The New Hope Valley Railway is a

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

Bonsal, North Carolina Bonsal is an unincorporated community in the New Hill, North Carolina postal district, in extreme southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, United States. Bonsal was a railroad junction between the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) (origin ...

operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization. The railroad consists of a total of 5 miles of track between the communities of

and

New Hill, North Carolina New Hill is an unincorporated community located in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, United States, at the crossroads of old U.S. 1 (State Road 1011, running northeast–southwest), New Hill Olive Chapel Road (running north) and New Hill ...

. The North Carolina Railway Museum, located in

, features a collection of antique train cars, artifacts and historic train memorabilia, and a G-scale model railroad layout and club.

Excursion trains

The New Hope Valley Railway excursion train

The railroad operates passenger excursion trains each month from April to December. Special trains are operated for Halloween on the evening of the last three Saturdays in October. They have many other themed train excursions throughout the year.

Operate-a-Loco

The New Hope Valley Railway has many different special activities that people can participate in. One of them is their Operate-a-Loco program. On select Saturdays and Sundays, anybody who wishes to (must be over age 18 and have a valid drivers license) may come and drive one of their diesel locomotives. You are guided along their 4 miles of track (8 mile round trip) under the supervision of one of their trained engineers. All equipment and other items are provided by the railway.

Organization

The railroad is operated by an all-volunteer crew, and it is a member of the

HeritageRail Alliance The HeritageRail Alliance is an organization for promoting the interests of and sharing information among railway preservation groups and tourist railroads. Programs and services This is a placeholder. Please describe the group's programs and se ...

and the East Carolina Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...

(NRHS).

Collection

The

North Carolina Railway Museum The New Hope Valley Railway is a heritage railroad in Bonsal, North Carolina operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization. The railroad consists of a tot ...

also displays a collection of historic railroad equipment used in North Carolina at the railroad's Bonsal terminal. This is a primarily outdoor exhibit, and is open to the public on ride days throughout the year. For more information, goto www.triangletrain.com.

Locomotives

* 5 -

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

diesel locomotives, obtained from the United States Army,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

* 1 -

Whitcomb Whitcombe or Whitcomb may refer to: People * Whitcombe (surname) * George Faunce Whitcomb *Ian Whitcomb (1941-2020) Places ;United Kingdom * Whitcombe, Dorset, England * Whitcombe, Somerset, England ;United States * Whitcomb, Indiana * Whitcomb, ...

diesel locomotive * 1 - Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton diesel locomotive * New Hope Valley Railway ALCO S1

1 -

ALCO The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

S1 diesel locomotive * 1 - A 0-4-0T steam locomotive built by

Vulcan Iron Works Vulcan Iron Works was the name of several iron foundries in both England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution and, in one case, lasting until the mid-20th century. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and smithery, was a popular n ...

in 1941 for

New York Shipbuilding The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

of Camden, New Jersey, taken out of service in early 2017 for the FRA 1472 day inspection. Engineering work on 17's boiler was completed in 2019. A new smokebox was ordered in late 2019 and completed in January 2020; delivery to Bonsal is expected in February 2020. * 1 - A 2-6-2 Prairie Type Steam locomotive built by

in 1927 for the McRae Lumber & Manufacturing Company. Sold to the

Cliffside Railroad Cliffside Railroad was a Class III railroad operating freight service in southwestern North Carolina from 1905 until service ended in 1987. The line was formally abandoned in 1992. History The Cliffside Railroad Company was incorporated on Mar ...

in 1933 and renumbered 110, and was the last steam locomotive to operate on the road before it dieselized in 1962. The 110 was eventually sold to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, a tourist railroad that operates around the perimeter of Stone Mountain Park in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

. The 110 operated here until 1982, when it encountered running gear issues. The railroad's owner, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, then placed it on display. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association donated the engine to the New Hope Valley Railway in Bonsal, North Carolina in 2012, and the engine was moved to the railway in early February 2013. The New Hope Valley intends to restore the engine to operating condition, which is anticipated to take five to seven years at an estimated cost of $600,000 based on an initial survey of the engine performed in 2012. Work on the 110 is on hold pending the 1472 of engine 17.

Rolling stock

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

#01190: Steel M-8 Caboose *

#5228: Wooden Caboose *

Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad is a short-line railroad operating in North Carolina. At one time the AR was a Class 2 railroad. The railroad has of track that runs from Aberdeen to Fayetteville, North Carolina. History The AR was inco ...

#308: Wooden Caboose *

Norfolk Southern Railroad The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

#335: Wooden Caboose built in 1913 for the original NS. (Last surviving Norfolk Southern wooden caboose) *

#711 Crane boom tender and camp car * Southern Railway Combine baggage car and

Railway Post Office In Canada and the United States, a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly tr ...

#188 *

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

Baggage Car #1665 (not currently on public display) *

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

flatcars converted to open excursion cars for passengers (4) *

flatcars (2) * Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad #23044 insulated cushion-underframe boxcar (not currently on public display) *

US Army Transportation Corps The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qu ...

Kitchen Car #87109 (houses museum gift shop and exhibits) * Swifts Premium Refrigerator car (Reefer) * Southern Railway boxcars (2) * Southern Railway #958060 Pullman low side gondola * Pullman Company former 12-1 tourist sleeper ''Calais'' (not currently on public display) *

#910 camp car (not currently on public display) *

Boston & Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970 ...

RDC9 #6929 trailer passenger car (previously on lease to the Red Springs & Northern Foundation in Parkton, North Carolina) ***Note: This car was moved back to Bonsal on April 17, 2014. * Various other examples of railroad and construction equipment

History

The railroad line operated as the New Hope Valley Railway was originally constructed as the

Durham & South Carolina Railroad The New Hope Valley Railway is a heritage railroad in Bonsal, North Carolina operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization. The railroad consists of a tot ...

(D&SC) in 1905-1906 to tap the timber resources of the valley of

New Hope Creek New Hope Creek is a watercourse that rises in rural Orange County, North Carolina, in the United States. It drains the western portion of Orange County and the southern half of Durham County and flows into the northern end of Jordan Lake reserv ...

, and served the communities of

where it had a junction with the

(now part of

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

), Beaver Creek, North Carolina, Seaforth, North Carolina, Farrington, North Carolina, Blands, North Carolina, Penny, North Carolina, and Durham, North Carolina. The line was extended south between 1911 and 1913 from

Duncan, North Carolina Duncan is an unincorporated community located in the Buckhorn Township of Harnett County, North Carolina , United States. It is a part of the Dunn Micropolitan Area, which is also a part of the greater Raleigh–Durham–Cary Combined Statistica ...

where it joined the

. The D&SC line was leased by the

in 1920 to provide the larger railroad with access to the City of Durham, North Carolina. In 1925 a spur was built at Durham, North Carolina to serve the new plant of the

American Tobacco Company The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company. The company was one of the original 12 members ...

in that city. The line was rebuilt on a new alignment in the 1970s by the

US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

when the B. Everett Jordan Dam was constructed, impounding the valley of

to form

Jordan Lake B. Everett Jordan Lake is a reservoir in New Hope Valley, west of Cary and south of Durham in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the United States; the northernmost end of the lake extends into southwestern Durham County. Part of the Jordan ...

. The line eventually became (briefly) part of the Southern Railway, and a 6-mile section was sold to the East Carolina Chapter, NRHS in 1983. This organization was subsequently renamed the

, Inc. early in 2008. The northern portion of the original railroad, from the community of

north to Durham, North Carolina has been converted into the American Tobacco Trail. To the south, the railroad is part of the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant and its surrounding land.

References

External links

New Hope Valley Railway

National Railway Historical Society

HeritageRail Alliance
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Hope Valley Railway Heritage railroads in North Carolina Railroad museums in North Carolina Museums in Wake County, North Carolina Transportation in Wake County, North Carolina