General Info

Choo Choo Barbeque started about six years ago. Growing up on a farm in the rural Piedmont area of North Carolina, we always cooked pork on an open pit. We used hickory wood to give it that smoky flavor. Special occasions and 4th of July parties were always exciting in anticipation of this family tradition. As a child I lived close to the “Southern RR” track and saw trains going by every day. I remember stories of the “Old 97” mail train that used to pass right by my house near Danville, Virginia in Pelham, North Carolina. Sadly it crashed in the early 1900’s in the Dan River.Fifteen years ago I built a cooker from an oil barrel. It worked well for many years. Being a welder and owning a welding shop I decided to build something different and better. I couldn’t get the “Old 97” out of my mind. I decided to build a train cooker! After many thoughts and designs I finally decided how to do this. It took three months of hard work and determination. When “Choo Choo Express” rolled out the doors of the shop everyone was impressed! A wood burning rotisserie on wheels ready to pull and cook, we named it the “Old 97”. It even has a steam horn to let you know it’s there! One hundred years later inspired by the “Old 97” and “Southern RR”, “Choo Choo Express” has come into fruition. Using hickory wood it smokes the best tasting meats and corn you could ever put in your mouth!