Tarheel Telegrapher July 2026

Volume 66 – Issue 7                                                                  1 July 2026

From the Brass Hat
Happy 4th of July! As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we will have a special ride on July 1st. Our little 25 Ton GE #10 will greet visitors to the property decorated for the occasion. Check out the special 250th banner Scott Smith installed on the egg shack sign pole near the motor car house. We will not be operating on the 4th itself, so enjoy the day with family and friends. It’s always hot around here on the 4th, but this year may be a bit dangerous with temps expected to reach over 100, so please be safe.
Later this month on the 25th we will be hosting Steam Shop Saturday. The Engine 17 rebuild project takes center stage and will be the featured attraction. The day will offer the public a chance to come out and learn about the locomotive, what it takes to put a steam engine back together and recent accomplishments. Importantly it will also be a chance to donate to the cause. More information about this and other upcoming events is in this issue of the Telegrapher.
Finally on a sad note we lost another Bonsal legend this past month. Chris Boli passed peacefully on June 10th. Chris was a tireless worker and a principal member of our maintenance of way team for many years until he was not able to do as much physically. He was also a regular brakeman often found on the end of car 201. He will be greatly missed. For those that have asked, there will not be a formal service, however the family has asked that donations be sent to the North Carolina Railway Museum in his name. Later this fall, in cooperation with Chris’ family we do expect to have a track side gathering and a spreading of ashes. Look for an announcement to be made.
That’s all for this month. As always, thank you for what you do for our museum.
-John
John Morck, President, NCRM

[On 30 June, John retired from his full-time job after a long and fruitful career. Please congratulate him on this milestone accomplishment. Hopefully, he can get some rest, run a few trains and have more fun! – ed]

Get to Know a Member – by Tom Hutchinson

Name: Leon Lucas

How long have you been a member? Since April 2005 (Lifetime Member)

Where are you originally from? I grew up on a small farm in northeast NC near the small historical town of Halifax.

What was your job in real life? I attended NC State University and obtained a BS degree in Agriculture in 1964. I went to graduate school at the University of California at Davis to study and do research on plant diseases. I obtained a PhD in 1968.

I returned to NCSU as a faculty member in the Plant Pathology Department and worked in Extension, Research and Teaching on diseases of forage crops and turfgrasses for 30 years. After retiring I worked as the Agronomist for the Carolinas Golf Association throughout NC and SC helping to solve turfgrass problems on golf courses for 17 years.

Where do you live now (City & State only)? Apex, NC

Any family…Spouse, Kids, grandkids? My wife Joy and I have two children and two grandchildren. Lynn recently moved back from Charleston, SC, to near Chapel Hill. She has two children. Our son Brad lives near Appleton, Wisconsin, and works in pulp and paper research for Georgia Pacific.

How did you become interested in trains? I became interested in trains when I used to see Atlantic Coast Line trains go through small nearby towns in the 1950s. I was fascinated by the Purple and Silver Florida Special trains that went from New York to Florida. New diesel engines had recently replaced the steam engines.

How did you learn about the New Hope Valley Railway? I learned about NHVR as I passed by often when I visited a friend that lived across the tracks from the MOW yard. I stopped by one day and joined.

What has been your favorite activity at the New Hope Valley Railway? I have enjoyed working in the parking lot parking cars and welcoming customers, renovating the lot and helping to maintain the grasses. Helping to establish the garden railroad at the State Fair and being in charge of running it for about 12 years was also rewarding. It was good to see the children being excited about watching the trains and seeing many of them return year after year.

If you do not receive the operating crew calls, please contact the Kevin the crew caller if you are interested in participating in train operations! We need all the help we can get to keep the trains running safely.

WHERE ARE YOU?
Just a quick reminder from your friendly editor: If you move to a new mailing address or change your email address, PLEASE let the Membership Committee know as soon as possible! Tom or Luke

Welcome to new members Andrew Goldstein, Joshua and Rachel Eller, Bob Vokac and May Huang, Mark Stevens, Clarett Kevin-Damm, David Thompson. Current members, please welcome anyone you don’t know and make them feel at home. Explain what you do for the Museum and teach them how it is done
so they get a feel for things. Start their training early!

Last Run – Chris Boli
We are sad to announce the passing of our long-time member, Chris Boli. Chris R. Boli, 83, of Chapel Hill, NC, passed away peacefully on June 10, 2026. Chris was born September 22, 1942, in Greenville, OH, to Bernard and Helen Ream Boli. He graduated from Piqua Central High School, Class of 1960, before earning his Bachelor’s degree in Geology at Purdue University and joining the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. After completing his service, he returned to Purdue to earn a Master’s degree in Agronomy. Because he deeply loved his time in Sierra Leone, he moved back to work for Sierra Rutile Ltd. for 22 years. In 1994, the escalation of the Sierra Leone Civil War forced Chris and his colleagues to escape the country. He relocated to Piqua to care for his father until his father’s passing, later moving to Chapel Hill to be closer to the rest of his family. Chris followed one of his true passions by volunteering as an Assistant Roadmaster, Brakeman, and Board Member with the New Hope Valley Railway until he could no longer walk the rails.
Chris is survived by his sister, Susan Phillippi (William); his niece, Jennifer Norris (Jon); his great-nephew, Jackson Norris; and his late niece’s husband, Louis DeLozier, as well as many cousins and extended relatives. He was preceded in death by his parents; his niece, Andrea Thomas; and his brother-in-law, Jon Thomas.
A scattering of ashes will take place in the fall. Donations sent to the NC Railway Museum, P.O. Box 40, New Hill, NC 27562, in Chris’s memory are appreciated.
[Chris’ long service to our Museum and his deep friendship to many of us will be sorely missed. -ed]

NC State Fair is Approaching – Volunteers Needed – by Tom Hutchinson
The 2025 North Carolina State Fair will be held from October 15-25, 2026. For many years, the New Hope Valley Railway has operated a garden railway in the Horticulture section of the fair. Given the timing of the Fair, this is a prime opportunity to advertise our Halloween and Christmas rides which generate a substantial portion of our annual revenue.

Volunteers are needed to staff the garden railway again this year. A couple of our “regulars” from prior years have either moved away or have had to retire due to health issues, so some new volunteers will be needed this year. I need to get the list of volunteers to the State Fair by early September.

We operate from 9:30 am until 8:30 pm every full day of the fair with two shifts…each 5-6 hours long. You don’t have to have experience with garden railroading to volunteer. Newbies will always be paired with an experienced
garden railroad operator, and we also have published helpful hints for volunteers. The primary duty of our volunteers is to interact with the thousands of people who stop by our exhibit…answering questions about our museum and letting them know about the fun they can have on our rides. Pre-printed rack cards are available for volunteers to hand out to visitors. With two volunteers for each shift, there are times for bathroom and food breaks.

In addition to the fun of interacting with our visitors, you get free admission to the Fair and are welcome to roam the fairgrounds before or after your volunteer shift. You will also get a pass on your volunteer day for free parking, a valuable perk. We use a computerized sign-up sheet so that you can see which shifts are available and choose times which fit your schedule (also recognizing that we have Halloween rides during both Saturdays of the Fair).

If you did not volunteer last year and are interested in volunteering this year, or if you have any questions, please contact Tom Hutchinson by the end of July and you will be added to our email communications regarding our Fair display. If you volunteered last year, Tom will contact you in early August.

Member Reminder: Enjoy Complimentary Train Rides
One of the many benefits of membership is the opportunity to ride most of our regular-season trains at no additional cost!
Whether you haven’t visited the railway in a while, happen to be on-site when a train is boarding, or are looking for a fun activity to share with visiting family and friends, we encourage you to take advantage of your membership and climb aboard.
All membership levels include complimentary train rides for the member and one accompanying guest on a space-available basis during our regular-season operations. Please note that this benefit does not apply to Hop Into Spring, Halloween, or Santa Express rides.
To help us maintain accurate passenger records and ensure everyone on board is accounted for, we ask that all off-duty members obtain complimentary tickets from the Ticket Office before boarding the train. Even when riding free, every passenger must have a ticket.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to seeing you at the railway soon!

Supporting our Membership recruitment
We typically share at least one social media post each month inviting new members to join us. The photos from a recent Wednesday work session were too good not to feature, and they provided the perfect opportunity to recognize and thank our volunteers for all they do. Many other members were also hard at work that day—they just managed to avoid the photographer!

Volunteers in Action!
These photos were taken during a recent work session, where our volunteers were busy preserving railroad history! From restoring beloved steam locomotive #17 and the circa 1884 Goldston Depot, to preparing our Pullman car for future exhibits, completing work on a new caboose, shining up #308 for her upcoming birthday celebration, and adding the finishing touches to #10’s America 250th Birthday livery—there’s no shortage of projects underway.
Join our volunteer team or make a donation to support these ongoing restoration efforts. Come be part of the action or help fund the action.

 

 

TGI F-Ride Day Was a Success!
On Friday, June 5, we hosted our inaugural TGI F-Ride Day, with train departures at 5:30pm and 7:00pm. Guests were treated to live music from the Triangle Sax Ensemble while MoonRunners, YoYo Froyo, and Thirsty Skull Brewing served delicious food and beverages throughout the evening. The event was well attended, with a total of 372 riders across both departures. Food and beverage service began at 4:30pm, which is earlier than our normal schedule, and many guests took advantage of the opportunity to come straight from work to eat dinner before boarding the train.
Even with the summer heat, many visitors lingered in the railyard before and after their rides, enjoying great food, frozen yogurt, and craft beer, playing cornhole, listening to live music, and spending time with family and friends.
We added TGI F-Ride Day to our 2026 schedule to gauge if there would be interest in an after-work train experience, and the response was an enthusiastic yes! We look forward to making this a recurring annual event and including it in our 2027 schedule.
Thanks to everyone who came out to make this event a success!

Steam Shop Saturday will be July 25!
Steam Shop Saturday will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2026, with rides at 10:30am and 12:30pm.
Before and after each ride, members of the Steam Crew will be available to talk with guests about what it takes to operate a steam locomotive. They’ll share interesting facts, behind-the-scenes insights, and a few stories from the shop, while also answering questions from riders.
A steam workday will be happening throughout the event, giving guests a chance to safely observe our volunteers as they continue hands-on restoration work on Locomotive #17 and move the project forward.
Guests will also receive a handout featuring steam locomotive facts along with a QR code for donations supporting the restoration effort.

Food and beverages will be available on site from Will & Pop’s, JAM Ice Cream, and True Vine Coffee.
Proceeds from Steam Shop Saturday directly support the ongoing repairs of #17 and help bring us closer to returning steam to the railroad. If you’re curious about the progress of #17 or have always wanted to learn more about our historic steam engine, join us at the NHV on July 25.

[17 is not birthing Mike! He is exiting the boiler after an inspection ~2015. Working steam is never easy! – ed]

NCRM Membership Drive By Tom Hutchinson
As an all-volunteer organization, we are only able to engage with the public through our volunteers. And as the old saying goes, “Many Hands Make Light Work”. The more active volunteers we have, the better we are able to operate our rides and other associated exhibits without an undue burden falling on a few people.
Our volunteers are also members of our museum…and our best membership recruiting tool is our existing members. We all have friends, business contacts, belong to other organizations, etc. With this in mind we are offering a new member recruitment incentive to our existing members, effective from the publishing of this article through October 15. Through the efforts of Marco Zarate, we have obtained two $100 Food Lion Gift Certificates, one $50 Food Lion certificate and a $50 gift certificate from Red Robin restaurant as membership recruiting incentives to our existing members. (Thanks to Food Lion for their generous donation.)

Here is how it will work:
• Between now and October 15, any new member recruited through the efforts of an existing member will result in the existing member receiving one “entry” into a drawing for one of the gift certificates. Recruit one new
member, get one entry. Two members…two entries…and so on. Youth members, adult members and senior members recruited will each count the same. If a family is recruited, only those 14 years of age or older will
count; a Family membership of a married couple with a ten-year-old child thus counts as two entries.
• How will we know which existing member to credit? When a new member joins, I contact them with a welcoming letter, and I will ask them if they heard about us through one of our existing members (so if you have a
friend join, let them know to let me know). Also, as a cross-check, if you “recruit” someone, let me know via email  and I will watch for their application.
• On October 16, I will accumulate all of the entries credited to each existing member. The member recruiting the most new members will receive one of the $100 Food Lion gift certificates. If there is a tie for most new members
recruited, one of our Board members will draw for the winner of that gift certificate from among the members tied for the lead. The remaining $100 certificate, as well as the other two $50 certificates will be awarded through
a random drawing of all of the entries, other than the winner of the first $100 certificate. Thus, the more new members you recruit, the more entries you receive into the drawing, increasing your chances of winning a
prize.
• Since as Membership Chair I am administering this incentive, I will not receive an entry for any new member I recruit and will not be eligible for any incentive.
• I will provide the winners with their certificates at the completion of the drawing. Winners will be published in the November Telegrapher.
We currently have approximately 250 members and would like to reach 300 by the time of our Annual meeting in January, 2027. Also, our goal is to convert the majority of these new members into active volunteers at our museum.
If you have any questions, please contact Tom Hutchinson.

Rail Patriotism – USA Semiquincentennial Locomotives
These photos were gathered by some of our members from the internet and passed on to the editor.

            

Our Duke Energy locomotive #10 is all dressed up for America’s 250th birthday. Thanks to Tom Snyder for the idea and the work to make it all come true on short notice and a small budget. He got the loco and surrounding area cleaned up and looking like a million bucks. With a little money and some hard work,
we could have this little “critter” running again… Wouldn’t our OAL (Operate A Loco) customers love a chance to run this tiny engine!?

 

Happy 250th Birthday USA Ride July 1st 2026