Why there’s a magenta passenger train in the heart of NoDa

It’ll be open — temporarily, for now — for private events and parties.

What’s happening: Regional railway company, Aberdeen Carolina & Western, placed the train on the new tracks on Saturday. It will be here through Friday, according to AC&W president Jennifer White.

• The railroad company is bringing the train down here for corporate events, social hours, rehearsal dinners and other private parties.

Why it matters: Think of it as a hospitality train — or an alternative kind of party mobile parked, fittingly, in a neighborhood filled with its own quirkiness.

Ultimately, White says, the goal is to keep the train here for good. AC&W just needs to have enough events booked to justify the cost of moving the train here and operating it here permanently.

• “The goal would be to have enough events to leave it down here,” White says. She adds that the hope is to have it here permanently sometime in 2023.

The bottom line: This current stay is something of a test run, a way to market the idea of the party train.

Details: The stately train is situated on 36th between the Industrious coworking offices and the retail development home to spots like Figo and Jeni’s.

What’s next: AC&W, the largest privately held freight railroad in North Carolina, operates mostly freight rail. When they’re not using the new tracks for the hospitality train, they’ll use it for freight and storage, per White.

• On Tuesday afternoon, AC&W is holding a reception to introduce the train and its hospitality space to the neighborhood.
• AC&W doesn’t yet have a way to book the train for corporate events. It’ll eventually be available on the company’s website.