Prototype Tours
New Hope Valley Railway
Date: Friday, October 18th – Operate a Locomotive – limited to 2 people for one hour and 4 people for 30 minutes
Saturday, October 19th – Nuclear Fuel Train Caboose Ride, Halloween Train Ride, Facilities Tour
Time: October 18th – 9:00am to 12 noon, depending upon the number of people who sign up
October 19th – 2pm to 3:15pm for Nuclear Fuel Train Caboose Ride and Train Ride, Facilities Tour immediately preceding the caboose and train rides, approximately 1:00pm
Departs From: Durham Marriott RTP Hotel
Located approximately 30 minutes from the hotel at
Fare: Operate a Locomotive - $320 for one hour or $160 for 30 minutes
Nuclear Fuel Train Ride - $25
Halloween Train Ride - $18.45 (including $16 for tickets, and $2.45 for fees and taxes
Train Ride tickets must be purchased from NHVR website (click on tickets for 2:15pm ride) at triangletrain.com
Facilities Tour – Free
As well as a museum, the New Hope Valley Railway operates over 6.5 miles of track. Equipment includes two operating General Electric and two operating Whitcomb center cab diesel-electric locomotives, passenger and freight cars. Rolling stock includes a nuclear fuel train caboose. Normal weekend activities open to the public include train rides in open air coaches, caboose ride, and nuclear fuel train caboose ride. The Operate a Locomotive is a popular activity that is normally sold-out months in advance.
The museum has constructed a 6.685 Sq. ft. G scale garden railroad with a walking path surrounding the layout. There are three main outer loops, consisting of approximately 220 feet of track with 2 long tunnels and a 12-foot-long overhead truss bridge. The layout is currently being expanded in the center consisting of 9 loops, 2 large mountains, and numerous bridges, trestles, waterfalls, ponds, buildings, vehicles, people and foliage.
Attendees signing up for the Operate a Locomotive will be assigned a time prior to the start of the convention.
The nuclear fuel train caboose ride will include a guide, who is a NMRA member, explaining the operation of the caboose and information on the New Hope Valley Railway, including its history and heritage. The train ride will be the first of many trips over the next three weeks celebrating Halloween with special decorations and special effects. A special section will be reserved in an excursion car and advance boarding will be provided to convention attendees. The excursion car will also include a guide.
NMRA and MER member Art Kotz will lead the facilities tour. The tour of the NHVR grounds will be approximately 45 minutes explaining the history of the museum and railroad, plans for restoration of various locomotives and rolling stock, and operations philosophy and procedures.
Tichy Train Group Factory Tour
http://www.tichytraingroup.com/
Date: Two tours, one Friday afternoon, Oct. 18th, and another Saturday morning, Oct. 19th
Time: Oct. 18th: 2pm, Oct. 19th: 10am
Attendees are required to arrive 15 minutes before the start of the tour. The doors of the Tichy Train Group facility will close promptly at the start of the tour.
Limit: 40 per each tour
Departs From: Durham Marriott RTP hotel
Located approximately 40 minutes from the hotel at 3260 Nova Ln, Burlington, NC
Fare: $5
These tours are expected to be quite popular. CPD13 has hosted many tours with Don Tichy. He is great at sharing his production processes and giving a tour of all of his equipment and production line. He usually has at least one of his extrusion or injection molding machines in operation to show how products are made.
Don will also show where and how he develops new products. Don has typically offered discounts plus no shipping and handling charges at these tours. Don’s in-stock products usually include car kits, structure kits, detail parts for cars and structures, scenery and trackside details, and decals.
Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad
https://www.aberdeen-rockfish.com/
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19th
Time: 8:00am to 2:30pm
Limit: 40
Departs From: Durham Marriott RTP hotel by Charter Bus
Located approximately 1 hour-15 minutes from the hotel at 101 East Main Street, Aberdeen, NC
Fare: $75
This prototype tour includes the restored Aberdeen Union Depot Museum housing many items of historical artifacts from the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad as well as many other railroads. Inside the museum is one of only two fully intact rail inspection cars from the 1930’s. On the outside of the museum is a restored caboose converted from a box car used in mixed trains of the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad.
Located in the museum is the Sandhills Central Model Railroad Club layout. The layout is a well detailed layout with some interesting animated scenes. The layout included an accurate model of the Town of Aberdeen, including the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad, Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway, and CSX. The museum and club will provide coffee, bottled water and breakfast pastries.
The tour of the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad will begin at the corporate headquarters building since 1904. in continuous operation since 1904. The inside of the building includes many pieces of railroad artwork. The tour will proceed to the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad diesel serving shops. These shops also provide service to the locomotives of the Pee Dee River Railroad. Attendees will be allowed to climb aboard one of the locomotives with hood door open so all equipment can be viewed.
The tour will finish at the Railhouse Brewery, where attendees will pick up a box lunch to eat on the return trip to the hotel. The lunch will consist of choice of wrap, fresh house made chips, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, and choice of non-alcoholic drink. Wraps include ham and cheddar cheese with lettuce and tomato, turkey and cheddar with lettuce and tomato, and club with cheddar cheese with lettuce and tomato, with the choice made on the registration page. Choice of drinks will be made at the restaurant, and include Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, ginger ale, sweet tea, unsweetened tea, lemonade and filtered water.
The fee includes all costs, including the charter bus and the box lunch. The time includes travel to and from the hotel.