USA: Tickets are on sale for the America 250 Locomotive Celebration, which will bring commemorative freight and passenger locomotives to Spencer, North Carolina, from August 28 to 30.

America 250 Locomotive Celebration tickets start at $44.50 for the August 28–30 event, train rides and night photo sessions.
America 250 Locomotive Celebration tickets start at $44.50 for the August 28–30 event, train rides and night photo sessions.

The three-day event will run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the N.C. Transportation Museum. The museum, Trains Magazine and White River Productions are organizing what the official event page describes as the first and only gathering of locomotives painted for the United States’ semiquincentennial.

Commemorative locomotives at the Bob Julian Roundhouse

The locomotives will be displayed around the Bob Julian Roundhouse, with equipment rotated and repositioned during the weekend. Organizers say each day will present a different lineup and new photography opportunities, including movements on the roundhouse turntable.

A recent roster update from the museum put participation at nearly three dozen locomotives, including equipment from Amtrak, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Metra. That total builds on 18 previously confirmed short line and regional railroads, Florida East Coast Railway and nine specially painted locomotives from the six Class I railroads: BNSF Railway, Canadian National, CPKC, CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.

Admission includes a passenger train ride behind a museum diesel locomotive, subject to availability. A ticket does not reserve a departure time, and seating will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

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America 250 Locomotive Celebration ticket prices

The museum lists the following online prices, including handling fees but before North Carolina sales tax:

Pass — Adult — Child aged 3–12

1 day — $44.50 — $28.25
2 days — $81.50 — $49.75
3 days — $117.75 — $71.25

N.C. Transportation Museum members receive $2 off the base price of each daytime ticket option. Reciprocal admission through the Association of Science and Technology Centers Passport Program will not be accepted for this special event.

Visitors booking accommodation can also review Rowan County Tourism’s Stay & Play package. Participating stays booked for August 27–31 can provide two matching daytime passes: one night for two one-day passes, two nights for two two-day passes, or three nights for two three-day passes. The offer is scheduled to close at 4:00 p.m. on August 25, subject to its terms.

Night photo sessions and drone restrictions

Separate night photo sessions will run from 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on August 28 and 29. Each night is limited to 200 participants, and there is no multi-night pass. The all-ages price is $159 for non-members or $148.50 for museum members, including handling fees but before sales tax.

Public drone use will not be allowed during the daytime event, the night sessions or when the museum is closed. Drone operations are restricted to an August 27 media preview from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for approved media and commercial users; permit requests for national or industry media and commercial filming are due by August 13.

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