The Spencer Shops
by Darrell Duke
North Carolina Transportation Museum
History of the Spencer Shops.
Construction of the Spencer Shops began in 1896, and the new facility was named in honor of the first president of Southern Railway, Samuel Spencer
Southern's fleet of freight, passenger, and switching locomotives were all maintained at the Spence Shops. A large freight switching yard, a Roundhouse for the daily service of locomotives, a Back shop for heavy overhauls, a powerhouse to provide electricity and steam for the operations, store houses, administrative offices and a paint shop were all eventually part of the complex.
During it's peak, the Spencer Shops employed nearly 3,000 people, which directly and indirectly provided most of the jobs for the towns of spencer, East Spencer and other surrounding Rowan County Communities. Not only that, the facility was an intergral part of all the transportation infrastructure for the Southeastern United States during the first half of the 20th century.
Spencer Shops however, was a repair yard for steam locomotives. With the advent of diesel locomotives , which could travel father with far less maintaince than steam engines, the shops went into decline. The repair facility closed in 1960, but the classification ( Frieght ) yard remained open until the late 1970's.
In September 1977, Southern Railway donated four acres of the site, including three buildings, to the state of North Carolina. A second donation in 1979 included several additional historic structures and land, eventually leading to the creation of the NC Transportation Museum. Today the museum showcases all forms of transportation in North Carolina from Dugout Canoes and Conestoga wagons to airplanes.
