North Carolina Transportation Museum
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a transport museum
in Spencer
, North Carolina
.
The museum is largely devoted to the state's railroad history, however its collection also includes exhibits of automobile
s and aircraft
.
The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops.
The museum was founded in 1977, when the Southern Railway deeded 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of land to the state of North Carolina
for a transportation museum. Two years later, another 53 acres (214,483.6 m²) was added to the original donation; the entirety of the railway's largest former steam locomotive repair shops. The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation which will increase its size and number of exhibits.
Several bays of the Spencer Shops roundhouse
are devoted to restoring locomotives and rolling stock in the museum collection. Restoration work is done by volunteers.
which operates passenger excursion trains several times per day during the tourist season. Trains are powered by either steam or diesel locomotives from the museum's collection. Cab rides can be purchased for $10 (diesel locomotives only).
Visitors may also purchase tickets to ride the roundhouse turntable on selected days, demonstrated in the video link below.
The roster contains almost 30 locomotives, but only these 10 have ever seen service on the Spencer Southern RR.
Transport museum
A transport museum is a museum that holds collections of transport items, which are often limited to land transport —including old cars, trains, trams/streetcars, buses, trolleybuses and coaches—but can also include air transport or waterborne transport items, along with educational displays and...
in Spencer
Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,355.-History:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
The museum is largely devoted to the state's railroad history, however its collection also includes exhibits of automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
.
History
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
for a transportation museum. Two years later, another 53 acres (214,483.6 m²) was added to the original donation; the entirety of the railway's largest former steam locomotive repair shops. The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation which will increase its size and number of exhibits.
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
are devoted to restoring locomotives and rolling stock in the museum collection. Restoration work is done by volunteers.
Heritage railroad
The museum has a heritage railroadHeritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
which operates passenger excursion trains several times per day during the tourist season. Trains are powered by either steam or diesel locomotives from the museum's collection. Cab rides can be purchased for $10 (diesel locomotives only).
Visitors may also purchase tickets to ride the roundhouse turntable on selected days, demonstrated in the video link below.
Collection
Steam
- Graham County 3-truck shay # 1925
- Buffalo Creek & Gauley 2-8-0 # 4/Spencer (Southern) 2-8-0 # 604
- Southern 2-8-0 # 542
- Seaboard Air Line 2-10-0 # 544
Diesel
- Southern E8AEMD E8The EMD E8 was a , A1A-A1A passenger train locomotive manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. The cab version, or E8A, was manufactured from August, 1949 to December, 1953, and 449 were produced – 446 for U.S., and 3 for Canada...
-Unit # 6900 - Norfolk & Western GP9EMD GP9An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
# 620 - Atlantic Coast Line E3A-Unit # 501Atlantic Coast Line 501Atlantic Coast Line #501 is a preserved diesel locomotive at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. It is notable for being the only surviving EMC E3....
- Southern GP30EMD GP30The EMD GP30 was a 2,250 hp four-axle B-B diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July, 1961 and November, 1963...
# 2601 - Southern FP7EMD FP7The EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...
-Unit # 6133 - US Navy switcher # 65-00556
- Duke Power Plymouth switcher # 5951
- Beaufort & Morehead H12-44 # 1860
- Norfolk Southern Railway (former)Norfolk Southern Railway (former)The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which was merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1990 to form the current entity of the Norfolk...
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