North Carolina Railroad

Garner grows up along North Carolina Railroad

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:10:45 +0000

By Teri Saylor

Garner is a railroad town and according to local recording artist Scotty McCreery, a water tower town too (2)

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a series of articles profiling towns along the North Carolina Railroad corridor.

Long before American Idol singing champion Scotty McCreery put Garner, N.C. on the map, the little railroad town was the dear home to the Wake County residents who grew up keeping time by the train whistle, skipping along the rail corridor to go to church and school, and passing time counting box cars.

Today, Garner is all grown up. Its population is up to 26,000, and the town is home to many young professionals who appreciate its proximity to the hustle and bustle of Raleigh, jobs throughout the Triangle, and who love its small town southern charm.

McCreery sings about that charm in his ode to his hometown, “Water Tower Town,” Garner is a place where “Friday night football is king, sweet tea goes good with anything…you can see who loves you from miles around, in a water tower town.”

Garner got its start when the North Carolina Railroad crossed through the area in 1847 bringing with it commerce, economic development, and a train station. In that year, after a tie-breaker vote by the Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Garner was chosen as the location for a train station.

“Garner’s Station” was established with the construction of a post office in 1878, and the Town of Garner’s Station was incorporated in 1883, according to town records and “History of Garner and Environs,” by the Garner Historical Committee.

Born in 1913, Lucile Stephens, a petite, lively woman with bright blue eyes and a crystal clear memory, can remember at least the last 90 years, all the way back to her girlhood when she lived in the same house she calls home to this day.

From left: John Hodges, Kaye Whaley, Ronnie Williams and Lucile Stephens

On a balmy Friday afternoon last May, Stephens was entertaining guests on her back porch. Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams, local historian Kaye Buffaloe Whaley, Garner public information officer Rick Mercier and Garner Revitalization Association director John Hodges had gathered to reminisce about Garner’s past and to daydream about its future.Over a snack of chocolate chip cookies, soft drinks and bottles of ice cold water, Stephens described her growing up years next to the North Carolina Railroad in Garner, and how that railroad corridor, the tracks and trains that came through each day were part of her landscape, her life, and her memories.She points toward her back yard.

“We’d go up in the grove and wait for the train to come,” she says. “My father had the grandchildren all take a penny and go up there when they’d hear the train come or see the smoke, and they’d guess how many box cars would going be on that train and whoever got the closest would win all the pennies.”

She chuckles.

“He taught them how to gamble,” she says.

Williams and Whaley grew up in Garner too.

“I grew up in the Free Will Baptist Church,” Williams says. “And on Sunday morning when the preacher was going into his hellfire and brimstone sermon, the train would come by and drown him out. He didn’t save too many souls.”

Mrs. Whaley lived by the railroad tracks in the Auburn Community, which is located about halfway between Garner and Clayton.

“And the only way I could get to Old Garner Road was to go across the railroad tracks,” she says. “We would watch the train come by, and see it smoke and all that. Auburn had a depot, and the people in Auburn would go to Garner for supplies and things they needed.”

Early Commuters

Stephens remembers traveling to Raleigh from Garner on the train.

“We could go to Raleigh for about 50 cents,” she says. “We’d walk down there to the station. We’d go shopping and come back late in the afternoon. We’d spend the day in Raleigh.”

Someone in the group remarks “commuter rail,” and everyone laughs.

“Having a railroad as part of your town gave you status,” Williams says. “Especially if the train would stop, as opposed to just flying through the town. If it stopped, you were on the map with a depot and that gave you status.”

Hodges, the downtown revitalization director weighs in.

“It would create commerce too,” he says. “We had businesses that would not have formed if the train had just gone through this farming area. So it was the beginning of our commerce. And we had some spin off businesses that moved further out. It started the growth.”

An 1887 map shows Garner’s link to Raleigh as an, unpaved country road. This small section of roadway eventually became known as Central Highway, one of the oldest and most-traveled corridors in North Carolina. When the highway was finally paved in 1916, it grew into the U.S. Highway 70 Tar Heel State travelers use every day. But it doesn’t stop in Garner or even in North Carolina. It runs from Atlantic, NC on the east coast all the way through New Mexico and into Arizona.

As Garner grew, U.S. 70 was widened and re-routed to bypass the downtown commercial district and cut the town into two halves.

The highway helped and hurt Garner, according to Hodges.

“I basically have a job because the highway cut the town in half,” he says.

When U.S. 70 went through Garner, the historical structures along Main Street, the old churches, and the original schools languished along the railroad corridor, while the growth migrated over to the other side of the thoroughfare.

Garner’s Main Street lies along the North Carolina Railroad tracks

“Highway 70 was built so close to the railroad track in the original downtown, there’s not really room in between to do much. The neighborhoods were cut off, and the roads were cut off. I guess we’ve been working at it 25 or 30 years consciously trying to knit the two pieces back together,” Hodges says.

As if a town divided by a highway were not enough, in 1974, the Town Hall building, located in Garner’s original historic district burned down. The local government moved across Highway 70 to a parcel of donated land behind the brand new Forest Hills Shopping Center.

“At that time, it seemed more logical to move the town hall there because it was the center of commerce,” Hodges says. “They expected this was going to replace the old traditional downtown. Now that (shopping area) has declined, and the downtown area has tried to have a resurgence.”

Future Redevelopment

The Town of Garner has a redevelopment plan for its historic district, targeting young professionals who want affordable living in an urban setting, with a generous dose of community spirit thrown in.

Lake Benson Park and White Deer Park offer green space that will always be there.

“That’s where Kaye’s (Whaley) folks all lived, down in there where the parks are,” said Garner Public Information Officer Rick Mercier. “That’s green space that will always be there, no matter how this community grows, it’s always going to be there as a place to get away and a place for families.”

Stephens remembers that land yielding strawberries and peanuts.

“They raised the best peanuts,” she said, reminiscing. “My high school boyfriend, Beryl Buffaloe, Kaye’s daddy’s first cousin, used to bring me the peanuts they raised.”

Through all the changes, Garner is working to hold tight to its roots as a small community, and is one of 60 North Carolina towns included in the state’s Main Street Program.

“Our mission is to take a look at the not necessarily the historic, but the authentic assets of our community, and get the most use out of them, rather than just making up or starting from scratch,” Hodges says.

Garner officials hope to turn this former depot into a museum

The town recently converted the original Garner High School into a performing arts center, and is trying to raise money to move the old train depot and turn it into a history museum.

“In the last couple of years, we have had over a million dollars in private investment just in our very small central business district, and almost all of it has been provided by the young creative class, entrepreneurs who are buying properties and restoring them,” Hodges said. “It is one way we are trying to preserve the past and prepare for the future.”

Several Garner leaders have voiced support for development of passenger trains that just like in the old days will carry people to entertainment venues and jobs throughout the Triangle. While it might be more modern and sophisticated than the train Stephens once rode into Raleigh for a day of shopping, it will be a mode of transportation that fills the same purpose.

“Now we are in a unique position because we are turning back to the railroad,” Hodges said. “We’re turning back to the depot and the stores and the buildings that were built because of the railroad. They’re in their next iteration of usefulness and becoming a center of the community again. So we’re cycling back to all of those things that sprang up along the railroad, and whether it happens right away or in the future, we’re very uniquely positioned to be able to take even greater advantage of it.”

And Lucile Stephens, who can look back over nearly a century of rail service, growth, and changes in her home town is excited about the prospect of passengers riding a train out of Garner again in the future.

“Won’t that be great,” she says.

Click here to view a slideshow of images of The Town of Garner.

NCRR joins N.C. BeRailSafe to promote crossing safety

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:09:02 +0000

NCRR teamed up with BeRailSafe to promote railroad safety in Durham

North Carolina Railroad Company teamed up with NC BeRailSafe on a safety blitz in Durham on the fourth annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day, June 7.

The team gathered at the Swift Road tracks near the Duke University campus and handed out cards and stickers to drivers and pedestrians for three hours.

The Operation Lifesaver program also recognized ILCAD, sponsoring events and programs in 20 states around the country, including North Carolina.

ILCAD was established in 2009 in Europe to call attention to the need for public education on railway safety issues as a way to save lives.

This year, 42 countries worldwide held events to promote railroad crossing safety.

To view a slideshow of photos from the Heritage festival visit wp-content/gallery/ncrr-helps-promote-safety

Charlotte LYNX Blue Line reaches major milestone

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:08:44 +0000

NCRR News Report

Last spring, the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR), the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and Norfolk Southern Corporation signed lease, construction, and operating agreements for the LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) light rail project along 2.7 miles of the North Carolina Railroad corridor. The extension’s total length will be 9.3 miles.

Now, CATS has received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enter Final Design for the project, which allows the extension to be developed from the 65 percent to the 100 percent design level and complete preparation of final construction plans, right-of-way acquisition, construction cost estimates, bid documents and utility relocation.

“The North Carolina Railroad Company is pleased to partner with the Charlotte Area Transit System to improve mobility in this growing region,” said NCRR President Scott Saylor. “This is an unprecedented agreement that extends light rail in our state’s largest city, and we are fortunate to have enough right of way within our corridor to enable CATS to install light rail tracks.”

The lease agreement outlines the operating and construction parameters along the 2.7-mile segment such as fair rental value of the property, construction plan review, lease negotiation and other expenses, and an adjustment for anticipated future appreciation of the leased property.

Entry into Final Design allows CATS to proceed with plans to enter into a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with the FTA, the point at which FTA commits to 50 percent funding for the project. CATS hopes to receive FTA approval of federal matching funds later this year.

“This signed agreement represents a significant investment in the future of public transit in Charlotte,” said Carolyn Flowers, CATS CEO. “CATS can now complete the Final Design for the BLE and move closer to securing a full funding grant agreement from the Federal Transit Administration later this year.”

Amtrak considers bus service in eastern N.C.

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:07:18 +0000

Newspapers in Eastern North Carolina are reporting on Amtrak’s consideration to provide bus service to parts of the state that would transport passengers to the Wilson train station.

The Kinston Free Press reports the route to the train station in Wilson would include stops in Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City, Kinston, Goldsboro, Jacksonville and Wilmington.

Read all about it here:

New Bern area firefighters respond to Memorial Day blaze near NCRR corridor

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:06:03 +0000

North Carolina Railroad Company’s president, Scott Saylor is grateful for New Bern area fire departments and rescue personnel for their timely response and efficient work to extinguish a blaze on Monday, May 28 that engulfed a large warehouse building, owned by the railroad.

“New Bern Fire Dept., No. 7 Township Fire and Rescue Department, the Trent Woods Volunteer Fire Department, emergency crews, and New Bern Police Department responded to the fire in a timely way, preventing it from spreading to other structures in the area,” Saylor said. “We are grateful that no one was hurt in the fire; the rail line is operational, and the area is secure. We are also thankful that the original New Bern Train Depot located several hundred feet away was not affected by the fire.”

The warehouse building, which was leased to Precision Molding of New Bern, was part of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad rail yard dating to the 1850s. Located at 901 North Craven St., the building contained approximately 6,660 square feet and was constructed of brick, concrete and wood.

No one was in the building at the time of the blaze, and it was primarily used for storage. A metal warehouse next to the building was not damaged.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the blaze.

Greer, S.C. targeted for inland port; study to determine jobs, logistics

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:05:32 +0000

Jim Fair, Editor
Published on Monday, July 9, 2012

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has identified Greer as an inland port that will be developed to improve the efficiency of international container movements between Charleston and the Upstate. The inland port will serve the international and national communities.

The $23.5 million project is scheduled to take 18 months to build and create about 80-100 jobs upon completion, according to city council members. The project is pending approval of a $1.1 million engineering study with Patrick Engineering and its South Carolina partner Davis and Floyd.

Rail, container handling and storage facilities will be serviced by the contract. Infrastructure, civil and structural site work is also included. Nick Stegall, General Manager of Greer Commission of Public Works said, “all four of our utilities are available in that area. We will serve it and we have plenty of capacity there.”

Intermodal rail good option for USPS

Teri — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:04:59 +0000

Source: Progressive Railroading|July 2012

The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General recently issued a report stating intermodal rail use by the Postal Service could reap benefits, including saving money and helping improve the environment.

Read about the report in Progressive Railroading magazine here.

National Train Day delights adults and kids

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:03:18 +0000

By Teri Saylor|NCRR|Posted July 2012

Xavier Binkowski said he was five-and-a-half, visiting his grandparents, Sally and Frank Binkowski of Hillsborough all having a great time at the National Train Day Festivities on May 12 at the Cary Depot. The all day event drew more than 1,000 people to the heart of downtown Cary, and the town was alive with people visiting the depot, shopping, lunching and visiting the local farmers market.

Kids and adults enjoyed model train demonstrations

Scott and Courtney Baker of Cary possibly love trains even more than their four-year-old son Timothy. Since he was two he has loved trains, inspired by the children’s book series on Thomas the Tank train engine. Now the entire family loves Thomas.

“I have learned a lot about trains thanks to Thomas,” dad Scott said.

Thomas the Tank Engine was created by British children’s book author Wilbert Vere Awdry as part of his “Railway Series” of books in the middle of the 20^th Century.

A set of Thomas the Train flash cards has combined fun with education as the entire Baker family has enjoyed learning about trains though Thomas, along with Timothy.

“Timothy’s quite the enthusiast. He has quite the passion for trains,” said Scott.

The family had been at the event 45 minutes, and Timothy was eager to get moving. “He’s ready for big boy trains,” said his dad.

The Bakers have family in Atlanta and when they travel to Cary to visit, they come by train.

“It’s really practical to travel by train,” Scott said. “The duration is the same as by car, but you can use a laptop, bring along sandwiches, and talk to each other.”

“Tim loves when they come to visit on the train. He gets to meet them at the station,” Scott said.

National Train Day was in its … year, but this was the first time the Town of Cary had celebrated it. Heart of Cary president Doc Thorne was surprised by the large turnout, and is already looking forward to the event next year.

The Cary Town Band was on hand to entertain visitors, playing from their Planes, Trains and Automobiles repertoire; Amtrak handed out paper conductors’ caps and the North Carolina Railroad Company supplied 200 train whistles.

“People were lined up waiting to get in a half hour before the celebration started,” Thorne said. “We ran out of train whistles in 10 minutes, and we could have given away 500 of them.”

Amtrak’s #10 arrived two minutes into the festivities, delivering guests and visitors to the celebration.

National Train Day is a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of rail travel and the history of trains in the United States. It is held each year on the Saturday closest to May 10th, the anniversary of the pounding of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit, Utah (1869) which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

Events are held at Amtrak stations as well as railroad museums across the country and often have passenger cars and model railroad layouts on display.

Celebrations were all over North Carolina. Wilmington, Calabash, Enfield, Rocky Mount, Selma, Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, The N.C. Transportation Museum, Salisbury, Kannapolis, and Charlotte got in on the fun, according to Amtrak’s National Train Day website.

Rail fans brave hot weather to enjoy Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotives

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:02:35 +0000

By Teri Saylor

Norfolk Southern’s Heritage Locomotives are lined up at the North Carolina Transportation Museum’s Roundhouse

The North Carolina Transportation Museum was a rail fan’s paradise over the Independence Day holiday as the Norfolk Southern Corporation paraded 20 freshly painted Heritage Locomotives to Spencer, N.C. from all over the country for a historic family reunion.

More than 4,000 visitors turned out for the two-day event July 3 and 4.

Temperatures edging over the century mark did not deter spectators, huddled in small patches of shade and shadows cast by the museum’s historic buildings and locomotives, and the Norfolk Southern mascot, Brainy stuck to low key antics.

“We’re very proud of what we do,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “This is a very fitting way to acknowledge the efforts of those who came before us and make a statement that we are proud of our past.”

Norfolk Southern, which was created June 1, 1982 when Southern Railway Company and Western Railway Company were consolidated, produced the Heritage fleet as part of the company’s 30th anniversary celebration. Those companies trace their lineage to hundreds of predecessors dating back to the early 1800s.

Artist Andy Fletcher, who is known for his drawings of engines, boxcars and cabooses, designed the 20 Heritage Locomotives. He recently has completed a one-year term as the Virginia Transportation Museum’s artist in residence.

Digging through files, Norfolk Southern staff found original color specs and came as close as possible to the locomotives’ original color shades.

“Designing the locomotives was a dream come true, to bring these locomotives to life again,” he said.

These working engines will neither be consigned to a museum nor put on display. Norfolk Southern chose the July Fourth holiday to unveil the engines because demand for them was light during that week due to the traditional coal miners’ holiday.

The working locomotives have returned to service.

Fans are already watching for them as they pull their daily loads around the country and are posting their sightings on a variety of websites and Facebook pages.

According to Moorman, visitors came to the event from 39 states, Canada and abroad.

In a related event, on Saturday, July 7, the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Va., will unveil the refurbished Norfolk & Western 1776 locomotive, which was painted in a star-spangled color scheme to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial in 1976 and has just been restored to its original luster.

To view a slideshow of photos from the Heritage festival visit wp-content/gallery/norfolk-southern-heritage-locomotives

Turner finds dream job as museum historian

Catherine — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:01:11 +0000

By Teri Saylor

Walking through the North Carolina Transportation Museum’s 57-acre campus at a leisurely pace is good exercise, but when the museum’s historian, Walter Turner hits top speeds in his smooth, rapid stride, the light workout becomes an all out training session.

Turner, who is tall and fit, doesn’t slack off when it comes to giving tours of the planes, trains and automobiles spread throughout the museum’s vast territory, including the back shop, the flue shop, the Bob Julian Roundhouse, Barber Junction and all of the outdoor exhibits, not to mention a 25-minute train ride around the entire museum site.

To give such tours is a dream come true for Turner, born in Winston-Salem, a fifth generation Tarheel who grew up in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

“My dad loved history and would regale the family with history,” Turner said. “He taught me the value of history, and the value of conversations.”

Turner earned his undergraduate degree in history from Methodist College in Fayetteville and a Master’s in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Inspired by a desire to travel and to help people, Turner entered the Peace Corps, working in Manila in the Philippines. He went on the serve as the director of social services in Anson County and as a travel agent.

By 1995, Turner had been out of school for 30 years, and was feeling burned out.

“I wasn’t meant to be an administrator,” he says.

He began a three year transition into a role that has kept him happy.

And busy.

He started writing about transportation, and in 1998 went to work at the N.C. Transportation Museum in fundraising and development, two years after a large restoration project had wrapped up. In 2000 he became the museum’s historian.

“I really love the creativity involved,” he says. “I love working with visuals, and it is thrilling to do original research.”

He has written several books including Paving Tobacco Road: A Century of Progress by the North Carolina Department of Transportation; Waterways to the World, The Story of the North Carolina Ports Authority; and Development of Streetcar Systems in North Carolina.

He’s at work now on a book about Corbett Trucking Company of Henderson in collaboration with other writers.

“My father loved trains,” he says. “And I grew up loving trains.”

In the Transportation Museum’s early days, Turner found a home among the trains in the Transportation Museum’s early days.

The historic institution was established as a railroad museum in 1983, six years after Southern Railroad donated four acres of land and three buildings to the state of North Carolina. Additional historic buildings and more land were donated in 1979.

The N.C. Transportation Museum’s history, posted on its website, describes how the museum came to be.

J.P. Morgan, Southern Railway Company’s owner, chose a site in Rowan County for his Southern Railway Company’s largest steam locomotive servicing facility, midway between the railroad’s major terminal points of Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Ga.

Construction of the shops began in 1896, and they were named in honor of the first president of Southern Railway, Samuel Spencer.

During its peak, Spencer Shops employed nearly 3,000 people, which directly and indirectly provided most of the jobs for the towns of Spencer, East Spencer and other surrounding Rowan County communities.

With the advent of the diesel locomotive, Spencer Shops went into decline. The repair facility closed in 1960, but the freight yard remained open until the late 1970s.

Over the years, as money was raised through the N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation, the campus is slowly reclaiming the glory that slipped away more than 50 years ago.

The foundation has acquired more than $2 million in transportation artifacts, including trains, airplanes, trolley cars, wagons and automobiles. Foundation members and volunteers donate thousands of hours of labor, restoring the artifacts and operating the museum’s attractions.

“We have around 200 volunteers total,” Turner said. “They are indispensable, and we could not operate the museum without them.”

The Transportation Museum Foundation also has raised $8 million to restore the historic Bob Julian Roundhouse, Barber Junction Depot, turntable, parking lot and bridge. Efforts are underway to secure enough funding to fully restore the backshop.

Turner stands at the backshop’s entrance and gesturing toward a cavernous landscape, points out an artist’s rendering of what the backshop could be if money was available.

Work is being done in stages, as funding becomes available, according to Turner.

The Transportation Museum is part of the Historic Sites section of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. As the N.C. General Assembly has cut funding to state agencies, the museum has had to slow down its renovation process.

“We’re working on moving toward of being more self-sufficient,” Turner says. “But we still try to secure funding from the General Assembly. Funding is a concern, but we’re optimistic.”

While the N.C. Transportation Museum is known as a railroad museum nationally, its focus is becoming broader as newer exhibits feature all modes of transportation.

“Today we have a decent auto collection, and we have increased our aviation exhibits,” Turner said. “But we are also continuing to grow our railroad artifacts.”

Turner may be called a “historian,” but he’s excited about the future too.

“The museum is not just about the musty past, but the present and future too,” he says. “For instance, the Charlotte light rail system is so exciting. I was there the first day it opened. There is tremendous potential for freight and passenger trains to work together.”

The museum entertains 100,000 visitors a year, according to Turner, but he wants more.

“I’d like to see us triple that,” he says. “Transportation continues to be important in our society, and here at the N.C. Transportation Museum, we are helping to educate the next generation.”