Hamlet, NC station museum display layout

[jbvb]

I spent a couple of hours in Hamlet, NC Saturday.  Luckily, I was there when volunteers arrived to open the museum in the former Seaboard depot, and I got a chance to see the HO scale layout.  The depot has been moved across the tracks from its original location, but you can still see its outline in the old passenger platform.

[jbvb]

I was told the layout was built by members of a club from Winston-Salem, about 2 hr. away. It appears to model circa 1950, when the SAL still ran steam and their fleet of Florida trains competed head-to-head with the ACL's.  There were four N-S tracks across the diamonds next to the depot, with double track extending a long way north and south.

[jbvb]

The engine terminal and shop area to the north are much changed, but the big classification yard beyond them is still quite busy. Most of the yard is not modeled here.  The push-button trains ran just fine, but I did notice one place where a turnout (probably hand-laid from the configuration) had been torn out and replaced with unballasted flex-track.

I liked it, though my photography was limited by the ceiling-high glass protecting it all from grabby fingers.  It would have held my interest much longer if knowledgeable modelers had been present to talk to, or even if there was signage describing the building process and the builders.

[Raymo]

Great looking station. Glad to see they still have the SDP 35.