NC Transportation Museum/Village Fest (May 7,2011)

Great day in Carolina, beautiful weather, and some fun events. Photo at right was taken at the Village Fest in what was "Cannon Village" in Kannapolis, NC. Nice event with food, arts and crafts, and also a car show. Lots of great cars there, and I have quite a few on my Photo Page, in fact this was a great time for the camera; it got a lot of use this weekend. Saw some former co-workers from when I worked in North Carolina (miss that job bad) though doing the same thing for the same company in Richmond. Can't knock Richmond, but that was a nice factory to work in compared to the older one. That decision was not mine to make though.
Went to NC Transportation Museum first which is in Spencer, NC. It is a former working train yard, and is now a free museum. Lots to see there, the classic planes, trains and automobiles. This is the plane part, though they have a few aviation items. This plane is located in the "Back Shop" which is being restored. Also being restored in that building is a DC-3 which they got from a museum in Raleigh, NC and which once flew for Piedmont Airlines. They think they will have it finished (got a lot of damage from sitting outside for a number of years) within the next five years according to a newspaper article I read just last week.
Here you see a steam engine being moved. The train museum was a working museum, and this turntable at the Roundhouse works. Volunteers work on the trains, the vast majority of which are in running condition. In fact for a fee (usually just $5) you can go on the train ride around the grounds. There is usually just one train, but they run a number of them over a season. They have a big collection there of all sorts of trains and train items, plus some really interesting train cars. You can also check out the shops where many of them are getting work, or being restored. Just for the trains alone it is well worth the short drive past Salisbury, NC.
The museum also has a fine collection of cars, including this one which is a 1918 Rouch & Lang electric car. The model by the way is BX-7, the company made electric cars from 1905-1928. I read the top speed was 25 mph, and have no idea what the range was. With all the focus on electric cars, neat to know old ideas are new again. They also have some interesting motorcycles and often have some special shows with some classic cars and bikes. In fact I rode out to see the Carolina Classic Motorcycle Show, some great old bikes were there, and I have them on the motorcycle page, and also on the photo page to this site. It was a remarkable day.
Last photo is back to the Village Fest, certainly a very interesting creation. They don't get much more basic than this creation, its stripped down and real light, with an ultra-basic interior, and even sparing the "weight" of paint. That motor though is nothing short of remarkable!
I always have a great time in Carolina, but especially this time of year. Tough thing on this Saturday was not finding something to do, it was to decide what to do from a long list of options. I live for problem decisions like that, but could have gone to a lot more things on a fine day in North Carolina. Great people, great times and some amazing and interesting things to see, it was a fine and fun weekend indeed!