(rshsdepot) Robbins, NC

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Make the Investment In the Robbins Depot

The town of Robbins, Northern Moore Tomorrow and the Aberdeen, Carolina and
Western Railway have formed a unique and promising partnership. The
coalition's goal is to restore the old train depot in downtown Robbins and
to transform the century-old building into a cultural and historical museum
that will feature the town's transportation history and culture.

A fourth partner is needed: the N.C. Department of Transportation. Northern
Moore Tomorrow, a community organization that promotes the Robbins area as a
place to live, work and do business, has applied to DOT for a $150,000 grant
that would finance the restoration of the Old Elise Depot. (Elise was once
the name of the town.) DOT should approve the grant. True, the state is
strapped by a budget crisis, and money must be spent carefully, but this
investment could pay significant dividends for Robbins, which is beset by an
ailing economy.

The partnership consisting of the town, the railroad and Northern Moore
tomorrow aspires to do more than restore the railroad. Also planned are
Farmers Day train excursions, a dinner train, a "Pottery Express" to
transport tourists into Robbins, and a shuttle bus to carry visitors to area
historic and scenic sites and to some of the 100 potteries that surround the
town.

But the restored depot would be the effort's centerpiece. The project would
retain the distinctive structural features of the building, including the
vertical timbered slabs of interior walls, the maiden beams of the rafters,
and the fundamental hardware, hinges and nails. This is a building of
architectural and historical significance. It should be restored and put to
a good public use that would provide Robbins residents with a source of
civic pride and attract visitors to the community. Robbins was once a
thriving railroad, industrial and commercial center. The railroad and depot
can be a crucial focal point to the town's economic comeback.

The effort will kick off Friday with Robbins Merchants Day, a celebration at
the depot that will include live entertainment, food and prizes. This
community rally will be a show of support for the depot's restoration and
for the town's economic revitalization. A good turnout by Robbins residents
and people who live in other parts of Moore County can show the Department
of Transportation that restoration of the depot has broad community support.

See you at the depot on Friday.

  Bernie Wagenblast
  Transportation Communications Newsletter
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #429
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org