Eastern Railroad Discussion > OCS thru the pines

The Aberdeen Carolina and Western is running a private event this evening from the Pinehurst Country Club and Resort down to Aberdeen and return, similar to to the one they ran a couple weeks ago.  Today's version features the A/B set of ex NS executive Fs, heavyweight baggage car #901, heavyweight Pullman #7014 "Pinehurst" and the queen of the fleet, dome car "The Menzies Vista".  Train is shown here passing the house at 2PM today, Wednesday 11/16/22, complete with requisite horn salute.  As of this posting, train is tied down on the main at the resort, between "The Cradle" Challenge Course at the Resort and NC Hwy 5 and is in process of being catered for this evenings festivities.  

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It's a beautiful train in the perfect Carolina setting.  Thanks for posting this great video.

sounds great, looks too

ACWR is preparing to build a "Passenger Yard" down at the Resort in Pinehurst.  White building in the two pictures attached is the transportation building for the resort - this is the administration hub for the resorts cars, vans, buses, and rubber tired trolleys.  Track in the foreground is the main, track in the background is the current Pinehurst house track which has electrical hookups for "hotel" power for 7 passenger cars.  To the right, the USGA is building "Golf House Pinehurst" which will house their administration offices, tournament offices, equipment and turf labs, and hall of fame museum.  Across the street, to the left, and behind is all part of the Country Club and Resort.  ACWR is current working with Duke Energy to relocate a plethora of overhead utility lines along the north side of the track, burying all of them in a new underground corridor, thus providing a wide open view of the golf course from the railroad tracks, overlooking the clubhouse and 18th green of world famous Pinehusrt #2, a permanent rotating host course for the US Open.  While the utility work has been going on, ACWR has been accumulating track material for the new "yard".  In the pictures we see two complete bumping posts, 6 new derails, bins of fasteners, and a few of the well over 1000 new steel cross-ties they have accumulated so far.  Not shown is at least 2 car loads of new 136lb 80ft stick rail and lots of switch components.  Essentially, it appears we will end up with a world class PV campground on the golf course.  Rumors are that a number of the Class 1's business cars will be attending the 2024 US Open and be "camped" out here.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/22 13:28 by scraphauler.

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Exce;;ent video!  ACWR is really a class act.
ALLEN

Hmmm, interesting TV convos recently about Pinehurst being a great place but losing it's luster, seems an effort is being made
to reverse those thoughts. Good to see, beautiful old course!

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
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> Hmmm, interesting TV convos recently about
> Pinehurst being a great place but losing it's
> luster, seems an effort is being made
> to reverse those thoughts. Good to see, beautiful
> old course!
>
> Out 

Pinehurst the Country Club is spending tons of money upgrading and expanding. All 3 hotels are getting big facelifts. A new parking garage is going in before the 2024 Open, a 4th hotel is planned for between the '24 Open and the '29 Open.  The 9 courses and the Cradle are impeccable. Pinehurst the Village is growing rapidly - population pushing 20k. The three conjoined towns of Pinehurst, Aberdeen, and Southern Pines and surrounding "burbs" have pushed this area over 70k population and Moore County as a whole over 100k.  As a result, a lot of the "older" population feel the area is loosing it's "luster" or "charm".

The demographics of the area are changing rapidly - days of this being a retirement community for old rich New Yorkers are quickly becoming a memory.  We have a lot of military families from Bragg. We are in easy commuting distance to the big tech and big pharma in RTP for families looking to live outside Wake or Durham county.  There's massive industrial development in automotive and tech bringing thousands of jobs in neighboring Chatham and Lee counties.   So growth is rampant at all income levels. And the demographic of people who are retired and have lived here 10-25 years and feel that they should have been the last people allowed to move here are not happy and constantly complain that Pinehurst has lost its luster or charm.  Our development is in a country club with 3 golf courses (that the resort is rumored to be looking to buy) - we have freinds getting ready to break ground on their new home in here  - the octogenarian who lives next door and built in 2001 "introduced" himself - he came out when he saw us over there and he first words where " YOU PEOLE ARE RUINING EVERYTHNG". 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/22 17:24 by scraphauler.

That beautiful Pullman Car called the "Pinehurst" was originally called the "Defender" and traveled most of its' life on the Pennsylvania Railroad prior to retirement when it came over to the B&O and owned by a private individual.  Here are three photos of the car when it was the "Defender" all taken on the B&O (Chessie System).  1. on an excursion train on the Maryland & Delaware R.R.;  2. enjoying a luncheon in the car.;  3. another interior view on a Christmas Trip on the B&O with Conductor Carl Grocie, the Senior Conductor on the B&O taking a break.
All photos in my collection from RRP.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

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Very nice video!  Train looks and sounds great!
Regards, Jim Evans

"You people are ruining everything"... but he doesn't mention that the value of a home there, which wasn't cheap to begin with, has tripled in 20 years. 

ctillnc Wrote:
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> "You people are ruining everything"... but he
> doesn't mention that the value of a home there,
> which wasn't cheap to begin with, has tripled in
> 20 years. 

Absolutely. Heck, I think they said Pinehurst has appreciated 45% since 1/1/21 alone.  I love the instant equity we got on our build - signed contract in summer of 20 right before material prices skyrocketed and property values went thru the roof.