps flatcars: Four of these were changed into open cars for passengers.
- US Marine Corps flatcars: Two more flatcars.
- Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad #23044: An insulated boxcar (not currently on public display).
- US Army Transportation Corps Kitchen Car #87109: This car now holds the museum gift shop and exhibits.
- Swifts Premium Refrigerator car (Reefer).
- Southern Railway boxcars (2).
- Southern Railway #958060: A Pullman low side gondola car.
- Pullman Company former 12-1 tourist sleeper Calais (not currently on public display).
- Norfolk Southern Railroad #910: A camp car (not currently on public display).
- Boston & Maine Railroad RDC9 #6929: A passenger car that was moved back to Bonsal in April 2014.
- Various other examples of railroad and construction equipment.
Railway History
The train line was first planned as the New Hope Valley Railroad in 1904. It later joined with the Durham & South Carolina Railroad in 1905. The line was built as the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) between 1905 and 1906. Its main purpose was to transport timber from the New Hope Creek valley.
The D&SC line connected towns like Bonsal, North Carolina (where it met the Seaboard Air Line Railroad), Beaver Creek, North Carolina, Seaforth, North Carolina, and Durham, North Carolina. In Durham, it was the only railroad that could reach the American Tobacco Company. This allowed them to move tobacco products in and out of the factory.
The line was extended south from Bonsal between 1911 and 1913 to Duncan, North Carolina. There, it connected with the "old" Norfolk Southern Railroad. The Norfolk Southern Railroad leased the D&SC line in 1920 to get access to Durham, North Carolina. In 1925, a new track was built in Durham to serve the new American Tobacco Company plant.
In the 1970s, the line was rebuilt by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This happened when the B. Everett Jordan Dam was built, creating Jordan Lake in the New Hope Creek valley. The line later became a small part of the Southern Railway. In 1983, a 6-mile section was sold to the East Carolina Chapter of the NRHS. This group was later renamed the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc. in 2008.
The northern part of the original railroad, from New Hill, North Carolina north to Durham, North Carolina, has been turned into the American Tobacco Trail. To the south, the railroad is now part of the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant's land.
