A locomotive is about to become a bar in the middle of NoDa. Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway is parking its magenta-painted Engine Room 87 at 409 E. 35th St. starting next month, bringing a 24-tap self-pour lounge, an indoor bar car and a rooftop deck to the arts district — with full vintage passenger train rides expected to follow in spring 2027.
From CSX Freight Hauler to NoDa Bar Car
Engine Room 87 wasn't always meant for happy hour. As reported by Axios, the locomotive was previously numbered CSX 656 and is identified as a GE AC60CW/AC6000CW by RRPictureArchives.net, before Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway purchased and converted the engine into a self-pour tap bar and lounge car. The unit was born during GE's late-1990s horsepower race, per background compiled on Grokipedia.
The railroad itself, known as ACWR, was founded in 1987 when Robert Menzies bought a small North Carolina freight line, the Axios report notes. Today the company operates over 150 miles of short-line track in central North Carolina, making it the largest privately held short-line freight railroad in the state, according to a company announcement carried by PR Newswire. ACWR interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Charlotte and CSX Transportation in Aberdeen, per the company's own account of its operations.
What's Aboard the Bar Car
Engine Room 87's stationary three-car setup has room for about 100 people, with a locomotive cab, canopy car, indoor lounge, bathrooms and that rooftop deck, per the same Axios account. The bar pours from 24 taps stocked with NoDa breweries, wine and cocktails. When additional restored cars get attached, the setup can accommodate up to 250 people, and a former baggage car can convert into a dance floor with a DJ or live band, Axios reports.
ACWR is hosting a free open house aboard Engine Room 87 on October 22 from 4 to 7 p.m., and the company plans to use feedback from that event to shape future programming. Hayley Coleman Forgo said the open house is meant as a little appetizer, encouraging attendees to try it out and share what they'd like to see next, according to the outlet's reporting.
Golf Country to Charlotte's Arts District
Before rolling into Charlotte, the locomotive bar spent time in the Sandhills, operating at Pinehurst near The Cradle golf course and in Aberdeen during 2025 and 2026, according to The Pines Times. ACWR opened a new 30-acre transload logistics park in Candor in August, per the PR Newswire announcement.
The full fleet will keep splitting its time with Pinehurst before returning to Charlotte for regular rides in spring 2027, Axios reports. That fleet includes passenger cars ACWR rescued from around the country and restored with an art deco feel and modern upgrades. Among the railroad's restored historic pieces is The Roamer, a 1918 American Car and Foundry private railcar originally built for Oklahoma oil magnate Joshua Cosden that was later used by King Edward VIII and President Dwight Eisenhower, according to ACWR's entertainment division.
NoDa's Rail Roots Run Deep
The neighborhood hosting the bar car has its own rail history. NoDa developed in the early 20th century as North Charlotte, a textile mill village built around Southern Railway tracks that shaped the district's industrial and transportation identity, according to research published by History South. That rail-anchored mill village has since transformed into the arts and entertainment hub the neighborhood is known as today.
Visitors without a car have an easy way in: the open house site at 409 E. 35th St. sits two blocks from the 36th Street station on the CATS LYNX Blue Line light rail, which connects NoDa directly to Uptown Charlotte, according to location details from Mac Tabby Cat Cafe.
What's Coming When Full Service Launches
Once the complete fleet returns to Charlotte for regular service, ACWR plans to offer holiday and themed trips, including a Christmas train to Mint Hill, Axios reports. ACWR offers murder mystery rides, brunch trains, Journey in Time dinner rides and Christmas-themed excursions in Pinehurst, per the Axios report.
For now, the NoDa debut is limited to the stationary bar car and the October open house, with the rest of the vintage fleet still shuttling between Pinehurst and Candor ahead of its planned spring 2027 return.
