By Thomas Goldsmith, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Dec. 17--As another frustrating season of holiday travel loomed for highways and airports, lovers of another mode of transport gathered at the State Fairgrounds on Sunday to celebrate the lingering magic of railroads, small and large.

By Tom Dillon, Times-News, Burlington, N.C. May 14--Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part series about the effects of escalating land prices on tourism in North Carolina. In next Sunday's Accent section, Glenn Ayers will write about the disappearance of coastal fishing piers.