| Triangle's Train | |
 New Hope Valley Railroad museum train cars and locomotives | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Bonsal, North Carolina |
| Reporting mark | NCRM |
| Locale | New Hill, North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1982 (1982)–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
TheNew Hope Valley Railway (reporting markNHVX), also known as theTriangle's Train, is aheritage railroad inBonsal, North Carolina operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization.[1]
The railroad consists of a total of four miles of track between the communities ofBonsal, North Carolina andNew Hill, North Carolina.[1]
The North Carolina Railway Museum, located inBonsal, North Carolina, features a collection of antique train cars, artifacts and historic train memorabilia, and a G-scale model railroad layout and club.[1]
The railroad line was originally chartered to be the New Hope Valley Railroad in 1904.[1] It was subsequently merged into the Durham & South Carolina Railroad in 1905 after the NHVRR had acquired land to build the line from Bonsal, NC to West End, NC (now known as Carborro), but before any track had been built.[1] The line was constructed as theDurham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) in 1905-1906 to tap the timber resources of the valley ofNew Hope Creek, and served the communities ofBonsal, North Carolina where it had a junction with theSeaboard Air Line Railroad (now part ofCSX),Beaver Creek, North Carolina,Seaforth, North Carolina,Farrington, North Carolina,Blands, North Carolina,Penny, North Carolina, andDurham, North Carolina.[1] In Durham it was the sole railroad with access to the American Tobacco Company for transporting tobacco products in an out of the plant. American Tobacco Company investors were also investors in the "old" Norfolk and Southern Railroad between Norfolk, VA and Charlotte, NC.[1][2]
The line was extended south from Bonsal, North Carolina between 1911 and 1913 toDuncan, North Carolina where it joined the "old"Norfolk Southern Railroad. The D&SC line was leased by theNorfolk Southern Railroad in 1920 to provide the larger railroad with access to the City ofDurham, North Carolina.[1] In 1925 a spur was built atDurham, North Carolina to serve the new plant of theAmerican Tobacco Company in that city. The NCRM was founded in 1963 inEast Carolina University inGreenville, North Carolina, in 1964, it was later chartered as the East Carolina Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Inc.[2][1] The line was rebuilt on a new alignment in the 1970s by theUS Army Corps of Engineers when theB. Everett Jordan Dam was constructed, impounding the valley ofNew Hope Creek to formJordan Lake. The line eventually became (briefly) part of theSouthern Railway, and a 6-mile section was sold to the East Carolina Chapter,NRHS in 1982 were a group of individuals formed the New Hope Valley Railway.[1][2] This organization was subsequently renamed theNorth Carolina Railway Museum, Inc. early in 2008.[2][1]
The northern portion of the original railroad, from the community ofNew Hill, North Carolina north toDurham, North Carolina has been converted into theAmerican Tobacco Trail. To the south, the railroad is part of the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant and its surrounding land.[3]
The railroad operates passenger excursion trains each month from March to December. Special trains are operated forHalloween andChristmas.[4] They have many other themed train excursions throughout the year.
The New Hope Valley Railway offers various activities for the public. 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.[5]
The railroad is operated by an all-volunteer crew by the North Carolina Railway Museum formerly known up to 2008 as the East Carolina Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, It is also a member of theHeritageRail Alliance
| No. | Image | Type | Model | Built | Builder | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 |  | Steam | 2-6-2 | 1927 | Vulcan Iron Works | Under restoration |
| 17 |  | Steam | 0-4-0 | 1941 | Vulcan Iron Works | Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul |
| 1686 |  | Diesel | 80-ton switcher | 1953 | General Electric | Operational |
| 399 | .jpg) | Diesel | 65-ton switcher | 1943 | General Electric | Operational |
| 70 | Diesel | 45-ton switcher | 1941 | Geo D. Whitcomb Company | Inoperable | |
| 10 |  | Diesel | 25-ton switcher | 1950 | General Electric | Inoperable |
| No. | Image | Type | Built | Builder | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | Caboose | N/a | N/a | Operational | |
| 328 | Caboose | 1949 | N/a | Operational | |
| 302 | Caboose | N/a | N/a | Operational | |
| 309 | Caboose | N/a | N/a | Operational | |
| 5228 |  | Caboose | 1926 | N/a | Operational |
| 6929 | Passenger car | 1958 | Budd Company | Under restoration |
