Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone has been to the Railroad Museum in Hamlet since they moved the station?

If so, has the railroad museum openned back up in the station? Do they have all the old things the way they did before? Just walking inside the museum and smelling the old photographs, the old wood, kinda made me feel like I was stepping back in time. I remember the old lunch counter in the front room of the museum, the gentlemen there had photo albums upon photo albums of so many things related to the Seaboard. Not to mention all the other items, date nails, photos, maps, signal laterns, switch stands... I could go on and on, but I better not for I might get a little sentimental. Does anyone know whatever happened to the 8 track tapes they had? I do not believe they were of SAL steam, but I believe they may have been from Winston Link or someone else. I remember going there to visit with my father, and hearing those old 8 tracks in that building gave me goose bumbs. When they moved the Station, did they have to take apart the wonderful layout they had built in the one room? If so, I hope all the models have been preserved.

The last time I stopped in was a Sunday morning on my way back home to Morehead City, NC. It must have been about 1999.

I really wish they did not have to move the station, but I understand the reasons for doing so. I remember Mr. Crowell telling me about the rounded glass used in the corner rooms of the station and how expensive it was to replace each one.

Having so many tons of freight passing so close by every hour must take its toll on the foundation after a hundred years or so. I also understand CSX was concerned about safety issues.

I read somewhere they were going to fix the old place up and make a nice Public viewing area and perhaps relocate the Museum back inside?

I hope so. So when I get back to visit, Currently I am in Grand Island, Nebraska... about 1200 miles or so west north west... I can say hello to an old friend, the station. There are about 100 trains a day passing through this town I live in, but I would rather see one drag rolling into the curve coming off of the Atlanta main line heading into the yard than a hundred Union Pacific trains.

What was that I said about getting sentimental?

well anyways.... Any information on the old place would be most welcome. Thank you

-- Daniel T. Edwards (trainmantaylor@hotmail.com), May 08, 2004

Answers

I was there last Saturday with my son. The interior of the station is currently gutted. The new roof is mostly finished. South of the station adjacent to the Columbia line the city is building a park which contains the SDP35 1114 and caboose as well as a shelter covering a replica of a Raleigh & Gaston locomotive from 1840. A portion of the park's walkway crosses a short SAL trestle which, I presume, once carried a siding to some local customers. I think it's ridiculous the station all of a sudden became a safety issue after 104 years and had to be moved but at least the city is making a serious effort to restore it.

-- Paul Williams (plwexpress@hotmail.com), May 15, 2004.

The last I heard, the museum's materials were still in storage pending completion of the Hamlet station renovation. That's still a year or so away, but the plan is to include the museum in the station when it does reopen.

-- Larry Goolsby (clgoolsby@att.net), May 08, 2004.