North Carolina Train Rides
Railroad Nation

North Carolina is home to the largest preserved roundhouse in the U.S. at the former Southern Railway's Spencer Shops. Norfolk Southern services 1,299 miles of the state's  3,225  route miles. North Carolina  also boasts of the nations longest straight rail section at 78.86 miles between Wilmington and Hamlet.
One of the most popular scenic train rides in North Carolina is the
Great Smokey Mt RR. You can also learn to operate a locomotive on the Hope Valley RR. The Tweetsie RR is a very popular family tourist destination.
The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad runs Polar Express train rides in North Carolina starting in November and running until Christmas and  Day Out With Thomas train rides during the summer.

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For more on North Carolina Railroads, see:
 A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina

 

BLOWING ROCK

SmileyCentral.comTWEETSIE RAILROAD

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Tweetsie Railroad is a unique attraction that allows children and families to explore their imaginations and a whole lot more. Be a cowboy, Indian or an engineer. And of course, every guest will want to take a ride on the  historic steam locomotive, # 12, a 1912 Baldwin works narrow gauge 4-6-0, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Train rides include a Halloween Ghost Train.
Directions
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BONSAL

NEW HOPE VALLEY RAILWAY

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The New Hope Valley Railway at the North Carolina Railroad Museum has monthly train ride days in season from May to December, with activities, themes, and events for visitors of all ages to enjoy.  You can charter train rides, learn to operate-a-loco aboard the 1941 0-4-0T Vulcan built steam engine #17 or have a birthday party in a historic caboose. Operate -a-loco participants will practice the safe operation and handling of a locomotive and will be allowed to operate the engine for one hour under the supervision of one of our qualified engineers.  Children's birthday party package includes the rental of a real Atlantic Coast Line caboose (non-airconditioned - as they were on the railroad) for 1½ hours, plastic train whistles and paper engineer's caps for each child, a special surprise for the birthday child, and free admission to the Museum for up to twenty-five (25) participants (children and adults).  The participants provide all the food and beverages. A G scale, garden railroad, covers over 6000 square feet. Visitors are welcome to bring along their own G Scale equipment, and with the approval of the Mechanical Department, and are welcome to run it on their layout. Special train rides include a Holloween Express and a Fall Steam Spectacular.
Directions.


CHARLOTTE

CHARLOTTE TROLLEY

 Charlotte Trolley is home to Car #85, built in 1927. It is Charlotte’s only original electric trolley car still in operation . Museum devoted to the history of streetcars in the South.

DILLSBORO & BRYSON CITY

SmileyCentral.comGREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILWAYSmileyCentral.com

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You  will enjoy a scenic train ride across fertile valleys, into tunnels and through river gorges in a spectacular region called The Great Smoky Mountains. This section of western North Carolina offers a wide array of ever changing vegetation and fantastic landscapes. The truly spectacular ride includes 53 miles of track, two tunnels and 25 bridges. Gourmet Dinner Train and   Mystery Theatre Dinner Train  also available. Model train museum is located in Bryson City.
Gourmet Dinning Train Service operations from Dillsboro were suspended on  Monday, July 21, 2008. Tuckasegee River Excursions ceased operations from Dillsboro on Friday, August 8, 2008.  The Great Smoky Mountain Railway scenic train ride is listed in Parade's "Unforgettable Day Trips by Rail"   
Directions.


 HAMLET

NATIONAL RAILROAD MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME


Exhibits include photographs and maps, displays, a model railroad layout, four pieces of rolling stock and a gift shop for your convenience. The depot was built in 1900 and was the home of the North Carolina Division of Seaboard Air Line Railway .  A prime example of Victorian architecture, it is one of the most photographed stations in the eastern United States and is representative of great American railroad stations of that era.

 

SPENCER

NORTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM

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Climb aboard a 20-minute train ride, which offers a narrated tour of the 57-acre site, and is pulled by an antique diesel engine. Trains generally runs daily from April through Labor Day, and on weekends and for scheduled groups the rest of the year. Become a student engineer and take an engine cab ride. The North Carolina Transportation museum includes an impressive collection of antique automobiles, ranging from a 1901 White Steam Stanhope to a 1978 Plymouth N.C. Highway Patrol car. Directions.

WILMINGTON

WILMINGTON RAILROAD MUSEUM


Eclectic collection of displays which you and your children will find fun and educational. There is a Thomas the Tank Train children's play area, operating HO and O scale trains, and a real life-size caboose and the 4-6-0 ACL steam engine #250 . The Wilmington  Railroad Museum is housed in an authentic 1883 railroad freight warehouse. In 1840 the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad was completed and was the longest continuous rail line in the world at 161 miles long.
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