Adult/Senior Group Information FAQ

Groups may add a train ride (when available) to their museum visit for an additional fee. 

2025 Spring/Summer Train Ride Schedule

March-May: Thursday through Sunday

June-August: Thursday through Sunday

A more detailed seasonal schedule of the train ride is available on the “Hours & Admission” and home pages of our website.

 Groups may add a turntable ride to their museum visit for $1 per person (based on availability) 

Experience a ride on the 1924 turntable, the centerpiece of railroad operations at the largest remaining roundhouse in North America. The turntable was used to move steam locomotives to and from the 37-bay Bob Julian Roundhouse when they were brought in for maintenance and to turn them around between runs. Unlike diesel locomotives, steam locomotives were designed to pull trains in only one direction, making the turntable a necessary part of operations at railroad yards like Spencer.

Still in operation today, this Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark is used to position locomotives and rail cars for display and for use on the museum’s passenger trains. Take a spin as the turntable operator explains the history of this 100-foot long rotating bridge and its importance to the operation of Southern Railway’s Spencer Shops and today’s North Carolina Transportation Museum.

To receive a group rate, you must have a minimum of 15 paying participants and pay in one transaction. Guided tours are included in the cost of admission.

Group rates are not valid during special events. Group rates are subject to change.

Current General Group Rates

*Tax Included

• Admission + Train Ride
  • Child (3-12): $6.68 per person*
  • Adult: $10.35 per person*
  • Senior (65+)/Military: $9.32 per person*
• Admission Only
  • Child (3-12): $2.68 per person*
  • Adult: $5.35 per person*
  • Senior (65+)/Military: $4.82 per person*
• Additional Activities:
  • Turntable Ride: $1 per person

To qualify for the group discount (15 or more people) the payment must be made in one transaction. If anyone wishes to pay separately, they will pay general museum admission pricing (non-group rate).

When applicable, guided tours can be tailored to fit specific areas of interest. We have several buildings at the museum that are open for visitors to engage with during a guided experience. On average, tours typically last from 60 to 90 minutes and may consist of a walk through of either one or a combination of our exhibit buildings. We also have several private railcars that are available to tour upon request. Please see below for more information about our buildings/exhibits/private rail car tour plans and opportunities.

Back Shop Tour (45- 60 Minutes)

• The largest building on the museum’s campus, the Back Shop was where major overhauls of steam engines took place. The western half of the building saw engines being stripped to their shells and the eastern half was the machine shop. Completed in 1905, the Back Shop contains 2.5 million bricks and cost $483,000 for the time, about 8 million in today’s economy.
  • Exhibit Highlights:
    • Piedmont Airlines Potomac Pacemaker DC-3
    • Forty and Eight Merci Train Car that was gifted by the citizens of France post-WWII to North Carolina
    • 1935 N.C. Highway Patrol Car
    • Antique Fire Truck Collection
    • Replica Indigenous Dugout Canoes
    • Variety of Coaches, Carriages, and Wagons
    • 1947 Old Dominion Freight Line Truck

Roundhouse Tour (60-75 Minutes)*

• The Roundhouse is a C-shaped structure containing 37 bays used for general servicing, oiling, or minor repairs for steam locomotives. Built from reinforced concrete in 1924 on the site of an older wooden Roundhouse, this version has a 100-ft turntable used to turn locomotives in the right direction. This building was a hub of activity for Spencer shops 24 hours a day.
  • Exhibit Highlights:
    • Wright Brothers Flyer Replica
    • Early 1900s Steam Locomotives (1903 Southern Railway #542, 1918 Seaboard Air Line Railway #544, etc.)
    • Restoration Bays for Diesel Locomotive and Rail Car Repairs
    • “How the West Was Won” Exhibit
    • 1925 Graham County Shay Locomotive
    • 1922 Railway Post Office Car
    • US Army Hospital Car #89480

Flue Shop Tour (30-45 Minutes)

• Home to the museum’s “Bumper to Bumper” exhibit, the Flue Shop once saw the repairs of locomotive boiler tubes and later radios. Explore a multitude of exhibit panels that take you through the development of the automobile and its technological innovations.
  • Exhibit Highlights:
    • 1901 White Stanhope steam powered car
    • Rausch and Lange Company’s 1918 electric automobile
    • 1907 Ford Model R
    • 1913 and 1914 Model T’s

All Inclusive Buildings/Exhibit Tour (1½  – 2 Hours)*

– Groups can request to have an all inclusive tour of either two or all three of our exhibit buildings. Please note that not all exhibits/displays will be discussed in this tour due to timing restrictions.

* Indicates tours that may be more walking intensive (uneven terrain/ramps/inclines). 

Loretto Car Tour (30 Minutes)

• The first U.S. Steel Company’s president, Charles Schwab ordered this luxury private rail car just in time for a maiden voyage on his nineteenth wedding anniversary. Elaborately decorated with Cuban mahogany paneled walls, tapestries galore, and even a large vase gifted to Schwab from a Chinese businessman, Schwab traveled in style.

Survivor Car Tour (30 Minutes)

• Originally named the “Japauldon,” the Survivor was built for the Woolworth family in October 1926 by American Car and Foundry. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad purchased the car in 1941, greatly improving the car with amenities like Thermopane windows, mechanical air conditioning, and a “turtle” roof. The museum received the Survivor as a donation from the estate of Dante S. Stephensen, using the rail car as his personal residence beginning in 1982.

Doris Car Tour (30 Minutes)

• Owned by James B. Duke, “Doris” was acquired in 1917 for the price of $38,050. Extensive work was done shortly after the purchase and included installing a gas stove, spending over $600 on linens for the car, and later adding a Corona typewriter. Doris was used extensively, embarking on 75 trips just between the years 1919 to 1925.

Step 1 – Select Your Visit Date:

Coordinators will be asked to provide a desired visit date and to confirm whether or not their group would like to take a ride on our train or turntable.

• March – Labor Day Museum Hours Of Operation

Tuesday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: Noon – 5 p.m.
Closed Monday

• March – Labor Day Museum Train Ride Schedule

Thursday – Friday: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Closed Easter Sunday

Step 2 – Arrival/Departure Time Information: 

Coordinators will be asked to provide a desired arrival/departure time for their group. This information will help us to plan your visit to better follow your scheduling needs. We recommend allotting 2-3 hours total for your visit.

Step 3 – Choose Your Tour Plan (Exhibits/Buildings or Private Rail Car Tours)

Step 4 – Approve Your Tour Plan

Once you have provided us with all of the above information, we will craft a tour plan/schedule for you to approve.

Example Schedule: 

Roundhouse Tour Option with 10am Train Ride and a Turntable Ride

• Arrival and Check In (Barber Junction Visitor Center): 9:30am – 9:45am
  • Groups will begin their visit at the Barber Junction Visitor Center. The coordinator will be asked to check in their group while participants unload from their bus/van. Restroom facilities are available at this location.

• Train Boarding  (Barber Junction Visitor Center): 9:45am-9:55am
• Train Ride: 10:00am-10:25am
• Your group will have the option to detrain at our Roundhouse Courtesy Stop (closer to exhibit/tour areas) or to remain on the train until they have made it back to the Barber Junction Visitor Center.
• Please note that the wheelchair lift in our ADA accessible train car is only available for boarding/unloading at the Barber Junction Visitor Center. Any groups needing access to this lift will be asked to remain on the train for the entire duration of the ride. Once your group has detrained at the Barber Junction Visitor Center, participants will have the option to walk to their selected tour location or to reload on their bus/van to drive down to a closer access point to the selected tour location.
• Roundhouse Tour: 10:45am – 12:00pm (Includes Time For Turntable Ride)
• End Of Visit: 12:15pm
  • After the tour, we invite your group to stop by the Gift Stationlocated in the Master Mechanic’s Office for a wide variety of transportation themed items.

All adult and senior groups are able to request a less walking intensive tour when making their reservation. Check-in for all groups will take place at the Barber Junction Visitor’s Center, however, alternate bus/van parking/unloading areas located closer to our museum exhibit buildings are available upon request. Wheelchairs are available on loan and can be picked up at the Barber Junction Visitor’s Center.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum is fully accessible to persons with disabilities. The train ride is able to be boarded by wheelchair lifts and the train ride’s ADA car provides wheelchair tie downs for a smooth ride. Other rail cars are not wheelchair accessible due to the use of historic and antiquated rail passenger equipment, which is exempt from ADA regulations under US Code: Title 42: Section 12184.

Wherever possible, access to exhibits is accessible to those with disabilities, however, certain exhibits and programs do have limited accessibility due to narrow door openings, such as those on railroad passenger cars. For additional details, please contact us.

It is important to remember that on train ride/large event days, our site is relatively active and that there may be areas where loud or abrupt sounds and noises are more likely to occur. We encourage any individual who may need them to bring any sensory aids along for their visit.

For all group information questions, please contact Meghan DeLapp at (980) 305-6298 or meghan.delapp@dncr.nc.gov.