Built by the Southern Railway in 1898 in Barber Junction, NC, the depot was moved from the original location in1980, to serve as the Barber Junction Visitors Center for the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. The museum is on the site of Southern Railways largest steam locomotive repair facility and is part of the Division of State Historical Sites and the Department of Cultural Resources. Thorough the exhibits you can see a history of North Carolina transportation. The Roundhouse built in 1924, was one of the largest ever constructed, now houses forty restored locomotives and rail cars. The Bumper to Bumper Exhibit is a collection of automobiles and bikes from the 1920’s through the 1980’s that include a 1901 White Steam Stanhope, a 1938 Highway Patrol Car and a 1947 Whizzer Motor Bike. The Wagon, Wheels and Wings exhibit includes a dugout canoe, 1922 fire engine and a Conestoga wagon built prior to 1810. The Back Shop that was built in 1905 and was once the largest industrial building in NC. It served as an enormous machine shop where the locomotives were disassembled and repaired with new parts. The outside has been restored and restoration is being done on the inside so that more exhibits can be added. The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, so Smithsonian travel exhibits are often on display. The museum offers tours, train rides and excursions as well as special events. |
