Rockton, SC

Fourteen years ago, Howard Shepherd was retired and living the good life in Sarasota, Fla., when he decided to move to South Carolina to take care of his 92-year-old mother-in-law. A self-described “railroad nut,” Shepherd went in search of local railroad lore and discovered the fledgling South Carolina Railroad Museum (SCRM) in Rockton, S.C., (pop. 200), a hamlet about 30 miles from Columbia.

“Not much was happening back then,” Shepherd recalls, “But a really energetic bunch of volunteers came together and things began to change.”

The group received a vital boost when railroad enthusiasts from Charleston, S.C., donated a vast collection of vintage rail equipment to the museum.

The volunteers, hailing from all over South Carolina and as far away as Georgia, helped raise nearly $80,000 to repair four railroad crossings that the state had paved over, and the museum began to roll.

The museum—the “Official Railroad Museum of South Carolina”—averages 10,000 visitors annually. They come to learn about railroad history; ride the Rockton, Rion, and Western Railroad; and look at old railroad equipment and rolling stock.

And it’s all made possible by 200 local volunteers, who come from all walks of life—from teachers to lawyers to retirees. They operate the train engine, run the gift shop, give guided tours of the museum exhibits, repair and restore the engines and equipment, and more. They even hold the SCRM schoolhouse, a program allowing students to come for educational field trips and learn about the historical impact railroads have had on South Carolina and the rest of the country.

“We’re just a bunch of kids playing with the ultimate train set,” says Matt Conrad, the museum’s unofficial curator who volunteers about 10 hours a week. Dressed in an engineer’s hat and railroad overalls, the curator looks the part and is eager to share his love and knowledge of railroading.

In guiding visitors around the complex, Conrad delights in telling the little-known stories behind the history of the museum’s Rockton, Rion, and Western Railroad, built in 1883, and of how the museum acquired each piece of equipment.

The railroad was built during Reconstruction and was one of the last in America to have steam-powered trains. Today, the museum has about 11.5 miles of track, and the engine that helps carry visitors on 45-minute rides is a 100-ton black General Motors diesel built in America and put into service during the Korean War.

“The engine actually saw action and came home with bullet holes,” Conrad explains. “Four years ago, the Army decommissioned the engine and our volunteers went to Fort Stewart, Ga., to bring it home.”

The engine takes visitors on a demonstration ride through some of the prettiest landscape in the Palmetto State, chugging past antebellum plantation remains and through pine forests and fields.

The train rides are a kid’s delight. Little faces peer out the windows and giggle with excitement when they hear the deep rumble of the boxcars, the steady beat of the engine, and the blast of the train whistle. In November and early December, children can bring their letters to Santa and mail them from the 1927 railroad post office car. Kids of all ages enjoy the toy trains displayed in the museum gallery and aboard a 1926 Southern Railway baggage car.

History buffs can inspect the two coach cars, replicas of those operated on the Best Friend of Charleston. Built in 1820, the Best Friend was the first steam engine in North America to have a scheduled route.

A special treat that nostalgically transports a visitor back in time is the Norfolk Business Train, which was used by the vice president of the Seaboard Airline Railroad. On display are a plush executive office and roomy dining cars—and a kitchen that looks more like a converted closet.

“Can you imagine that the cook made a full-course meal for eight in that kitchen?” Conrad says.

The railroad museum doesn’t plan to rest on its laurels, and its members are hard at work on expansion. In the works are plans for constructing a locomotive shop and equipment maintenance area, as well as a display track.

The museum also plans to open up an additional line to Rion, about six miles from Rockton.

“It’s going to give more space for the kids and more beautiful scenery to look at for everybody,” says Shepherd, who once only thought he’d retired.

Regular contributor Ron Chepesiuk is a Rock Hill, S.C., journalist.

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