Volume 66 – Issue 10                                1 October 2026

From the Brass Hat
After almost a month of travel, I’m back in the area. Many thanks to our editor who accepted and edited a very brief article for last month’s newsletter. I think at the time of publication I was traveling on the “Nightjet” train from Vienna, Austria to Hamburg, Germany. It was a bucket list experience and am very grateful for having been able to make the trip. We rode 11 express trains over approximately 1,000 miles through 5 countries. Something I will remember.
Speaking of remembering, this month marks the 30th anniversary of our Halloween Trains. This is our largest event next to the Santa trains. We started this October tradition back in 1996! It has definitely evolved a bit over the decades from that first October when it was known as the Halloween Express.
Tickets for those early years were sold only at local hobby shops and it was a one-day event. Always a sellout, it was a hard ticket to obtain. No internet sales back then and come to think of it, no credit card sales either. After several years of running the one-day event, the board decided if we were going to all that effort we should expand, so in the mid 2,000’s it was expanded to multiple weekends.
The decorations evolved as well, but some scenes are timeless classics. Dracula and grave digger at Midway will also be 30 years old along with the Witches Path. Both are family favorites our visitors look forward to every year. Multiple locomotives have pulled the Ghost train which itself is over 20 years old. Over the years one thing that has never changed is the family fun provided by our museum, and most importantly, our volunteers who pull this off. From G Scale, to parking, giftshop, ticketing, actors and train crew everyone is important in this labor heavy event. A big Thank you! in advance for coming out to help. While many visitors are coming for the first time, we have been an annual tradition for many. More than once, I have had a visitor tell me that their parents first brought them to NCRM as a child and now they are bringing their own children.
This week our Halloween crew caller Chris Tilley sent out his first 2 requests for volunteers. Please take a moment to look at the dates and respond for any dates you are able to help out. This is a large event and takes many helpers to pull off successfully. For the newer members, this is a fun event to work, especially when darkness falls and the decorations look their best. I never get tired of seeing the singing pumpkins. Please consider helping out in the parking lot. With the larger crowds, it’s vital that the lot is organized to maximize our space.
Last month we held two days of our successful Thomas in the Garden weekend. It was a showcase event for our G Scale division, showing off the 2026 improvements to the layout. Another new item was the test and addition of caboose 1190 to the train. For those that have not seen inside, Tom Kreuzinger and crew have done an amazing job renovating the Family Lines caboose into a flexible rental space. Many thanks to Mike MacLean and Luke Sullivan for finishing and testing the brakes to get the caboose road worthy. This year our train will feature three cabooses in the consist.
One final item, don’t forget to vote in the board elections. Ballots are in this month’s Telegrapher and will be counted early in November.
That’s all for now. As always, thanks for what you do for the NCRM!
-John
John Morck, President, NCRM
[Sadly, I was never able to get one of those rare early tickets! – ed]

Get to Know a Member – by Tom Hutchinson

Name: Velinda Chapman

How long have you been a member? Since November 2024

Where are you originally from? Goldsboro, NC. I’m an Air Force Brat!

What was your job in real life? I started out as a veterinary technician and dog groomer, then joined the Navy where I became an Avionics Tech (1st class) and eventually a Navy Nurse (LT). After military retirement, I became a Nurse Educator specializing in healthcare simulation.

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

Any family…Spouse, Kids, grandkids? Three adult children and one granddaughter, MacKenzie, the sunshine of my life 🙂

How did you become interested in trains? My dad loved trains, both full-size and model. I carried on that family tradition of having model trains and taking train rides whenever possible. I rode the Amtrak from Raleigh to Orlando for Navy boot camp!

How did you learn about the New Hope Valley Railway? My dad told me about the railway museum back in the 1990’s. When I inherited his collection and fully retired, I came out to learn more about us in the Garden Railroad.

What has been your favorite activity at the New Hope Valley Railway? That is an impossible question to answer! So many options and each has unique rewards. Of course, the Garden RR was my first favorite, while my current favorite is being a docent for the Railroad Post Office. It has a rich history and can be considered the centerpiece of the Railway Museum. Being a crew member is also fun for interacting with passengers while performing crew duties and riding the train.

If you do not receive the operating crew calls, please contact the crew caller Chris 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 usually friendly editor: If you change your email address, PLEASE let the Membership Committee know as soon as possible! Tom or Luke

Welcome to new members: Casey Bowman.
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! Speaking of new members…

Halloween Trains are nearly here – by Chris Tilley, Crew Caller
We are NINE days out from our first Halloween Train day as of the date of publication of this issue. The Crew Calls were issued on 26 September in the early evening by email. If you did not receive the calls for Halloween A+B+C (all the Saturday rides) and Wednesday 14 October, please call me or by email so we can figure out how to get them into your hands before it is too late.

Crew Meals During Halloween & Santa Trains – by Juli Buker
We’re happy to announce that NCRM will be providing crew meals during Halloween Track or Treat and Santa Express train days this year!
We’re grateful for all the hard work, long days, and dedication our volunteers put in, and we want to make sure everyone stays well-fed and ready to keep things rolling.

How It Works
Food truck schedules and menus are available here: https://streetfoodfinder.com/NewHopeValleyRailway
At each ride, the two food trucks serving entrees will participate in the crew meal program. Dessert and coffee trucks are not included, but you’re welcome to purchase from those vendors on your own.
Meal tickets will be available next to the sign-in sheet at the Dispatch Office and at the Safety Meeting. Please take a ticket for the food truck you would like to order from.
Train crew: You can place your order when the food trucks open, generally between 1:00pm and 1:30pm. Crew meals should be ready around 5:30pm, when the 4:45pm train returns. Someone will pick up the crew meals and take them to the shelter for you, so you can head there when your train responsibilities are done.
Halloween actors along the tracks / Ghost train crew: Check with the WitchMaster or Conductor to see if TrackDash will be available to deliver food to you.
Beer Vendors
We’ll also have beer vendors on select dates:
• October 10: Thirsty Skull Brewing
• October 23: Hugger Mugger Brewing
Crew members are welcome to enjoy these vendors after the rides are complete and after changing out of your NHVR uniform. Beer purchases are not included with the crew meals, and crew members are responsible for paying for their own beer.
Thank you for everything you do for NCRM and New Hope Valley Railway! Your time and dedication make these events possible, and we truly appreciate you.

Membership Dues Renewal – by Tom Hutchinson
The membership of all annual members who joined prior to 2024 will expire on December 31, 2026. Our membership system will automatically generate e-mail renewal reminder notices (if we have your email address in our system) for next year’s dues. The first renewal reminder should be sent to you in early November.
Subsequent reminders will occur in early December, at year-end and also in late January. Members who have not renewed by the end of February will be placed in a “lapsed” category for further follow-up.

If you are a Lifetime Member, you will not receive these dues reminders.

If your annual membership is expiring at December 31, 2026, you have several options to renew your membership for 2027. When you receive the dues reminder from the system, it will provide you a link to access your membership record on-line, where you may pay your 2027 dues by credit card. Or you can mail your renewal check to NCRM Membership, PO Box 40, New Hill, NC 27562 and put a note on the “memo” line for the type of dues. You can pay also your dues the good old-fashioned way in cash to Tom Hutchinson of the Membership Committee. Check or cash can also be used if you do not have an email account and therefore did not receive the automated reminder.

Annual Dues are $30 for members aged 18-59 and $20 for Senior members and Youth members. Family memberships are $50 per year.

If you misplace the membership renewal reminder email from the system (or it went to your Spam folder and was deleted), and you wish to pay for your renewal by credit card, you can also access the membership system and pay your 2027 dues using the following link which will direct you to access your member profile:

https://northcarolinarailwaymuseuminc.wildapricot.org

As sometimes computerized dues renewals can be confusing, if you have any questions or problems, please contact Tom Hutchinson.

Charter on November 20 for Carolina Charter Academy – by Juli Buker
We have a private charter scheduled for Thursday, November 20, for the 5th grade classes from Carolina Charter Academy. The group is currently expecting approximately 110 students and 16 adults, although those numbers may increase as the date approaches.
The group has requested a 10:30am train ride and will also be visiting the Garden Railroad. Jim Jatko will provide Museum tours before and after the train ride.
Tentative schedule:
• 9:30am: Group arrival
• 9:35am: Groups split — half Museum tour / half Garden Railroad
• 10:05am: Bathroom break
• 10:20am: Board the train
• 10:30am: Train ride to New Hill and back
• 11:25am: Approximate return and disembark
• 11:30am: Groups split — half Museum tour / half Garden Railroad and lunch
• 12:00pm: Second Museum tour ends; lunch continues at the Garden Railroad
• 12:45pm: Group departure
Please “save the date” for this charter. With more than 100 students expected, we’ll need a good crew of volunteers to help make this a successful and enjoyable visit for the students

Thomas and his Friends in the Garden – by Tom Hutchinson
On September 12 and 13, we welcomed 1031 riders to our annual Thomas and His Friends in the Garden event. Two rides were sold out, and we averaged over 80% capacity over the five weekend rides. This was about the same attendance as last year; this event has become one of our most successful non-holiday events.
Children lined the fence around the garden railway with excitement and each received a Thomas-themed ticker. The following Thomas-themed locos ran, pulling appropriate consists: Thomas, Percy, James, Toby, Emily and Paxton.

Here are a few pictures:

NCRM Membership Drive: Reminder – By Tom Hutchinson
A reminder…we are offering a new member recruitment incentive to our existing members, effective 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. Particular thanks go to Food Lion for their generous donation.
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. Since sometimes a new member may not let us know if he/she was recruited by an existing member, please let me know if through your efforts a new member has joined.
If you have any questions, or you want to make sure you get proper credit for recruiting a new member, please contact Tom Hutchinson.

NHV Training Day 26 September was a Success – by Chris Tilley
It was a great pleasure to have 15 members present for the final Rules & Safety Annual Training class for 2026. Most of them were New Members! Thanks to the trainers and all the students for coming. We now have some new folks to help run our trains. They will make things easier and smoother on train ride days. If you are already a qualified train crewmember, please sign up and join us for Halloween rides and meet the new members.

Welcome Our Newest Sponsors: Royalwood Associates, Inc. and Jack of All Trades by George – By Marco A. Zarate, Fundraising Committee Co-Chair
We are delighted to welcome our newest sponsors at the Partner Sponsor level – Royalwood Associates, Inc, and Jack of All Trades by George at the Business Supporter Sponsor level.
At the North Carolina Railway Museum, our ability to serve the community relies on our partners and sponsors who support our efforts to share and preserve North Carolina railroad history.

Royalwood Associates, Inc. has generously contributed 1,400 SF of high-end resilient rubber as the main-floor finished flooring of our 116-year old Goldston Depot, which will be a centerpiece of the North Carolina Railway Museum, currently being restored in our campus. Royalwood began operation in 1982 as a specialty flooring subcontractor primarily to the commercial construction trade. For four decades it has specialized in high-end flooring installations from gymnasiums in all levels of education…college/universities to elementary schools, public and private health and athletic facilities, venues for musical and entertainment centers, church sanctuaries, and family centers. Royalwood’s business growth has been fueled by its high-quality products and expert installation reputation. Projects range from construction in large urban sectors to rural areas throughout Virginia, North, and South Carolina. Installations and product donations to nonprofit museums and other organizations are a part of Royalwood’s charitable activities.
Jack of All Trades by George contributed to this year’s renovation project of Duke Energy locomotive #10 by providing all beautiful graphic design to dress up #10 for America’s 250th birthday. On July 1st during our “Happy 250th, America!” event, we introduced our Locomotive #10 to our visitors at Bonsal with its latest look!
Jack of All Trades by George was created and opened in 2004 byGeorge and Tambra (both born and raised in North Carolina) providing a personalized approach at building custom mobile designs with a cooperative mindset. Early years of production primarily focused on home repairs, RVs, food trucks, and vehicles. As time went by, a wide variety of services were added to include such solutions as wraps, upfits, renovations and more for anything mobile.
Please join us in giving a warm welcome and huge thank you to Royalwood Associates, Inc and Jack of All Trades by George as 2026 sponsors of our organization! We look forward to a successful partnership and encourage our members to support them!

Time to Sign Up for Extra Holiday Roles! – by Juli Buker
Our holiday rides are quickly approaching, which means it’s time to start planning for all of our special supporting-character (off-train) roles!
Halloween
We’ll have some different faces stepping into familiar roles this year, and we still have a few spots to fill.
Dracula: Will Hobbs will be our Dracula for the last three rides, but we still need someone to take on the role for the October 10 ride.
Grave Digger: Bubba Chason will be our Grave Digger for the Saturday rides, but we still need a Grave Digger for Friday, October 23.
Flying Witch: Clarett Kevin-Damm and Lilly MacNell have graciously volunteered to step into the Flying Witch role that Gina Casselberry has masterfully played for so many years. We could still accommodate a couple of ground-based witches for each day. Contact Gina for details if interested.
WitchMaster: Chris Tilley will continue as our WitchMaster and unfortunate victim, but he would like someone willing to be trained for this role in case he is unable to attend one of the rides. (Special flight safety training required)
Headless Brakeman: Jim Meade will continue to be our amazing Headless Brakeman.
I’m also expecting the Green Level High School Honor Society students who helped us with Working on the Railroad Day to join us again this year. We could use their help both in the rail yard and as Witches at the Witches’ Path.
Christmas
Santa: Paul Barth and Keith Rutledge are reprising the Santa role this year, but we’d love to have another Santa for December 13.
Christmas Elf: We’d love to get Jim Meade some help with his Christmas Elf duties, so we are looking for some volunteers to help with this role.
Greeter: We also need someone to hand out 2027 schedules, I Spy cards, and crayons/pencils to our guests. Anita Hussey has signed up for one shift each day, so we are looking for someone to sign up for the other shift.
Sign Up to Help!
If you’d like to be part of the fun, we have two Signup Genius pages where you can select the dates you’re available:
Halloween:
Sign Up for Halloween Roles
Christmas:
Sign Up for Christmas Roles
Thank you to everyone who helps make these special events possible! These supporting roles add so much to the experience for our guests, and we truly appreciate everyone who is willing to lend a hand and help bring our holiday rides to life!

NCRM Board of Directors Election 2026 – by Kyle Obermiller
It’s that time of year again, and I’d like to encourage all eligible NCRM members to take a few minutes to participate in this year’s Board of Directors election. The ballot is included with this issue of the Telegrapher. Please take a moment to read through the candidate biographies, make your selections, sign your ballot, and
return it by November 4, 2026 [mail or hand carry- ed]. The Board plays an important role in helping guide the Museum, but just as importantly, the NCRM depends on the ideas, time, and involvement of its members. If you’ve ever thought about getting more involved or putting your experience to work for the Museum, I encourage you to consider running for the Board in a future election.

Around the Yard (and the local area)

Green Dragon is the “Last Man Standing”. Looks like the Orange Dragon was defeated and driven into exile since last Halloween.

What If You Had a Medical Emergency? – by Kevin Edwards
Members, as our organization continues to grow and evolve, more and more of us are spending more and more time at the railyard and unfortunately, accidents and medical emergencies do happen. We need to be prepared if something does happen to YOU or one of your co-workers.
The Rules and Safety Committee needs YOUR help in BEING PREPARED. We need to create a file of Emergency Contact information that would be used ONLY in the event of a TRUE MEDICAL EMERGENCY. This information would be kept under LOCK and KEY in the Dispatch office and ONLY accessible by members of the organization that have been approved by the Superintendent and Executive Staff of the BOD. At this time, the submission of this information is voluntary, however some consideration is being given to requiring this information be on file for anyone that works on NCRM property. This is STRICTLY for the safety of YOU and your fellow members. We ask that you complete the form attached in this newsletter and return it to the President, Vice President, Superintendent or Chairman of the rules and Safety Committee.
You may also put the form in a SEALED envelope and place it in the Rules and Safety mail slot in the Dispatch Office. I cannot stress enough that this information will be considered CONFIDENTIAL and ONLY accessed in the event of a medical emergency. If you have any questions and/or concerns please speak with the Superintendent or the Rules and Safety Chairman.

Thank you,
Kevin Edwards, Vice-President, NCRM
Chairman, Rules and Safety Committee
[Note: the questions on the following form are likely to be asked by EMT personnel when the ambulance arrives. If you are unable to respond to them, it would be in your best interest if we could provide that information. -ed]

NC Railway Museum Emergency Contact Information