Steam & Excursion > Engine Room 87 heads to the barn

A private event this past weekend aboard the Aberdeen Carolina & Western's  Engine Room 87 complex in Pinehurst NC marked the end of the 2025 season for the attraction.  Today, Wednesday 12/10/25, it was moved along with business car San Marino and the kitchen car, back to the shop complex in Candor for any needed maintenance, modifications, and/or touch ups and it's winter slumber.  Fear not, it will return in the Spring for another season of being an open to the public bar and attending various events like a big flanged wheel food truck.     Pinehurst NC 11:10 AM, 12/10/25



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/25 09:06 by scraphauler.

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Does ACWR have enough shop and storage buildings to house all of its passennger equipment indoors during the winter, or does some of the fleet have to remain outside, exposed to the elements?

Jeff Gast
Greenwood, Indiana  

inrdjlg Wrote:
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> Does ACWR have enough shop and storage buildings
> to house all of its passennger equipment indoors
> during the winter, or does some of the fleet have
> to remain outside, exposed to the elements?
>
> Jeff Gast
> Greenwood, Indiana  

Any restored passenger equipment kept outside at Candor or Pinehurst is on ground power so they are climate controlled inside to keep temperatures and more importantly humidity levels in an acceptable range to protect woodwork.  Packing the shop full you can fit 21 cars if you fill the engine track and put one on the inspection fit, leaving no room to work on anything or service freight power, so realistically 15 passenger/entertainment cars can be inside, but again, stored finished cars leave no room to work on other projects. 

The Grand Trunk wooden caboose and Roamer (only private business car built during WWI ) RARELY leave the cozy confines of the shop, so that's 2 of the 15 spots. There are 5 passenger cars currently under restoration plus another F unit - none of that is going anywhere until finished.  The Edwards Motor car project and the old interurban eat up 2 more spots.  So that leaves 6 inside storage/repair spots for a fleet of 9 operating passenger cars, 3 locos ( F9A, F7B, E9A), the Patio car, The Canopy car, Engine Room 87, and 87's caboose. 

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I like the caboose.

Thank you for the explanation.  Are there plans to construct more storage buildings, especially since they're reconfiguring the outdoor shop and servicing tracks? 

I think you've mentioned before that the railroad holds a regular public open house once a month for a nominal admission fee. 

Jeff Gast
Greenwood, Indiana   



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/25 09:48 by inrdjlg.

inrdjlg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you for the explanation.  Are there plans
> to construct more storage buildings, especially
> since they're configuring the outdoor shop and
> servicing tracks? 
>
> I think you've mentioned before that the railroad
> holds a regular public open house once a month for
> a nominal admission fee. 
>
> Jeff Gast
> Greenwood, Indiana   

Their freight franchise is strong and growing - they seem to have as many big projects in the pipeline as I do further east in the state - those take priority.  They also have an upcoming CRISI grant project that will replace something like 44 miles on rail between Star and Charlotte with new heavier CWR.  The shop lead expansion is a result of them building a second full service transload center and making a couple large industrial lots "shovel ready" for them to sell/lease, vs something done solely to support the entertainment division. 

While frieght is priority, their entertainment division is just as busy and operates year round.  Dinner Train service runs Feb thru November.  December see's twice daily Carolina Christmas Train out of Star most every day.  The Engine Room 87 complex only takes a 6-8 week hiatus, so January is really the only month most everything is idle.   Currently, they have a siding in the up and coming NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte that can support 4 or 5 cars - nothing is stored there, just use it for events occasionally.  Pinehurst is pretty much the base of operation - they have 3 sidings that combined can hold 35-35 cars, ALL on power with water and sewer available, all very accessible and very safe from vandalism surrounded by the grounds of the Pinehurst Resort.   Their is an old pulp/woodchip mill near Robbins that is fenced and secure who's yard is stuffed FULL of equipment awaiting resotration - locomotives, cabooses, dozens of passenger cars, even a handful of histroic freight cars.  Right now, Candor is really just used to house the "museum pieces" that rarely leave and to service the operating cars and restore additional cars.  

Just my opinion, but with GT caboose, Roamer, San Marino (car in video),  three 1890's wooden cars under restoration, the Edwards motor car, the interurban, and his steam engine, and some of the other stuff squirreled away, I would not be shocked if some sort of expansion took place in Candor to build some sort of open to the public (more than the once a month tours) "museum" to display some of the rarer stuff that usually doesn't leave and maybe cycle operating cars through every so often to keep it fresh.   I know Coffee Creek (ex MILW Skytop under restoration) is said will have a display of Beatles memorabilia as the car was "chartered" by by the band and again by Lennon during it's Canadian National days when the band was in Canada, so I could see where having it displayed from time to time,  in addition to its operation, could be a draw.  

Great thread!  Its fun to read about everything going on there!

This feels like it maybe a silly question, but were cabooses ever used with just shellac?

I'm not well versed on Canadian rail history. 

Peace

-A

 

Ironman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great thread!  Its fun to read about everything
> going on there!
>
> This feels like it maybe a silly question, but
> were cabooses ever used with just shellac?
>
> I'm not well versed on Canadian rail history. 
>
> Peace
>
> -A
>
>  

I don't think so - think they where painted.  I was told this was some sort of African Hardwood used in boat building that they used to resheath this car (Zebrano maybe).  I assume the wood was so nice they decided to highlight it vs covering it up to be accurate.  Let's face it, the business car it's couple too, Roamer, wasn't magenta when built but is absolutely all original otherwise, so why not a caboose?