Volume 65 – Issue 5 May 1, 2025
From the Brass Hat
Spring activities and the pollen arrived with full force in April at NCRM. There was plenty of yellow stuff to clean off this year to get ready for what was a very busy month. This year Hop Into Spring returned on April 12 and 13 after being replaced by the anniversary day in 2024. The two-day event was successful operationally and well received by the public. Tom Hutchinson reprised his role as Mr. Rabbit for photos with the kids. Velinda Chapman and the crew did a great job organizing the children’s trackside egg hunt. In addition to the Wednesday and Friday rides and two Operate a Loco days, the month ended with a double charter ride day for the Duke Mom’s group and the Autism Society of NC.
Special planning was required for the autism event and all went very well. Thanks to Velinda and Juli for making sure everything was on schedule and providing extra autism sensitivity training for the crew.
As if that was not enough, the museum once again featured in a film. From April 24-27 a New York University student film was shot on location at our Goldston depot and in Sanford. Several NCRM members signed up to play extras in the production. The story was a western set in the 19th century, titled ”John Chinaman”, about railway workers. It may have been a student production project, but I was told it was the “real deal” with regular actors flown in and serious production technology. Movie filming can be long and sometimes boring, but everyone enjoyed the experience. It was great publicity for our museum. Thanks to all who helped out.
May also promises to be busy with a ride day on the 17th celebrating Armed Forces Day. Planning is underway for this event. In other news Mid-East Rail Services has started the tie replacement program for the year. They are working just south of the Little Beaver Creek trestle. Typically, they have been coming out on Tuesdays, but if you are planning to travel down the line, please contact me. We are working on a notification system to be posted on the office showing when the line is in use.
Finally, look for the special Board of Directors election ballots and instruction memo from Kyle Obermiller in this issue of the Telegrapher. We have two board seats to fill. We appreciate all of the candidates who have agreed to run.
That’s it for this month. As always, a big thankyou to everyone that helps our museum keep moving forward.
– John
John Morck
President, NCRM
Get to Know a Member
by Tom Hutchinson
Name: Jim Meade
How long have you been a member? Since November 1988, now a Life Member
Where are you originally from? Upstate New York
What was your job in real life? 5 years teaching college biology, 28 years as a medical technologist in coagulation at UNC hospitals
Where do you live now? Chapel Hill, NC
Family? Single (briefly married early 80’s), one sister
How did you become interested in trains? I watched and heard steam trains while living in the mountains in northern New York. My grandmother took my sister and me to the Rutland RR yards in Burlington VT where we rode in locomotives, and we lived for 6 months in West Virginia alongside N&W main line in steam when I was in 6th grade.
How did you find about NHVR? After Southern steam excursions I wanted to learn about actually doing railroading. When attending the November train show at the NC State Fairgrounds, I saw the NHV table. I came to Bonsal the next day and have been here since.
What is your favorite activity at the New Hope Valley Railway? Talking with visitors about railroading and our exhibits. All of the many other activities I have participated in.
Special Board Election Update and Instructions
by Kyle Obermiller
Thank you to all the members who stepped up to run for the two vacant board seats. Your willingness to serve and support our organization is greatly appreciated. Please note the following election procedure:
• There are two seats open: one with two years remaining in the term, and one with one year remaining.
• The candidate receiving the most votes will fill the two-year seat.
• The candidate receiving the second most votes will fill the one-year seat.
Every vote matters and I thank you for participating in this important election. The ballot is at the end of this newsletter for you to print and cast. Hardcopy ballots are available at the Yard Office too. This process will be added to the NCRM Policy Manual in case this unprecedented type event happens again.
Hop into Spring 2025: It’s a Wrap!
by Velinda Chapman
The NCRM saw a lot of happy kids and pleased adults as they celebrated Hop into Spring with us . The Garden RR and Railyard were bursting with color and familiar characters, and the tracks (regular & G-scale) held hidden treasures to find. However, the best part of Hop into Spring was our members coming together as a cohesive team to provide a safe and enjoyable experience around the Garden RR, in the exhibits, and on the train.
A warm thank you to all who worked Hop into Spring, including:
· Larry, Tom, and John for performing like a NASCAR pit crew in the parking lot.
· Sharon and Jim for ticketing all our guests (show us the money!).
· Jeff, Alan, Scott, and Joe for orchestrating train operations on the G-scale.
· Harold for initiating a “Cruise-In” event (some amazing cars were on display including an eye-popping ’65 Mustang convertible. Yowza!).
· Doc Majors and Jim for bringing our exhibits to life as docents.
· Anita for greeting guests, handing out I Spy Game sheets, and working the NCRM info table.
· Marco for managing parties in the Birthday Party Caboose and helping out extensively across the yard.
· John and Victor for providing DJ services while carrying out dispatcher duties.
· Mike for being on hand for repairs and talking tirelessly about steam engines with guests.
· Charles for managing the many details related to facilities for safety and service, and for putting many smiles on the faces of guests as he interacted as “Conductor Charles.”
· Diana for assisting Tom, the NCRM Easter Bunny. They kept the photo op stage hoppin’.
· The entire train crew on both days, functioning harmoniously and effectively like a well-greased machine: Signalman, Brakemen, Car Hosts, Engineers, and Conductor. You know who you are and you are appreciated. Bravo zulu! ·
And let’s not forget Richard who worked the Gift Shop to provide those great souvenirs (that Cindy ordered) for our guests! Whoo-hoo!
Listing individual contributes often leaves someone out. If you were left out, please know it is entirely my oversight and not intentional. Thanks to all for your contributions to this event!
Welcome to new members Reginald Eddy, Bob Cicciari and Hayden Ragland (Youth Rail Crew). Please make them feel at home
Attention! Upcoming Armed Forces Day at NCRM
by Velinda Chapman
Armed Forces Day is May 17th and the NCRM will honor our US military service members by offering free train ride tickets to Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard. We’re also including Veterans! Tentatively, the Honor Guard from American Legion Post 116 will present colors at 10:00am. Train rides will follow at 10:30am, 12 noon, and 1:30pm. Food vendors will be Don Meow Burgers and Family Flavored Ice. We plan to put up the historical flag display on the pedestrian bridge. Along with the routinely placed military service flags in front of the Gift Shop, there will be a few more decorations: a photo op display on the stage and a banner string of military branch flags in each of the excursion cars. If you would like to share any of your patriot decorations for this day or if you have any ideas or suggestions, please contact Velinda.
Please consider joining the crew or ground operations on May 17th . Let’s make this special day extraordinary for all our service members.
Happy Birthday – We don’t often mention birthdays, but this one is special. Our Member Paul Baschon recently celebrated his 99th birthday. Congratulations!
Duke Moms Affinity Group and Autism Society of NC
by Velinda Chapman
Saturday, April 26th was a very busy day at the NCRM with two private events held; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The NHVRy provided a ride for each group in their typical well-performing manner. Tom K. and Larry G. controlled flight-deck operations in the parking lot, ensuring safety and orderly conduct. Jim W. and Sharon E. cheerfully distributed tickets and Linda K. provided excellent customer service in our Gift Shop with help from Dave B. Anita H. worked as Guest Greeter near the pedestrian bridge to provide directions, information, and passed out the “I Spy” game sheets. Doc Majors and Jim M. worked the Post Office car explaining the old art of mail handling on the RR. The dispatch office experienced musical chairs as John T., John M., and Ted T., rotated through, seamlessly providing this service. Velinda C. provided a BBQ lunch buffet in the Dining Car. Being the “imposter chef,” she naturally forgot to put out the morning donuts. Jim M. was the signal man and ensured all wheels were turning. Perhaps the amazing crew on both rides can validate his claims? These crew members worked cohesively to provide a safe and relaxing ride for both events. Thanks to all for a job well done!
In the morning, we hosted the Duke Moms Affinity Group’s Spring event. They had 195 registered guests and a train ride at 10:30am. They explored the museum, exhibits, and Garden RR. They enjoyed a relaxing picnic lunch around the Garden RR, had two arts & crafts tables and a flower/plant exchange. All guests seem to really enjoy their time with us. In the afternoon, the Autism Society of NC held their family support event. They had a complete ticket sellout, with 220 tickets sold! Several of the Ignite Group members of Cary joined the event along with two of their sponsoring police officers. They also explored the NCRM and enjoyed their time around the Garden RR. The Party Caboose was the designated calming room; however, it proved to be unneeded. Brakemen demonstrated exceptional customer service to this special group by providing a hand sign alert prior to the engine horn blowing; thus, helping to reduce a startle response and resulting anxiety. Harold B. (engineer) and Dennis W. (head brakeman) ensured accurate radio communication so the brakemen could perform this additional task effortlessly. Caregivers very much appreciated this extra effort The Garden RR had a “normal” and busy day behind-the-scenes. This included random uncoupling resulting in a minor collision then derailment, Toby was cranky intermittently and would stop working, and an algae problem was tackled. Flooding occurred due to overuse of the fire boat but gravel was added to the area so the kids played on. The steam locomotive’s shed doors kept closing on it causing multiple derailments and cars to uncouple. We’re glad this isn’t a typical day on the other side!
On the Garden perimeter is where the most exciting action occurred. Both groups based their event within the trees beside the Ticket Office and Garden RR. With the added canopies, there was shade and picnic tables halfway around the RR so even more people could relax and enjoy the serene setting. The interactive buttons kept both the guests and special effects busy, and the trains ran tirelessly throughout the entire event. Most notable was the constant interaction between operators and guests. Don I. and Tom H. provided a wealth of information to young and old alike. As usual, they enjoyed pointing out all the interesting features and explained how things worked. NCRM volunteers, a full day’s work nicely done!
OAL Stories – Our Visitors from Pennsylvania & Georgia
by Victor Varney
This is a continuing series about some of our special OAL visitors. On April 19 we had another full day of OAL visitors. For the eight runs, most were from NC, but a few came from farther away. We had a husband and wife bring along their daughter and her husband. All had driven up the day before from the Athens area in Georgia. Julie Klein organized this outing for her family. Her husband Keith was the lucky one to operate a loco. Their daughter Randa Martin got to operate the other loco with her husband Rick joining the ride. Keith was thrilled about the chance to operate a loco. This was a bucket list item he had dreamed about doing. He was all smiles when he got one of our special OAL caps! After their return, they were all very happy about their experience and looked forward to visiting us again for a train ride.
On a later session that day, we had a couple from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania visit us. Ryan Palastro and Lorren Kezmoh. Ryan has had a long interest in diesel locomotives. Of course, the chance to operate a loco was something he had wanted to do for a long time, but didn’t think it was possible. When they discovered our OAL program on the internet, they decided they had to get to Bonsal. After arriving in their camper van off they went for a ride on our line with Ryan operating the loco. Lorren reported getting lots of photos during their run. Lots of smiles upon their return! And then off they went headed to the Outer Banks, next.
When you think about it, our OAL program, being so unique, attracts people to come from near and far. For those from further away, don’t overlook the time and money they spend for the experience beyond just the cost of an OAL ticket. More of our volunteers should consider coming out on OAL days to meet some of our most enthusiastic visitors. A few more volunteers could make a big difference on OAL days with greeting our visitors, making sure we can open our exhibit cars and gift shop, and offering tours around the property. Keep in mind that a day of eight OAL ticket sales generates about the same revenue for us as around 150 tickets sold on a regular weekday train ride (when we might have 20 or more volunteers on site).
If you do not receive the operating crew calls, please contact 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.
Help Wanted! The NCRM needs a new Food Truck Coordinator. The job involves calling local food truck vendors to determine availability/willingness and scheduling to come out to our special events. Contact Jim Whitten for details.
NCRM Video Online Archive
by Victor Varney
It has been a while since sharing the link to the NCRM’s online video archive.
This link will allow you to view and download any content on this cloud drive.
Depending on your internet bandwidth, videos might run better if you download them first. If you have something that you would like to upload, contact Victor Varney.
Also in this folder is info about the our 1982 “Big Move” when we moved to Bonsal. See folder named NCRM 1982 Big Move. It includes pages from the Telegrapher at the time with property maps, a funding request to buy the property, and photos. The originals for all this content (and much more) are maintained in our climate-controlled archive storage unit in Apex. If you haven’t visited our home page at www.triangletrain.com recently, there is a section (scroll down the page) with many media mentions about us. There are newspaper and magazine articles plus a number of videos. This is definitely worth checking out, especially by our newer members.
If you haven’t visited our home page recently, there is a section (scroll down the page) with many media mentions about us. There are newspaper and magazine articles plus a number of videos. This is definitely worth checking out, especially by our newer members.
Around the Yard
