JeffPo's Trains/Railroad Page
Last update: 08/03/07
I don't think I've yet to meet someone that wasn't at least a little bit fascinated with trains. Some of it might have to do with their representation in the movies while another part of it might be the fact that kids (and adults) can get working replicas to "play" with, right in their own living rooms. Trains are a part of America's past and future. They helped to build this country and they continue to help it move commerce and people. I've had a love for trains for as long as I can remember and I still stop and watch any train that goes by.
Steam locomotives ruled the land in the 1800s and early 1900s. They were replaced with diesel locomotives during the first part of the 1900s. Diesels were more cost effective in fuel and maintenance. Today steam engines only exist in museums, theme parks, or for scenic rides. Diesels are the workhorses on the main lines.
Tweetsie Railroad
Tweetsie Railroad is an amusement park in Blowing Rock, NC. It's based on a "wild west" sort of theme. It's a fun place with rides, shows, food, etc. The main attraction is the real, working steam engine that pulls a consist of passenger cars around about a 3 mile loop. Along the way you learn some history, get "robbed" by bandits, and "attacked" by Indians.
Here's a couple of shots of
Tweetsie Railroad.
Here's Tweetsie pulling into the station. If you want
to hear what Tweetsie sounds like when pulling into the station, download
the wave file below. I took it off of my camcorder tape.
Tweetsie's Whistle (153K .wav file)
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The NC Transportation Museum is located in Spencer, NC. Although it has tributes to other forms of transportation, the locomotives are it's main attraction. The building and grounds use to be the site of Southern Railway's maintenance shops. It's a great place to take a ride on a steam or diesel train without having to pay a lot of money. And there is a lot of stuff to look at too. I only wish they had more track for the rides. You basically back out onto the main track, then travel for about 3/4 of a mile, then you backup into the station. It would be much, much better if they had some sort of loop. Even so, it's still a neat place to go.
A steam engine
at the NC Transportation Museum.
Here's
a Shay steam engine at the NC Transportation Museum. They are unique
in that the wheels are smaller and directly driven by gears. You don't
have the typical side bar on the large wheels that most people think of when
they think of steam engines. These type of engines were used in mountainous
regions where the tracks made tighter turns.
Here's
an old Southern diesel engine at the NC Transportation Museum. When
it comes to diesel engines, I just love the look of these sleek locomotives.
The windshields remind me of eyes, and the headlight reminds me of
a nose. When I use to draw trains as a kid, this is the style I would
draw. I remember drawing one in a Christmas scene back in the 2nd grade.
Selma, NC trip
Selma is a small southern town near the center of Johnston county, North Carolina. It's populated with several antique shops and offers an excellent opportunity to do a day trip via train. In the early spring of 2006 we rode the Amtrak passenger train from Cary, NC to Selma. The one-way travel time is only about one hour. The train comes back through Selma in the late afternoon for the return trip, so you have plenty of time to visit the various shops and grab a bite to eat. Below are some images from our trip.
Victoria and Jonathan look for bits of coal along the tracks before the train arrives.
The east-bound Amtrak arrives to pick us up.
Waiting for the first train to depart Selma.
A caboose at the Selma station.
A passing CSX freight train in Selma. Victoria, Jonathan, and Lynn pose for the camera.
The train arrives in Selma to take us back to Cary.
Laurinburg and Southern
My first recollection of a train is of the Laurinburg and Southern, a short-line railroad that operated out of my own home town. I clearly remember seeing the locomotives going down the track, when I was about 4 or 5 years old. The day-care I went to was right beside the tracks. I remember playing outside and looking up with awe and wonderment every time a train went by.
Here's
a lonely, old Laurinburg and Southern engine I found one fall day.
Here's
a couple of more, one showing a different paint scheme.
Here's
the current paint scheme for the Laurinburg and Southern, which still operates,
but under another company.
Miscellaneous Railroad Photos
Here's
an image of a railroad yard near Hamlet, NC. I should have used the
zoom lens or flown a little closer for more detail. Also, when flying
on the other side the sun was glinting off of the tracks which made them
show up better. I may try to photograph this one again. Image
taken on Nov. 7, 1999.
Hamlet, NC train depot.
Built in 1900 to serve the Seaboad Airline Railway, this magnificent
train station was recently been renovated and moved across the tracks to
offer better access. Image taken on July 23, 2005.
Train Resources and Information
If you haven't done so already, visit my Railroad Lantern page, my Model Trains page, or my Miscellaneous RR Items page.
North Carolina Transportation Museum
Tweetsie Railroad Old west train theme park.
Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Dinner and adventure train.
Golden Spike Enterprises Lists some of the bigger trains shows and events on the east coast.