| Situated in the heart of central North Carolina along | | | | from the venerable Southern Railway Company and |
| the border of Wake and Chatham counties, just | | | | is now used exclusively by the museum.Enthusiasts |
| thirty minutes south of Raleigh, is the North Carolina | | | | sit in one of two comfortable open passenger cars |
| Railroad Museum / New Hope Valley Railway. | | | | that are, in fact, converted flat cars. On a recent |
| Featuring steam and diesel locomotives as well as | | | | Sunday, the museum brought out one of the |
| various boxcars, flatcars, and the like, the museum / | | | | aforementioned diesels and added a pair of wood |
| railway has been entertaining train fans at its rural | | | | sided red cabooses and a brown baggage car to |
| Bonsal location since 1981. Take a trip down the old | | | | round out the set.On the sprawling museum grounds |
| railroad line with me and experience a little bit of | | | | sits a US Army Transportation Corps Tool Car which |
| American train history!Since I was a boy I have been | | | | currently houses the museum's gift shop and exhibits. |
| enamored by trains -- steam engines, diesels, bullet | | | | Various other cars and a crane boom tender are |
| trains and even subways. My family feels the same | | | | located on site as well; some are being carefully |
| way; we marvel at the sight of a steam locomotive | | | | restored while others are in active use. Currently, the |
| hissing and wheezing its way clackety-clack down the | | | | museum's steam locomotive is used on a limited |
| tracks, imagining that we, too, are taking a trip | | | | basis, but plans are to begin using it on excursions |
| across this great nation of our's.This particular rolling | | | | more frequently.The railroad museum is staffed by a |
| museum will excite train buffs for the variety of | | | | dedicated group of volunteers [Saturdays are |
| equipment on hand, as well as, for the rides that are | | | | workdays and skilled volunteers are welcome]. Train |
| made available to the general public. Indeed, when | | | | ride prices are reasonable and passengers know that |
| we visited the museum recently the grounds were | | | | the fares are helping to restore a little bit of train |
| packed since ride days are held only on the first | | | | history to North Carolina while reliving it at the same |
| Sunday of the month [from May through November | | | | time.A "G" scale model garden railroad is on site along |
| with special Halloween and Christmas season rides as | | | | with a barbeque restaurant and adjoining picnic area. |
| well]. Five excursions are held each ride day; visitors | | | | There is plenty of parking on the premises as |
| are encouraged to arrive early for the ride they wish | | | | well.Yes, there certainly is much to see and do while |
| to take.Pulled by a rugged General Electric diesel | | | | visiting the North Carolina Railroad Museum / New |
| locomotive [built in the early 1940s], the one hour | | | | Hope Valley Railway in Bonsal, NC -- stop by soon |
| train ride allows passengers to travel from Bonsal to | | | | and you will hear the conductor announcing to you, |
| New Hill and back. The 6.5 mile track was purchased | | | | "all aboard! |