It is just before dawn in Salisbury, North Carolina, August 9, 1957. A local trolley belonging to the Blue Ridge Traction Power & Light Company has stopped in front of the Salisbury train station and passengers have disembarked to catch the early morning train to Asheville. Blue Ridge Traction operates its trolley system on routes throughout Saliisbury. It also provides light freight services to and from businesses including a railroad tie creosoting plant in nearby Majolica.
Five cars of the WNC’s Asheville Special, wait on a Southern mainline track on the opposite side of the station. It consists of a mail car, a baggage car and three passenger coaches. It will make the trip to Asheville, with stops along the way, in just under 4 hours.
Modeling Notes:
– This entire NVMR club layout is a “prototypical” model versus a “freelance” model. That is. it accurately depicts a real-life railroad, not an imaginary one. All railroad equipment, towns, buildings, names and other features are based on the real WNC railroad as it existed in western North Carolina in the mid-1950s.
– The award winning model of Salisbury Station was built by NVMR member Doug Kirkpatrick. Doug used photos taken by Club Members during visits to the area to create this beautiful replica of the Spanish Mission style building. This train station has been serving Salisbury since 1908.
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