History of Spencer Shops - N.C. Transportation Museum

The N.C. Transportation Museum is located on the grounds of what was once Southern Railway Company's largest steam locomotive servicing facility in the southeast.


J.P. Morgan, Southern's owner, chose the site because of its location midway between the railroad's major terminal points of Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Ga. Construction of the Shops began in 1896, and they were named in honor of the first president of Southern Railway, Samuel Spencer.


Locomotives needing light maintenance were serviced in the Roundhouse, while full overhauls took place in the massive Back Shop, a building that stretches the length of two football fields.


During its peak, Spencer Shops employed nearly 3,000 people, which directly and indirectly provided most of the jobs for the towns of Spencer, East Spencer and other surrounding Rowan County communities.

With the advent of the diesel locomotive, Spencer Shops went into decline. The repair facility closed in 1960, but the classification (freight) yard remained open until the late 1970s.


In September 1977, Southern Railway donated four acres of the site, including three buildings, to the state of North Carolina. A second donation in 1979 included several additional historic structures and land. The entire site was eventually placed under the administration of the Historic Sites section of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Today, you can see the fully restored Bob Julian Roundhouse, the largest building of its type that remains in North America, the Back Shop, Barber Junction Depot, and visit the Gift Station in the Master Mechanic's Office.

Transportation exhibits feature railroading, aviation, and automotive and trucking history, while amazing events take place all through the year.



You can learn more about the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer at www.nctrans.org.