Member Appreciation Day
For Members, Saturday’s Historic Spencer Shops Train Show includes Member Appreciation Day activities.
Member Benefits For the Day Include:
- Free admission to the Museum.
- Free admission to The Historic Spencer Shops Train Show and all its related activities.
- Museum’s Garage (1109 S. Salisbury Ave.) will be open 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and is included with your admission.
- Free train rides (limited seating on the members-only Seaboard Air Line 6604 observation lounge car and Pine Tree State rail car).
Members-Only Tours Include:
- Museum artifacts in our Collections Corner
- The Powerhouse and Car Repair Sheds
- Railroad Restoration Shop
Drawings & Other Activities Just For Members:
- Drawings for special event tickets, a pair of Brew & Choo tickets, and Diesel Cab Ride.
- VIP lounge for members onboard stationary first-class rail cars
- Members-only rides in a 1914 American LaFrance fire engine provided by Brown Antique Equipment (weather permitting)
- Children’s scavenger hunt
- Additional member discounts in the Gift Station
- And more!
Celebrating our Members!
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Member Appreciation Day is held in conjunction with The Historic Spencer Shops Train Show. All members of the N.C. Transportation Museum are invited to enjoy special perks, tours, and treats on this special day.
There are limited number of seats on the member-only train, so members are encouraged to reserve tickets on-line by selecting the “Members Only Car” departing from the south end of Barber Junction Visitor Center platform. Members will travel on the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) No. 6604, a streamlined passenger rail car from the post-World War II era.
On Member Appreciation Day
First Stop
Weather permitting, members who reserved tickets online should make their first stop at the white membership tents outside Barber Junction Visitor Center to receive wristbands, boarding passes, and other information and goodies!
Members who did not reserve tickets online should go inside Barber Junction Visitor Center to check-in and get their wristbands and boarding passes. Their second stop will be the white membership tent for additional information and member goodies.
Weather permitting, member tents will be outside of the Barber Junction Visitor Center from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Pick-up your member gift, sign-up for member-only tours, and fill-out entry for a door prize. All members will receive a membership sticker to identify them for member-only activities.
In case of inclement weather, member tables will be inside Barber Junction Visitor Center until 2:30 p.m.
We encourage you to be in line for your train ride at Barber Junction Visitor’s Center at least 15 minutes before your ride time to allow for boarding. Member-only trains will have a separate boarding line from regular passenger trains and will leave at 5 minutes past the hour. Train rides last approximately 25 minutes. Please give yourself ample time to check in and sign up for all the activities.
Back by popular demand!
Limited seating free barbecue sandwich lunch at the N.C. Transportation Museum’s Garage and Showroom from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Stop by the white membership tents to learn more and get your ticket. The Garage is located less than 1-mile south of the Museum at 1109 S. Salisbury Ave., Spencer, NC 28159.
Member Benefits For the Day Include:
- Free admission to the Museum.
- Free admission to The Historic Spencer Shops Train Show and all its related activities.
- Museum’s Garage (1109 S. Salisbury Ave.) will be open 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and is included with your admission.
- Free train rides (limited seating on the members-only Seaboard Air Line 6604 observation lounge car and Pine Tree State rail car).
Members-Only Tours Include:
- Museum artifacts in our Collections Corner
- The Powerhouse and Car Repair Sheds
- Railroad Restoration Shop
Drawings & Other Activities Just For Members:
- Drawings for special event tickets, a pair of Brew & Choo tickets, and Diesel Cab Ride.
- VIP lounge for members onboard stationary first-class rail cars
- Members-only rides in a 1914 American LaFrance fire engine provided by Brown Antique Equipment (weather permitting)
- Children’s scavenger hunt
- Additional member discounts in the Gift Station
- And more!
The Powerhouse and Car Repair Sheds
Learn More
Be the first to get a sneak peek at the on-going restorations and additions to 2 original Historic Spencer Shop buildings that will soon be open to the public. This guided tour is led by one of your fellow members who is also the project’s design architect. This is a limited walking tour through the job site and a look inside portions of the structures currently under restoration and construction.
The coal-fired Powerhouse was one of the first buildings constructed to provide essential steam and electricity to the Spencer Shops and for a time the whole town of Spencer. It was expanded several times throughout its history serving Southern Railway, and this current renovation is the 3rd phase of restoration undertaken by the museum since before 2005 in efforts to open it to the public. The Car Repair Sheds were used by Southern to repair rolling stock through the steam era and into the diesel era. The structure remaining today is about one-sixth of what it once was, and the new addition will bring it back to about one-third of its original size.
Maximum 20 people per tour (Not recommended for children under 10 years of age)
9:45 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
1:45 p.m.
2:45 p.m.
3:45 p.m.
N.C. Transportation Museum’s Collections Corner
Learn More
From blueprints and journals to, planes, trains and automobiles, the N.C. Transportation Museum has over 10,000 items in its collection, many of which are not on display to the public. In this 30-minute tour, guided by the Museum’s Collections Manager, participants will get to see and learn about a selection of artifacts kept in our collections, including the personal belongings of Samuel Spencer, a selection of tools found on site during recent construction, and more. The tour meets at the front steps of the Master Mechanics Office.
Maximum 15 people per tour
9:45 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:15 p.m.
12:00 p.m.
1:45 p.m.
2:30 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
Railroad Restoration Shop
Learn More
Learn how we keep railroading history in motion. The Bob Julian Roundhouse was built in 1924 and saw the repair of steam locomotives until 1953 and diesel engines until the early 70’s. While dormant for several years, the shop floor has been an active place for the Museum’s 49 years and you can see it in action today! Join us as we take you on a tour of the restoration bays, occupying stalls of the roundhouse used for locomotive and rail car maintenance, where visitors get down on the main shop floor to learn how volunteers work on various railroad pieces and manufacture parts for the Museum’s rolling stock.
Maximum 20 people per tour
10:00 a.m.
10:45 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
2:45 p.m.
3:30 p.m.