>> WELCOME TO "NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND."
I'M DEBORAH HOLT NOEL.
BEFORE THE CITY OF THOMASVILLE EVER BECAME FAMOUS FOR ITS
FURNITURE AND TEXTILES, THERE WERE TRAINS, THE FIRST OF
WHICH ARRIVED IN THE 1850s.
SOON AFTER CAME CHAIR MAKING.
MORE THAN 2,000 CHAIRS A DAY WERE MADE IN THE CITY BY THE
EARLY 20th CENTURY.
NOW, MORE THAN 100 YEARS LATER, CHAIRS HAVE TAKEN A BACKSEAT,
BUT THE TRAINS ARE COMING ON LOUDER THAN EVER.
HERE'S RICK SULLIVAN FOR A STORY ABOUT THOMASVILLE
AND ITS RAILFANS.
>> THE TRAIN DEPOT IN THOMASVILLE WAS BUILT NEARLY 150
YEARS AGO, AND IT'S STILL IN USE TODAY AS A VISITORS CENTER AND
THE MAIN GATHERING PLACE FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF RAILFANS,
A GROUP OF HOBBYISTS WHO TRACK, PHOTOGRAPH, VIDEO, AND EVEN PLAN
VACATIONS AROUND SPECIAL EDITION TRAINS.
>> I WENT TO CHINA IN 2004 AND SHOT THE LAST OF THE
STEAM TRAINS.
AND WE DONE FOUR TRIPS OUT OF THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR.
AND WE -- THE SAME GROUP OF GUYS WENT EVERY YEAR ON THE SAME
TRIPS, AND IT WAS JUST LIKE A FRATERNITY.
>> AND NOW J.R.
EWINGS HAS A GROWING FRATERNITY OF RAILFANS
JOINING HIM ON A REGULAR BASIS IN THOMASVILLE, WHERE SUDDENLY
RAILFANS HAVE DISCOVERED A RELIABLE PLACE TO SEE AND
PHOTOGRAPH A VARIETY OF INTERESTING TRAINS.
>> WOW, HERE IT COMES!
[TRAIN WHISTLE] >> YEAH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF TOURISM FOR DAVIDSON COUNTY IS A RAILFAN.
AND HE SAID, MARK, HE SAID, I THINK YOU'RE SITTING ON A
LITTLE BIT OF A GOLD MINE HERE IN THOMASVILLE.
I SAID, HOW SO?
AND HE EXPLAINED.
HE SAID, WHAT THESE PEOPLE NEED IS HIGH VOLUME OF TRAINS,
SOME OF THE UNIQUE TRAINS, A FREE PLACE TO PARK,
NICE AIR CONDITION, CLEAN BATHROOMS,
AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW FOR PICTURES.
HE SAID, YOU'VE GOT EVERY ONE OF THOSE.
>> SO MARK SCOTT PUT IN FOR A GRANT TO GET ADVERTISING MONEY,
AND HE SPENT IT ON AN AD IN "TRAINS" MAGAZINE.
>> AND FROM THAT POINT ON, RAILFANS STARTED COMING FROM ALL
OVER THE NATION.
>> THE RED LINE IS WHERE THE TRAINS ARE.
THE GREEN IS WHERE THEY'RE CLEARED TO GO.
>> FOLKS DROPPING INTO THE VISITORS CENTER IN THE OLD DEPOT
CAN GET BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THOMASVILLE'S TRAINS AND
OTHER ATTRACTIONS.
ANY GOOD DAY TRIP REQUIRES A GREAT PLACE TO EAT.
AND JUST ACROSS THE TRACKS FROM THE DEPOT IS THE GREEN BUILDING
OCCUPIED BY SOUTHERN SISTERS RESTAURANT AND TAVERN.
OWNED AND OPERATED BY CHRIS AND JOY THOMPSON, YOU CAN GRAB A
SIDEWALK TABLE HERE AND GET A PERFECT VIEW OF THE TRAINS
WITHOUT EVER LEAVING YOUR PEACH JEZEBEL CHICKEN, KISS MY SHRIMP
AND GRITS, OR ANY NUMBER OF TERRIFIC DISHES.
THERE'S ALSO GREAT VARIETY TO THE TOWN'S TOURISM MENU.
IT MIGHT GET A GREAT BOOST FROM ANY ATTENTION THE TRAINS CAN
BRING -- AN IMPRESSIVE VIETNAM VETERANS
MEMORIAL HERE AT THE EDGE OF TOWN ON AN I-85 REST STOP.
THERE'S THE CIVIL WAR CEMETERY WITH UNION AND CONFEDERATE
TROOPS LAID TO REST ON COMMON GROUND, AN UNCOMMON OCCURRENCE,
AND THERE'S THE BIG CHAIR, STILL AS STURDY AS THE MILLIONS
OF FURNITURE PIECES MANUFACTURED HERE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.
BUT EVEN BEFORE THERE WAS BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY IN THIS
HISTORIC TOWN, THERE WERE TRAINS.
AND, FITTINGLY, IT'S TRAINS AGAIN, AS MANY AS 35 A DAY,
THAT ARE GIVING THOMASVILLE THIS UNIQUE STATUS IN
A SPECIALTY MARKET.
>> I HAVE TRAVELED PRACTICALLY ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND I TOLD
MARK ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I SAID, AS FAR AS RAILFANNING,
THOMASVILLE IS ONE OF THE NEATEST SPOTS THAT
I'VE EVER BEEN.
YOU CAN CHOOSE THE SAME PLACE EVERY DAY, BUT THEN WHEN YOU
LOOK AT YOUR PICTURES, NONE OF THEM IS ALIKE.
>> EWINGS AND OTHER RAILFANS LIKE HIM ARE PREPARED TO DRIVE
FOR HOURS TO CATCH A SHOT OF A UNIQUE TRAIN OR LOCATION,
ANYTHING THAT MIGHT GARNER A GREAT PHOTO.
LOCOMOTIVES ARE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST, ESPECIALLY THE HANDFUL
OF HERITAGE UNITS, THOSE FROM NORFOLK SOUTHERN PAINTED IN
RETRO COLOR SCHEMES.
>> I'M STILL NEW TO TRAINS.
I'M LEARNING A LOT ABOUT THEM.
BUT I LIKE THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVES JUST BECAUSE THE BLACK SMOKE
MAKES WONDERFUL PICTURES.
>> YOU CAN ALSO TRACK MANY OF THESE TRAINS ONLINE.
BUT IN THOMASVILLE, YOU CAN DO IT AT TRACK SIDE FROM THE
VISITORS CENTER ALONG WITH FELLOW RAILFANS.
IN THOMASVILLE, I'M RICK SULLIVAN FOR
"NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND."