The New Hope Valley Railway(reporting markNCRM), also known as the Triangle's Train, 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.[1]
The North Carolina Railway Museum, located in Bonsal, North Carolina, features a collection of antique train cars, artifacts and historic train memorabilia, and a G-scale model railroad layout and club.[1]
History
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 the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) in 1905-1906 to tap the timber resources of the valley of New Hope Creek, and served the communities of Bonsal, North Carolina where it had a junction with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (now part of CSX), Beaver Creek, North Carolina, Seaforth, North Carolina, Farrington, North Carolina, Blands, North Carolina, Penny, North Carolina, and Durham, 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 New Hope Valley Railway excursion train returns to Bonsal led by a double-header of the visiting Flagg Coal Co. #75 and NHVRY's own #17 steam engines.
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.[4] They have many other themed train excursions throughout the year.
Operate-a-Loco
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]
Organization
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 the HeritageRail Alliance
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