Mountain Gateway Museum hosts Railroad Day in Old Fort
OLD FORT – A trolley ride from the Old Fort Depot to historic Andrews Geyser and a hike along the Point Lookout Trail led by the McDowell Trails Association are two highlights of Mountain Gateway Museum’s annual Railroad Day in Old Fort on Saturday, Sept. 16.
The free event also will feature the popular Norfolk Southern Lawmen Band, a model railroad layout, several pieces of rolling stock, the Route 70 Cruisers’ antique cars, presentations by railroad historians and authors, and displays by a variety of railroad-related organizations, such as the NC Transportation Museum Foundation and the National Railway Historical Society–Asheville Chapter.
Artists, craft vendors and demonstrators, special artifact displays, food trucks, live music, and railroad-related children’s games and activities will round out the one-day festival.
Created to celebrate Old Fort’s rich railroading history, Railroad Day will kick off at 10 a.m. and run until 4 p.m. at two locations: Mountain Gateway Museum at 24 Water St., and the Old Fort Depot two blocks north on West Main Street.
Parking will be in the lot at the end of Water Street. There will be a $3-per-person charge to ride the trolley, but children under age five can ride free. Tickets will be sold at the Old Fort Depot.
The air-conditioned trolley car will depart from the depot’s parking lot on West Main Street at the top of each hour, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Using the trolley’s announcer system, an on-board tour guide will relate stories about the Western North Carolina Railroad during the 15-minute ride to Andrews Geyser, a once nationally known, gravity-generated fountain built by the railroad in 1885 as a tourist attraction.
One of the engineering marvels of the 1870s, the Western North Carolina Railroad was plagued early on by war, financial fraud and political corruption. Many of the convict laborers used to build the rail line up Old Fort Mountain and over the Eastern Continental Divide died during the process, the victims of explosions, cave-ins, mudslides, and other catastrophes. But through their efforts, seven railroad tunnels and 13 miles of ascending, looping tracks were completed, and the WNCRR reached the top of the mountain at Ridgecrest on March 11, 1879.
As an added attraction this year, trolley riders will be taken onto the grounds of the Round Knob Lodge, where they can enjoy the view overlooking Andrews Geyser. Southern Railroad executives had the 6,500-square-foot lodge, now privately owned, built in the early 1930s as a retreat for railroad workers.
Also new this year is the hike along the Point Lookout Trail. Led by members of the McDowell Trails Association, the hike will be on a paved trail that follows Old Highway 70 West up Old Fort Mountain toward Ridgecrest, roughly paralleling the train tracks.
The hike will begin at 9 a.m. at the Point Lookout trailhead, near Piney Grove Baptist Church, 2737 Old Highway 70 West in Old Fort. The hike to Point Lookout is 5.2 miles roundtrip with a 900-foot change in elevation (participants can turn around at any point).
For those who want a greater challenge, the hike will continue to a point on the trail offering views of the railroad and one of the seven tunnels built on the “Old Fort Loops.” This will add another two miles or so to the hike.
The hike is open to everyone, but anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes (sneakers or hiking/walking shoes), and bring water, as none is available along the trail or at the trailhead. Also bring a lunch or snack to enjoy at Point Lookout.
In case of rain, the hike may be cancelled. A notice of cancellation will be posted at the Mountain Gateway Museum by 8:30 a.m. and at the trailhead at 8:45 a.m. For more, contact Steve Pierce at stevepierce50@gmail.com.
Back at the historic Old Fort Depot, inside the former baggage area, several railroad authors and historians will be signing and selling copies of their books and giving presentations at intervals throughout the day.
Matt Bumgarner, award-winning writer and regional publisher of the Tarheel Press, will discuss his new book, "Saluda: From Top to Bottom." Marion mayor and railroad author Steve Little will portray a convict laborer who worked on the railroad. Wayne Erbsen will entertain with railroad stories, humor, and songs. And Jerry Ledford with the National Railway Historical Society–Asheville Chapter will do a presentation about logging railroads in WNC.
Other speakers will include Ray Rapp, a former state legislator and college administrator now working with the Western North Carolina Rail Corridor Committee to restore passenger rail service to Asheville, Rocky Hollifield with the Craggy Mountain Line Railroad in Woodfin and Bill Hendley with the McDowell Trails Association, who will discuss Southern Railway’s old Peavine line, now a rail-trail in Marion.
The Old Fort Depot Museum, owned by the town and located in the central area of the depot, will be open on Railroad Day, allowing visitors to freely view a topographical model of the Old Fort Loops, as well as railroad objects and equipment used in the former rail station. The caboose parked at the west end of the depot also will be open.
On the grounds of the Mountain Gateway Museum, the Norfolk Southern Lawmen Band will perform at 11 a.m., and the Possum Creek Band will perform at 1 p.m.
For more information about Railroad Day 2017, contact RoAnn Bishop at Mountain Gateway Museum either by phone at 828-668-9259 or roann.bishop@ncdcr.gov.