The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

More than 50 years old, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum operates much more as a “living” railroad museum than one, which features static displays and equipment. The “tourist line” operates roughly six miles of railroad and features locomotives such as a GP7 diesel and 2-8-0 Consolidation pulling excursions. These are not the only two locomotives the museum owns but the two most often featured. The museum also has several other activities to choose from birthday party rentals to their Hiwassee River Rail Adventures. In recent years the TVRM has gained a lot of attention as it was selected by Norfolk Southern Railway to participate in the Class I's renewed steam program, using two of the museum's preserved steam locomotives. Once these elegant machines take the rails once more operating around the NS system they should not only draw a lot of attention by their own merit but also help to gain the TVRM more visitors as well.

The museum's plan was to rebuild this former section of rail line, which was the original alignment of the Southern's main line in the area until the building of the Citico Yard in 1954 allowed for a new, easier alignment. Soon after acquiring the property the museum set to rebuilding the line to serve as a tourist line to go along with the collection it already possessed. The main feature of the short segment of line was a 979-foot tunnel which was built in the mid-19th century.

Of note about the museum; the former Southern 2-8-2 steam locomotive owned by TVRM made a cameo in the 1999 film October Sky disguised as Norfolk & Western 4501 with none other than famed photographer O. Winston Link at the throttle! Perhaps the biggest news for TVRM came in the summer of 2010 when it was announced the museum would be partnering with Norfolk Southern in operating two of their steam locomotives, former Southern Railway 2-8-2 #4501 (featured in October Sky) and 2-8-0 #630, as well as Tennessee Valley Railroad 2-8-0 #610. The two Southern steamers need either a partial or major overhaul and are presently being restored (#610 is already operational). These locomotives are to be part of a temporarily restored steam program the Class I wishes to pursue so it will be interesting to see just exacting what type of plans the railroad has in store.

If you are interested in planning a visit to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum they have become quite popular for their wide array of excursion trains they offer. For instance, their daily trip is known as the Missionary Ridge Local, which operates from their Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga. However, they also run specials and seasonal trains with names like the Chickamauga Turn, North Pole Limited, Hiwassee River Rail Adventures, dinner trains, and they host the Day Out With Thomas the tank engine for kids.

There are also other things to do such as the summer camps they host for kids in June or early July, which teaches youngsters the intricacies and history of railroads. In any event, everything listed above are just some of the activities you can find at the TVRM. For more information about the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum please click here to visit their website, which provides a wealth of information about everything they have to offer.

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Also, for more information and reading about excursion trains and railroad museums you might want to consider picking up Tourist Trains Guidebook from the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The book lists and reviews over 400 excursions and museums found throughout the country and is an excellent resource if you're looking for one to visit. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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