A Celebration of 150 years of Culture & Heritage
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Morehead City Railroad

[Yesterday & Today: A Pictoral History of Morehead City through 1998, p.25, published as a Community Improvement Project of the Morehead City Women's Club]

The drawing above [c.1863] shows rail lines going through Morehead City to Pier One, the first port facility. The railroad and port were important factors in developing Morehead City as a town separate from Beaufort or Carolina CIty, both of which were founded earlier.

On Friday, May 11 a special Whistle Stop Train Tour was available Price of this "rare mileage" was only $200.00 per person. Purchasers of this tour were bused from Morehead City to Goldsboro where they boarded the train at 4:30 pm and arrived back at the port [a little late] at about 9:30pm. Heavy hors d'oeuvres, open bar, soft drinks and entertainment included. Coffee and dessert tent upon return to the MHC Port! Six-minute stops were made in Kinston, New Bern, the Battlefield Site at Taberna and Newport, with narration about each stop.

The special passenger train service on May 11, 12 and 13 was arguably the most exciting event of our Sesquicentennial Celebration!
A few photos taken by Nancy Toothman on the Friday Whistle Stop Tour cana be seen below.

The original Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, later the Atlantic and East Carolina railroad, was made possible by the NC General Assembly in 1852. Known as the "Mullet Line" due to the tremendous amount of fish it carried, the railroad had a long history of financial troubles. Not until around the time of the Centennial was the railroad finally debt free. Today the railroad has passed into the hands of the Port Railway Commission.

Use of the two train stations was discontinued by the railroad after the last passenger train run in March 1950. Today one station has been moved to the town part across from the History Place and is being used as offices for the Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association and for meetins and other civic events.

Arriving back in MHC after dark. Coffee and sweets in the dessert tent after a long and exciting day. A once in a lifetime experience! Much credit to Mayor Jerry Jones for making this happen.

One of the major highlights of our celebration was securing a contract with Amtrak to bring in a passenger train and provide train rides between Morehead City and New Bern on Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and 13. Tickets were $50.00 per person and the response was overwhelming!

Event Details:

Amtrak provided a train with 4 passenger cars, one hospitality car, and engines on both ends (a push-pull operation). The train accommodated 288 people per trip. Children under 3 had free admission. Cost of a round-trip ticket was $50.00 per person. The MHC-NB Saturday tickets sold out quickly.

On Saturday, May 12th and Sunday, May 13 th, the train left the NC Port in Morehead City and arrived in New Bern according to the following schedule:

Leave: MHC 8:00 am
Arrive: New Bern 9:45 am
Leave: New Bern 10:15 am Arrive: MHC 12:00 Noon
Leave: MHC 2:00 pm
Arrive: New Bern 3:45 pm
Leave: New Bern 4:15 pm
Arrive: MHC 5:30 pm

*Red—Morehead to New Bern Visitors *Blue—New Bern to Morehead Visitors

Visitors traveling by train will had approximately six hours in New Bern to shop, eat and enjoy attractions. Visitors from New Bern to Morehead City had two hours on Saturday to enjoy their celebration. On Sunday only, there was a choice of returning from Morehead City at 2:00 pm or 6:00 pm when the celebration ended and the train returned to Raleigh.

Boarding and unloading in New Bern was on Hancock Street between South Front Street and Pollock Street. That block was closed to vehicular traffic during those 30 minute intervals.

New Bern also hosted an Antique Car Show on Saturday, May 12. In addition, we partnered with Tryon Palace, Craven County Historical Society, Coastal Carolina Railroaders, Downtown Merchant’s Association and Civil War Battlefield among others to provide a wonderful tourism experience for our weekend guests.

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