On a tip from my friend Tom Corbitt, we went on a field trip to see the New Hope Valley Railroad (aka. NHVRR) in New Hill, NC. Some of my six readers might remember Tom when he dated Jessica Fink way back when.
Anyhow, the railroad is owned by a group of railroad aficionados who volunteer their time, their money, and (most of all) their sweat to restore and maintain their own locomotives and rolling stock. The club has an impressive array of railroad stuff, too. I counted four locomotives at the museum, from a steam engine to 40-ton diesel electric engines. They also own their own six miles of railroad track.
We got out of the car at the parking lot and crossed over Old U.S. 1 on a pedestrian bridge that was formerly a railroad trestle. We were alone in the railyard with all varieties of rail equipment scattered around us. Soon Kelly, Hallie, and I were wandering around, climbing onto the locomotives and peering into the cabooses.
The engines and cars were all still decorated from the last ride they took of the year: passengers are taken for a holiday ride around the track with Santa. The festive decorations made me a bit jealous of not getting to take that trip.
It was easy to imagine myself at the controls of one of these massive beasts. Up until this year, the club offered to let you drive for an hour for 100 bucks. I wish I’d known about that before their liability insurance made them quit. Stupid personal-injury lawyers!
We marched around to every car, climbed up every ladder, and took pictures of anything we could. If we had this much fun all by ourselves, I can only imagine what the place is like during a work weekend or ride day.
I’ve decided to drop by for a visit one of these Saturdays and find out what the members are like. I might learn a thing or two about welding, diesel repair, hydraulics, or other cool skills I don’t know. Or I could learn to be a crewmember even! In return, I could offer my skills as a painter, electrician, computer guy, or anything else they might need.
If you’re into big, heavy machinery, or transportation history, you should make the drive down to see the New Hope Valley Railroad.