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The Tweetsie Railroad, Keeping Alive The History Of The ET&WNC

The Tweetsie Railroad, based in Blowing Rock, North Carolina has been in continuous operation since 1957. Today, the railroad operates on a three-mile section of narrow-gauge, which was constructed for the Tweetsie's star locomotive, 4-6-0 #12, to operate on. The locomotive is the last operating steamer of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad and the tourist line actually takes its name from the nickname which was given to the ET&WNC by locals who, becoming used to the steam locomotives' high-pitched "tweet, tweet" whistle, dubbed the railroad the "Tweetsie".

While the ET&WNC operated a railroad of some 66 miles connecting Johnson City, Tennessee with Boone, North Carolina the tourist line actually operates on no original ET&WNC trackage, which was actually constructed from scratch. The ET&WNC gave up on railroading in 1950 after increased competition by trucks and automobiles and severe flooding in the 1940s eventually forced the railroad into bankruptcy. However, the Tweetsie Railroad tourist line continues to carry on the tradition of the long-gone ET&WNC and today is a very popular tourist attraction in western North Carolina. Along with the train the railroad features an entire western town theme with plays and mock train robberies very common!

Today's Tweetsie Railroad is in a large part thanks to Grover Robbins, Jr. who wished to see the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad's #12 saved and preserved. Robbins had the locomotive shipped to his hometown of Blowing Rock, North Carolina and received so much fanfare upon returning home that then North Carolina Governor Luther Hodges declared May 20, 1956 "Tweetsie Homecoming Day".

After much work, a year later #12 was operating again by the summer of 1957 in Blowing Rock, just a short drive from her old haunts at Boone. North Carolina railroading offers a wide variety of operations, found in few other Southeastern states; from coastal and mountainous operations to high-speed main line freight and passenger trains, including plenty of local shortline services.

And, as Southern states typically go, North Carolina offers spectacular scenery as a backdrop to railroading operations, whether you are along the coast, in flatlands of the Piedmont or high in the Smoky Mountains. The Tar Heel State also has a rich railroading heritage dating back to the early 1830s and during its peak was home to no fewer than four eastern Class I railroads with the highly profitable and respected Atlantic Coast Line headquartered in its coastal and port city of Wilmington until 1960. The Tweestie Railroad, of course, allows you to see western North Carolina's mountain splendor behind one of two historic steam locomotives.

While #12 remains the star on the railroad it has since gained a sister in White Pass & Yukon Railway #190, a 2-8-2. For more information about the Tweetsie Railroad please click here to visit their website.

For more information on tourist railroads like the Tweetsie Railroad you might want to consider the book Tourist Trains Guidebook from the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. Given excellent reviews by readers this guidebook covers nearly all of the tourist railroads and museums (over 400) operating in the country in fine detail with accompanying reviews about each. So, if you’re interested in locating a tourist train or railroad near you, or simply want to know more about a particular one, you will certainly not be disappointed in Trains’ guidebook to tourist railroads and museums. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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