The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our March 2024 issue.
Volunteers at Hallsboro Yard offer expertise — or just a helping hand — to bring history to life.
The secluded site first appears to be a train graveyard, where tired locomotives and rusting railway equipment are sent to rest forever. But then, a loud engine suddenly roars and a piercing whistle sounds: signs that these old pieces are far from gone.
Alive with history, Hallsboro Yard is on a mission to preserve railroad artifacts for the future. Located in Midlothian, the facility is part of the Old Dominion Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and is home to 20 pieces constructed anywhere from the early 1900s to the ’70s.
Founded in 1957, the Old Dominion Chapter was established to help preserve Central Virginia’s rich railroad history. Hallsboro Yard was purchased by the chapter in 1975. “We needed a place where all of our equipment could safely exist in a location with rail access,” says Devin Gray, the chapter’s president and the facility’s yardmaster. “The rails were sourced from locations all over the Richmond area and hand laid by a group of our members.”
The collection, many of whose items were used throughout Virginia, is worked on by rotating crews of 10 volunteers who assist mainly on Saturdays in the summer. Gray, who oversees the inventory year-round, has long volunteered with the nonprofit organization but took over management of the yard in 2021.
Over the years, the team has worked on countless artifacts, including a rare Davenport 44T; likely one of the first diesel-electric locomotives in the commonwealth. Currently, they’re fixing a malfunctioning boiler — a component that generates steam for moving the train, alongside other critical tasks.
Rather than dismantle everything to make the repairs, the volunteers are relying on high-tech solutions. A large white grid was drawn on the boiler’s exterior and each square numbered. “We use an ultrasound machine to test each for a certain thickness,” Gray says. “We then take the average of four squares to see if they meet requirements.”
But the temperamental boiler isn’t the only one currently getting attention. This year, the facility plans to complete the final touches on a custom rail speeder from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.
The items, donated from organizations in the Richmond region, show up in varying conditions. Some need to be gutted. Others like the Dinwiddie County, a Pullman heavyweight sleeping car, are in decent condition. The former Norfolk and Western Railway car is nearly a century old, its interior frozen in time. "It's got the original lamps, chairs, carpet, ashtrays and mirror,” Gray says. “It would be one of the first to leave the yard.”
A steam engine once locally owned and operated by the Albemarle Paper Co.
Much of this collection is acquired from or given by regional organizations and businesses. AdvanSix, a chemical manufacturer, donated an East Washington Railway GE 45T Center Cab locomotive in 2020, which is now being used to move other equipment around the rail yard.
Seeing these pieces come back to life can be extremely rewarding for these train enthusiasts. But reviving them also requires patience and dedication.
When a new addition rolls into the yard, it undergoes an intricate inspection, and notes are taken to determine the scope of restoration needed. Once a plan is devised, the volunteers clean, repair, upgrade and refurbish as much as possible.
Because these are vintage pieces, volunteers frequently come across materials like wood, cast iron, brass and copper — a stark difference from today’s trains often constructed with stainless steel and fiberglass. The volunteers have learned to use specialty tools and antique preservation methods to safely preserve these delicate materials, all in the name of keeping history alive.
While the organization tries to ensure historical accuracy, at times that’s not practical. This could be due to a tricky material type or implementation methods. “It’s not always economical or even possible to maintain precise historical accuracy,” Gray says. “In these cases, we make every effort to keep the original look and feel intact while adapting to what is available.”
Restored pieces are typically sent to the Richmond Railroad Museum (102 Hull St.), which the chapter manages. Some trains are also used for the organization’s scenic excursion rides, which the chapter launched in late 2023 and travel between Fort Eustis in Newport News and the Richmond Railroad Museum.
While Hallsboro Yard’s volunteers have excelled in their efforts, they’ve also faced obstacles. At one point, vandalism was an issue, as members noticed occasional shattered train windows. But the yard has another nemesis.
“The biggest challenge that we face with any of our artifacts is the passage of time,” Gray says. “We spend many hours working on railcars to preserve them in the condition that they are currently in so that we will have something to work with further down the line.”
The facility isn’t open to the public, but that could change as the organization strives to increase public offerings in the next few years. They hope to transform the space into an interactive destination for visitors to learn about local railway history and preservation methods while gaining an appreciation for trains. “That’s the point of the place,” Gray says. “We want people to enjoy it.”
