Museum receives new railroad ties

HAMLET — The National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame located across Spring Street from the Hamlet City Lake received a donation of 20 railroad ties for use in the creation of new historic displays.

Museum President Tim Nevinger said the National Salvage and Service Corp. of Bloomington, Indiana made the donation Monday afternoon while loading a considerable number of railroad ties it obtained from CSX for transportation elsewhere.

“Any time we get a donation, we’re grateful,” Nevinger said. “There are so many displays here and we are always putting new things together.”

Nevinger said his wife, Kay Cavendish, runs The Grab — a popular thrift and gift shop that raises funds for the museum through tax-deductible donations. Admission to the museum is free, and The Grab supplements many of its projects and helps keep the doors open and the lights on.

“Hamlet was called ‘The Hub of the Seaboard,” Nevinger said. “We have all this history and the museum board works hard to preserve it, but we need volunteers. Working a few hours a week here could lead a young person to an interest in curating museums and preserving history.”

High school students with an interest in history, he said, would make excellent volunteers.

“We have tours here,” Nevinger said. “The buses unload right outside the door, then come back later to pick the people up. And we work closely with the Hamlet Depot and Museum. It’s just that they are the Hamlet side of it, and we’re the national railroad side of it. We’re separate but we do work together and have a similar purpose. It’s just that we’re all volunteers. Nobody gets paid. We do this to preserve history.”

While admission is free of charge, Nevinger said donations are always welcome.

The museum is open from 1-4 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. Other visits can be arranged by appointment.

To volunteer, make a donation or schedule a visit, call The Grab at 910-582-3555 or Nevinger and Cavendish at 910-280-9253 and 910-318-5225.

Reach reporter Melonie McLaurin at 910-817-2673 and follow her on Twitter @meloniemclaurin.

Melonie McLaurin | Daily Journal Tim Nevinger, president of the National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame on Spring Street in Hamlet, displays 20 railroad ties donated by National Salvage and Service Corp. of Bloomington, Indiana.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Nevinger.jpgMelonie McLaurin | Daily Journal Tim Nevinger, president of the National Railroad Museum and Hall of Fame on Spring Street in Hamlet, displays 20 railroad ties donated by National Salvage and Service Corp. of Bloomington, Indiana.

Melonie McLaurin | Daily Journal Tim Nevinger shows off a mock engine he and his wife Kay Cavendish have been working on in the museum over a period of time. Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged to help maintain and create new displays.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_MockEngine.jpgMelonie McLaurin | Daily Journal Tim Nevinger shows off a mock engine he and his wife Kay Cavendish have been working on in the museum over a period of time. Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged to help maintain and create new displays.