Volume 66 – Issue 2 February 1, 2026
From the Brass Hat
Welcome to real winter. As I write this, we have had one freezing rain event and may be hit with another. On January 17th we held our annual meeting and were very pleased at the turnout. It was a new location this year, held at the Gather Station. Attendees heard updates from committee chairs and project leads, listened to the annual financial report and got the chance to bid on a few items in the silent auction. All in all, it went very well. While the annual meeting is a time to learn what is going on at your museum, it is also, importantly, a social function. A time for fellowship and to come together away from the rail yard. For some folks, it is the only time they are able to connect with the organization.
Many thanks to Juli Buker for sending out the post meeting survey. We are all covered up with surveys these days, but many took the time to leave thoughtful comments. I take the feedback seriously. It will really help us as we plan the next event to make sure the meeting is tailored to what you, the membership, want to learn about. Gather Station is a beautiful facility, and it supports our growing partnership with that organization, but like anything new there were a few hiccups to overcome. It was a learning experience for both us and our hosts.
Some of the comments concerned the borrowed sound. We can improve upon that and perhaps room layout. Compared to years gone by, most felt the length was about right, but we can address that too. We were curious if folks wanted a luncheon speaker like the old days. The answer was a pretty strong no (unless its entertaining). Many found the location very convenient, especially for our members that must travel a significant distance to attend. We will take all of this feedback into consideration for next time.
You can read the complete summary in this edition of the Telegrapher. Mark down the third Saturday in January 2027 for next year’s meeting.
I was pleased to see new members attend the meeting. As we enter the maintenance and project season, this is a reminder to make them feel welcome. Help them to figure out how to help us! There is plenty to do as we get ready for another year. As reported at the meeting, the new rulebooks are in. For operating crew, make sure to pick one up from Dennis Winchell or Kevin Edwards. Plans are underway now for the annual training classes. We recently had an offer of safety training from our TSA contacts.
Look for future announcements regarding that opportunity. That’s about all for this month.
Stay safe in whatever weather hits us and see you at Bonsal.
John Morck
President, NCRM
Get to Know a Member
by Tom Hutchinson
Name: Larry Gustke
How long have you been a member? Since January 2024. I work in the parking lot for train rides, am the liaison with the Apex Chamber of Commerce, I assist the marketing committee, and provide general support for projects, including the new “North-End Platform.”
What was your job in real life? I was a college professor at three universities. The last was NC State, in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management in the College of Forestry. For 28 years I was a marketing and economic development specialist and taught classes in tourism management. In addition, with my graduate students and a colleague, I conducted marketing research for the NC Department of Tourism for 18 years. Also, I was a marketing researcher for Young Strategies, a strategic tourism planning company in Charlotte, NC.
Where do you live now? My wife Nancy and I live in a 100-year-old Sears bungalow, one-block from the Hunter Street – North Salem Street RR crossing and the Apex railyard in Apex, NC.
During the summer, we retreat to the cooler climate of Northern New York along the St. Lawrence River. Our cottage is on four acres on which I run and maintain the Lilac Hill Railroad, a 1500 foot, 1/8 scale railroad. My train consists of an 8 foot-long diesel engine, an engineer’s car, a passenger flat car, a tank car, a stock car, and a bobber caboose.
How did you become interested in trains? Trains have been my love since I was a young lad. I used to walk six blocks from my grandparents’ home to watch my grandfather repair and restore wooden box-cars for the Grand Trunk and Western RR in the Port Huron, Michigan railyard. My fondest memory of the GT&W was accompanying my grandparents on a train ride from Port Huron to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to attend the Toronto Exposition. A second, and as vivid a memory, was walking to the railyard, being placed on my grandfather’s shoulders to have a better vantage point to watch the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus being unloaded by elephants. Watching the elephants and gaffers raise and rig tents was also exciting.
How did you learn about the New Hope Valley Railway? As the membership of the Central Carolina Live Steamers (located on Kelly Rd. in Apex) aged out, a member of CCLS recommended that I join NCRM which has happily continued my love of trains.
What has been your favorite activity at the New Hope Valley Railway? I enjoy working in the parking lot because it gives me a chance to greet visitors and set the stage for their visit to the museum and their train ride.
If you do not receive the operating crew calls, please contact the crew caller (Kevin) if you are interested in participating in train operations! We need all the help we can get to keep the trains running safely.
Hop Into Spring Decorating Lead — DESPERATELY NEEDED!
No experience necessary, just a little creativity and a willingness to hop right in!
We’ve got all the decorations from last year and a handy guide showing exactly where everything went. You can follow last year’s plan or shake things up with a new design! Eggs need to go down the tracks for the “I Spy” game, but everything else is fair game!
Interested in spreading springtime cheer? Please email info@triangletrian.com.
Membership Dues Renewal – PAST DUE
by Tom Hutchinson
The membership of all annual members who joined prior to last year EXPIRED on December 31, 2025. Our membership system automatically generates e-mail renewal reminder notices (if we have your email address in our system) for annual dues. Your last renewal reminder occurred 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 expired at December 31, 2025, you have several options to renew your membership for 2026. When you received the dues reminder from the system, it provided you a link to access your membership record on-line, where you may pay your 2026 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. Or you can pay 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 for 2026 are the same as for 2025: $20 for Student (high school) and Senior (age 60+), $30 for adult (18-59), $50 for Family (2-4 people) and $100 for Silver Meteor (an adult membership with either tickets to a holiday ride or NRHS membership).
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 2026 dues using the following link which will direct you to access your member profile.
As sometimes computerized dues renewals can be confusing, if you have any questions or problems, please contact Tom Hutchinson by clicking here.
I will be following up in February with anyone who has not yet renewed.
NCRM Annual Meeting
by Chris Tilley
As required by our latest bylaws update, the NCRM conducts its annual membership meeting on the third Saturday of January. This year it was on 17 January, and for the first time, held at the Gather Station, itself a non-profit entity. The facility, which resembles a railroad station from years gone by was actually a surveyors’ office, formerly located at the corner of US-64 and Salem Street (now a Ford automobile dealership location).
As an aside, we received a call from the surveyors asking if we wanted that building. Since we had just moved the Goldston Depot to NCRM property the week prior, we responded “No thanks, we already have one.” They laughed out loud.
The meeting began with the annual Rusty Spike ceremony, bestowing the award upon up to three members per year who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the organization over a long period of time. The recipients for 2025 were John Wright, Wayne Mangum (not present) and the late Tim Carroll. Tim’s posthumous award was accepted by his sister Tammy Horton and his nephew Porter Horton.
The regular meeting, with remarks by President John Morck, Secretary Cindy Grau and Treasurer Rob Grau, was followed by reports from several of the committee chairs and project leaders. These detailed accomplishments of the past year and future plans for 2026 and beyond. 
During the latter portion of the business meeting, a fine dinner was served by Angie’s Restaurant from Garner, NC. Our favorite auctioneer, member John Martin, was not available this year, so a scaled-down silent auction was conducted. All proceeds will benefit the NCRM Museum Committee’s projects.
Working on the Railroad Day – April 25 | Volunteers Needed!
by Juli Buker
We’re excited to bring back Working on the Railroad Day, an event last held a decade ago, and we’ll need your help to make it a success!
On April 25, the Working on the Railroad Day exhibits will be open from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, with train rides departing at 10:30 am, 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm.
With less than three months to design and build the exhibits, we are seeking volunteers willing to lead or assist with the creation of one or more exhibits. Velinda Chapman and I have a list of exhibit ideas under consideration, but we are
very open to new suggestions. If you’re interested in helping with pre-event planning and preparation, please reach out to either of us.
On the day of the event, we’ll need help beyond our usual roles (parking, Garden Railroad, ticketing, Gift Shop, train crew, etc.). We need volunteers to serve as docents and help supervise exhibits. So, mark April 25 on your calendar and volunteer to come out and help us bring railroading history to life!
In addition to our NCRM volunteers, the NC Transportation Museum will bring several mobile exhibits, including lantern signals and telegraphs / Morse code displays. Operation Lifesaver will also be participating, and we hope NC RailSafe will be able to join us as well.
This promises to be a fantastic day of hands-on, educational fun that directly supports our mission to educate current and future generations about the science, technology, and development of America’s railroads while preserving the heritage of railroading and its impact on the land, people, and industries of North Carolina and our nation.
Your help contributes to NCRM’s success; come out and be a part of it!
Welcome to new member Matthew Kehres. 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!
Press coverage of our IMLS grants
by Juli Buker
Press releases are an effective way to share news with media outlets, which often results in short articles highlighting the topic. In the past, we’ve used press releases to help promote some of our events. Most recently, we issued a press release, written by our marketing partner, Communicopia, announcing the Institute of Museum and Library Services grants awarded to NCRM.
The release was picked up by Trains.com, MSN, and WCNT–Greenville, NC, which is exactly the outcome for which we were hoping. Trains Magazine also shared the Trains.com article on their Facebook page, reaching their 148,000 followers. We then reposted it so our 19,000 followers could see it as well.
Here are some media outlets that have picked up the news release:
Trains
Picked up by MSN
WCNT-Greenville, NC (not sure what photo they used)
Trains Magazine
Locomotive 17 Refurbishment Update
by Chris Tilley
After a summer of only minor activity on the FRA-mandated inspection and rebuild of our favorite steam locomotive, some very significant progress occurred in mid-January of 2026. The final smokebox and boiler rivets and the last staybolt were installed. Our member Calvin Kuttner has removed the cylinder heads and studs. The steam crew is working on removing the pistons and re-chroming the piston rods next. The next major step by our contractors is to precisely locate and secure the boiler on the frame. This is critical because the boiler is solidly attached only at the front, allowing the rear to slide forward and back to account for the metal’s expansion when heated.
It’s a small movement, but critical so nothing gets over-stressed during heating and cooling cycles.
Once the work requiring special certification is completed, our volunteers can begin fabrication and reassembly of the maze of plumbing that makes a steam locomotive operate. Keep your eyes (and inboxes) open for more exciting details and work day announcements as we work to bring steam back to Central North Carolina.
Around the Yard
