Committee has train museum plan on track

For a group of Twin Counties train enthusiasts, the time has arrived to give the legacy of the railroad its due.

“The railroad played a vital part in building up this city,” said Joyce Edwards Dantzler, president of the Rocky Mount Railroad Museum committee.

Since its 2010 inception as a nonprofit organization, the committee has had a hard time finding a suitable space to house the museum, mainly due to a lack of funding. There are a variety of photographs, artifacts and books donated by railroad experts and from private collections that Dantzler said are stored in locations around the community. During events such as Amtrak’s National Train Day and CSX Family Day, committee members are able to create displays showcasing some of the items the museum will have once it obtains a dedicated space.

Young people need to be re-introduced to the wonder of model trains and educated about the importance of the railroad, particularly to Rocky Mount, said Gene Pridgen, a member of the committee and lifelong lover of trains.

“We need a museum here to represent the trains,” Pridgen said. “Rocky Mount, at one time, was the hub for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Yet, there’s nothing around here for people to come and look at. We need to display these artifacts and history. All people see is the train coming by blocking the crossing. They don’t understand the full history of what the railroad meant to Rocky Mount.”

Dantzler agreed: “The railroad contributed greatly to the economy. A lot of people were employed by the railroad. The railroad to Rocky Mount was what the steel mills were to Pittsburgh.”

Having a dedicated railroad museum would accomplish both aims, Dantzler said. With a new grant writing partner in place and an active search for a space in Rocky Mount, her goal is to have the operation up and running in the next 18 months. Because the committee still is in the fundraising phase, she admitted the goal is lofty but has faith that it is reachable.

So far, the committee has looked at several spaces, including ones inside the train station, along Main Street and the old bus station. Members estimate the cost to obtain and renovate for use as a museum to be between $150,000 to $200,000.

Dantzler’s passion to create a museum is personal. Thomas Edwards Jr., her father, worked for the Atlantic Coast Line, parts of which later were taken over by Amtrak and CSX, and had a great love for trains. Edwards, who died in 1996, was a train fireman who shoveled coal into the firebox to make steam engines run. His model train collection also was the shining point of his neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s.

Dantzler began the Thomas Edwards Jr. Project in 2010 as a way to establish interest in eventually building the Rocky Mount Railroad Museum.

“Because he loved it so much, he used to share his train set with people,” Dantzler said. “Kids in the community would come on school outings. He just enjoyed sharing it so much. After (Hurricane Floyd), I had to put it in storage. Then I said, ‘Let’s find a museum where this can be displayed and people can still come and enjoy watching his trains.’”

One of the children who took such delight in Edwards’ train collection was Ronald Hines. He carried the joy he had learning and playing with the trains through his life as he completed high school and, college and began a family and financial career in Dallas.

“We’d go to Mr. Edwards’ house, and he’d be running 10 trains at a time. For a kid, that was fascinating,” Hines said. “It was something we just did. It was a neighborhood thing. He loved kids. We had a lot of boys in the neighborhood, and we’d go play with his trains.”

When Hines returned to Rocky Mount a few years ago, Dantzler asked him to come on board as treasurer of the museum committee. Upon joining, he met Pridgen, who helped Hines restore his 1948 Lionel S2 turbine steam locomotive.

“I’ve always loved trains, toy trains, real trains. I have an enjoyment of trains in any form,” Pridgen said. “My purpose in coming here was to work on the trains to keep them running. Most of the people who got them when they were kids threw them away or put them up in the attic somewhere and didn’t mess with them for 40 years. If anybody’s ever heard an old Lionel whistle, you’ll never forget it.”

Hines was giddy when the train was returned to its working state.

“I felt like a little kid when I saw it running,” Hines said. “I know next year, when I put up my Christmas tree, I’m going to have my train so it’ll go around the tree.”

The fun and wonder of trains mostly is lost on the younger generation, Hines said.

“Most kids today have never been on a train. Without the trains we wouldn’t have America,” Hines said.

The Rocky Mount Railroad Museum committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Hunter Hill Cafe. A yearlong membership is $25. For more information, go to rmrailroad.org.