This press release just in:

"NEW HOPE VALLEY RAILWAY OPENS FOR RIDERS: The New Hope Valley Railway (NHVRy) announces the start of its centennial operations for 2004, celebrating a full one-hundred years since the first land was acquired in Wake and Chatham counties in North Carolina for building the railroad. Trains will be operated for public rides the first Sunday of each month, commencing 2 May 2004. The NHVRy began its history in 1904 when W. Roscoe Bonsal and partners purchased the original right-of-way for the tracks, making this year the start of the centennial celebration. From that beginning, the NHVRy was sold to the Durham and South Carolina Railroad, with tracks eventually extended some forty-one miles from Durham to Duncan, NC. The route was leased to the original Norfolk Southern Railroad, eventually becoming part of the Southern Railway system up to the day it was purchased by the East Carolina Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS). The organization now operates a part of the railroad for public rides as a demonstration of part of the history and heritage of North Carolina. The organization operates five trains on each operating day of the month over four miles of track in Wake and Chatham counties. Tickets are available to the public at the ticket office in Bonsal, NC (just south of Apex, NC) where the group also maintains a museum of railroad equipment from various places around North Carolina. Exhibits there include a number of cars and locomotives, a collection of historic memorabilia, and a six-hundred foot garden size model railway. Operating days in June and July will feature music from ESP (www.esptheband.com), playing southern and delta blues, Appalachian fiddle tunes, and traditional American folk, country, and bluegrass. Visitors are encouraged to visit our website www.nhvry.org for further information and detailed directions to the facility. Alternatively, the may call +1-919-362-5416 to speak with the yardmaster on duty. "

So if there is now anyone else like me trying to justify the long haul to North Carolina, you can now take in two big events on the same weekend. My map program shows a distance of 94 miles, door-to-door, mostly on US 64.

New Hope Valley RR website
LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

For thoughs who will be traveling through western North Carolina on your way to Spencer Shop. There is another great tourist railroad destination in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The Tweetsie RR will begin it 47th April 30th. Tweetsie is the only all-steam railroad in NC. Now Tweetsie is also a theme park, so theres plenty to do for the whole family. Tweetsie train ride is a 3-mile loop that has a 225ft wooden trestle, and a 5-1/4% grade. Opening weekend Tweetsie will be running former White Pass and Yukon #190, which is the first US Army designed 3ft gauge 2-8-2 built by Baldwin. Tweetsie's web site is www.tweetsie.com. Tweetsie will operate from 9-6 Fri-Sun.

http://www.tweetsie.com
tssmith@boone.net

Not to be a party-pooper, but the reason I haven't brought my family (includes young children) to Tweetsie is the understanding that every train ride includes gunfights, etc. I'm not trying to sound like a PC soccer mom, but the gunbattles is the sole reason we haven't done Tweetsie yet. If we could just enjoy the railroad experience, we'd go!

> Not to be a party-pooper, but the reason I
> haven't brought my family (includes young
> children) to Tweetsie is the understanding
> that every train ride includes gunfights,
> etc.

With all due respect, the cowboy-indian gun fights are done in a highly comical manner and not what you might call "realistic" at all. My 3 kids (2,8,11)are not allowed to play with toy guns and they have walked away laughing. It is also highly doubtful that Tweetsie, NC's oldest theme park, would be pushing 50 years if not for its "wild west" attraction that was simply discovered by luck.

It is a *GREAT* destination for the family and railfan. Two historic locomotives, arguably the best steam shop on the east coast, and a friendly staff make it a must-see. Send the family to the amusement park(merry-go round, car rides, ferris wheel, etc) and ride the train once around to witness the gunfights yourself. Even if you still don't like the guns and keep your kids off the train, I guarantee you that the sound of those whistles bouncing off the Blue Ridge will be worth every bit of the ride for you, and your kids will have had a ball in the amusement park.

tarheelpress@yahoo.com

> With all due respect, the cowboy-indian gun
> fights are done in a highly comical manner
> and not what you might call
> "realistic" at all. My 3 kids
> (2,8,11)are not allowed to play with toy
> guns and they have walked away laughing.

They have the passengers involved in the "gunfight"s?



superheater@rrmail.com

> They have the passengers involved in the
> "gunfight"s?

No the gunfights are staged shows, that are geared for children. They are mostly funny with some gunfire. They have toned the shows down alot in the last 10yrs. They used to shoot alot now just a few rounds per run. They dont leave people laying pretending to be dead either, everyone gets up. The best time to come and avoid the gunfights is during Thomas. We dont use any guns in the shows and only do shows geared to the Thomas theme. Plus Thomas really makes our engine fleet work hard up the 5-1/4%.

http://www.tweetsie.com
tssmith@boone.net

Hello, just wanted you all to know that the NHVRY #17 steam locomotive will not be operating in May. We are still finishing up our annual inspection and plan on doing a hydro test May 1st, the day before ride day. We hope to have the engine running the first Sunday in June, pending successful completion of the annual. We'll have another press release about 17 when we know for sure.

Thank you all for your interest and I hope that you'll come out and see 17 sometime.

http://www.nhvry.org

Thanks for all of the info on Tweetsie. Too bad we couldn't advertise "quadruple your pleasure" with the Southeastern Old Threshers Reunion in Denton, NC-they're not open to the public the weekend of Rail Days. Too bad-all of the steam buffs here would enjoy the steam-powered sawmills, tractors, the 0-4-0, and a no-kidding "Mike Mulligan steam shovel" (or so I call it, based on something read as a kid).

Southeast Old Threshers Reunion