Explain to me more about Spencer NC?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I was on Mapquest examining Spencer NC/Salisbury area during a unrelated real-estate research, I discovered a large roundhouse with a turntable next to a set of what was a double track mainline.

I would like more information about this place from anyone who knows about it. Im not sure if Im posting in the right forums.

Searches on Salisbury via the internet shows some rail history and possibly a museum and a town of about 22,000 that is rather robust in activity.

2

Southern Railway has shops there, and IIRC, there is a museum there now(Historic Spencer Shops). Here is a link:

http://www.nctrans.org/

Jim Bernier

3

The former Spencer Shops of the Southern Railway are now a museum. I visited the museum in 1999 and it is well worth the effort to see. The North Carolina Transportation Museum website is http://www.nctrans.org/

4

We were there last summer. The turntable is in use and you can take a ride on it. The roundhouse is full of equipment and is open to the public. It is a very nice place to visit. They also run a short excursion trip. Lots of interesting things to see there.

Tom

5

The site was donated to the State of North Carolina by Norfolk Southern and it is the site of the old Southern Railway Spencer Locomotive Shops in Spencer, NC. The North Carolina Transportation Museum now operates the site and it is open to the public, one poster has already listed the URL for the museum.

Here are a few recent photos from our visit to the place. On most days you can ride the train through the facilities for a small fee, and for only $10.00 per person (limit to 4 riders) you can sit in the cab of the locomotive and enjoy the ride too.

Southern #6133 EMD FP-7

Along the ride!

View my YouTube video of the backing move inside the FP-7 after dropping off some passengers…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swzbc35cv6g

For more photos in my gallery see http://piedmontdivision.rymocs.com/history.htm

and http://piedmontdivision.rymocs.com/Photosqtr05.html

Also, the new NS Executive units were at the NC Transportation Museum a few weeks ago, you can see images from this link posted by Kevin Beck: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=95819

Cheers,

Ryan

6

I visited there several years ago - they were even giving short rides using a steam engine (don’t ask which one - I have no idea). Very nice facility.

7

The day I visited the train was pulled by a Shay #1925.

dd