North Carolina Transportation Museum - Spencer, North Carolina
N 35° 41.294 W 080° 25.866
17S E 551474 N 3949518
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is located at what was once the Southern Railway's Old Spencer Shops.
Waymark Code: WMBP67
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 06/08/2011
Views: 7
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is located on the site of the Southern Railway’s Spencer Shops. The Spencer Shops were a major steam locomotive repair facility operated by the Southern Railway. Spencer was chosen as the location for the facility because it was approximately halfway between Atlanta and Washington, D. C. For the first half of the 20th Century the facility was the major source of jobs in the community and provided a stable economy for much of the region. The repair work was done in the “Back Shop” which is the largest building on the property. The Back Shop at Spence is 600-feet long and 150-feet wide and included a machine shop, wood working shop and a boiler shop. Located next to the Back Shop is the historic 37-bay round house where additional locomotive work could be performed. During the height of the steam era the Spencer Shops employed as many as 2,500 to 3,000 people. The conversion from steam to diesel locomotives spelled the end of the line for the Spencer Shops. The facility finally closed in the early 1970’s.
In 1977 the Southern Railway deeded 4-acres to the State of North Carolina for use as a transportation Museum. Over the years additional land was donated and today the entire 53-acre site of the Spencer Shops is part of the North Carolina Transportation Museum. In addition to a vast collection of railroad locomotives, rail cars and other related artifacts, the museum also has a large collection of antique and vintage automobiles. Today, several bays of the roundhouse are devoted to restoring locomotives and rail cars that have been located or donated to the museum. Visitors to the museum can take a ride around the property in vintage rail passenger cars that are pulled by either a steam or diesel locomotive.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is open Monday – Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, however there is a $6.00 charge for train rides around the property. Train rides depart Monday – Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. and at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 on Sundays.
Source/Credit: (
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The Spencer Shops was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978
Coordinates for this waymark were taken at the entrance to the Barber Depot, which serves at the visitor's center.