The Historic Railcars Are Home!

In May 2022, ten historic railcars were relocated from the Harris Nuclear Plant and transported five miles along public roadways to their new home at the North Carolina Railway Museum/New Hope Valley Railway. The railcars are now situated in the rail yard, where they await future restoration. You can watch video highlights of the first day’s move—including one of the two cabooses and a flatcar—on our YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to the Triangle Train New Hope Valley Railway channel to see more.

Read more about the historic cars in Duke Energy’s Illumination newsletter.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who supported our Save the 10 project, helping us raise nearly $200,000, including $50,000 in state appropriations. Restoration and preservation of these historic railcars is now underway, and we continue to welcome donations (see below).

History of the Save the Ten Project

Less than five miles from the North Carolina Railway Museum (NCRM)—home of the New Hope Valley Railway (NHVR)—ten historic railroad cars sat on a disconnected siding at Duke Energy’s Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. To save them from the scrap yard, our all-volunteer railway raised the necessary funds and relocated all ten cars to the museum’s rail yard in spring 2022. This effort followed an earlier acquisition in the mid-1990s, when NCRM obtained four additional railroad cars that were stored at Shearon Harris until they, too, could be moved to the museum grounds.
Following the events of 9/11, plant security restrictions prevented us from accessing our railcars at the site until late 2019. When NCRM volunteers were finally able to visit the four museum-owned cars that fall, they learned that Duke Energy also had six additional railroad cars available for donation—provided we could cover the cost of moving them. Plans to relocate the cars were soon disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Nearly all NHVR rides that season were canceled, and those that did operate were limited to just 30% capacity. Because most of our revenue comes from train ride ticket sales, the result was significant financial losses that quickly depleted our reserve funds.

Below are the 10 railroad cars that were moved to the NCRM rail yard. Items 1-4 are owned by NCRM and are in weathered condition but restorable. Items 5 and 6 were owned by Duke Energy and donated to NCRM.

1. Historic ex-Pullman Sleeper (Calais/Alexandria) – Built in 1916, originally named Calais and later renamed Alexandria. In the late 1940s it was acquired by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and converted into a foreman/cook car for maintenance trains. One end was later modified to resemble an observation car—reportedly so it could appear in a movie featuring a presidential candidate giving a speech from the rear platform.
2. Atlantic Coast Line Baggage-Express Car – Once used to carry luggage, baggage, and mail on passenger trains. Its open interior makes it a strong candidate for future use as a museum display space.
3. Ex-Pullman Baggage/RPO Car – Built in the 1910s for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, later acquired by the original Norfolk Southern Railway and converted into a camp car for maintenance crews. Outfitted with bunk beds, seating, a kitchen, and restroom, this car once operated with the NS #711 crane tender car now at NCRM.
4. Hi-Cube Tall Boxcar – Believed to be one of the last surviving Chesapeake & Ohio 60-foot high-cube plug door boxcars retaining its original paint.
5. Two Cabooses (Duke Energy) – Saved from scrapping, both are in solid condition. Outfitted with amenities such as a kitchen, air conditioning, bathroom, and generator, they once served Carolina Power & Light (now Duke Energy). NCRM plans to restore and eventually use them in NHVR operations.
6. Four Flatcars (Duke Energy) – Also slated for scrap, these unique depressed-center cars were used by Duke Energy for specialized plant operations in North Carolina. In the future, NCRM may convert them for passenger service on the Triangle’s Train.

Each railcar was carefully lifted by crane onto a flatbed truck, transported five miles to the NCRM rail yard, and then transferred from the truck onto museum tracks with a second crane.

For questions about the Save the Ten project, please contact us at info@triangletrain.com, and one of our volunteers will be happy to assist.

How to Donate

The NCRM is now restoring and preserving these railcars and cabooses. Anyone can donate by:

1. Mail a check (avoid processing fees) to:

North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc. P.O. Box 40 New Hill, NC 27562 Attn: Save the Ten Please note “Save the Ten” in the memo portion of your check.

2. Make an online donation via Network For Good link

Please click the Donate Now to make your online donation!