TVRM To Assist In Gas-Powered Locomotive's Restoration

Published: March 16, 2026

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has announced it is assisting - in conjunction with Ms. Ellen Boyd Stamler and the Sam Werner Military Museum - in the eventual cosmetic restoration of a former gas powered locomotive last used by the Sam Werner Lumber Company of Tracy City, Tennessee, which had extensive timber holdings in the region. Locally known as "The Route Of The Mountain Goat," it utlized a three-foot narrow-gauge railroad network and interchanged with the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. The little "dinky", which was powered by a International Harvester engine, was built by the Cincinnati Locomotive Company and is one of two known examples still in existence. To keep up with the latest about this project please visit the TVRM's website or watch their Facebook page.

The Sam Werner Lumber Company

The Sam Werner Lumber Company was one of the most significant industrial enterprises in Tracy City, Tennessee, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Located in Grundy County on the Cumberland Plateau, the company played an important role in the region’s lumber industry and helped support the local economy during a period when timber harvesting, coal mining, and railroad expansion shaped much of the area’s development.

Origins and Founder

The company was established around 1890 by Samuel (Sam) Werner, an immigrant whose family originated in Switzerland. Werner founded a saw and planing mill in Tracy City, which quickly became an important manufacturing operation in the region.

At the time, the Cumberland Plateau contained vast stands of hardwood forests. Lumber companies moved into the region to exploit these resources, building mills and acquiring large tracts of land. Werner’s business followed this pattern, eventually acquiring about 15,000 acres of timberland, including holdings in the rugged Savage Gulf area.

The sawmill produced hardwood lumber and dressed lumber products, supplying material used in building construction and in regional industrial projects.

Industrial Operations

The Sam Werner Lumber Company was considered one of the largest lumber mills in Tennessee during its peak years. The facility included not only a sawmill but also a carpentry shop and planing mill, allowing the company to process raw logs into finished lumber products.

Like many lumber companies operating in mountainous areas, the Werner operation relied heavily on its railroad to move timber from remote forests to the mill. Small narrow-gauge rail lines extended from Tracy City into surrounding coves and hollows. These lines hauled logs from the plateau forests and sometimes served coal operations as well.

Logging crews felled trees using crosscut saws and other hand tools typical of the late nineteenth century. Teams of horses or mules dragged the logs to loading points where they were placed on railcars and transported to the mill for processing.

The company’s lumber found ready markets in the region. It supplied timber for railroad construction and expansion, as well as for nearby coal mining operations, both of which were rapidly growing industries in Grundy County during this era.

Role in the Local Economy

For many years the Werner Lumber Company served as one of the principal employers in Grundy County, providing jobs in logging, milling, transportation, and carpentry.

The company’s operations coincided with a period of economic growth in Tracy City between the late 1800s and early 1900s. During this time the town gained new infrastructure including schools, utilities, and commercial businesses as industry expanded.

Families associated with the Werner company became prominent in the community, and the Werner name remained tied to the local lumber business for generations.

Later Years and Legacy

As the twentieth century progressed and timber resources were gradually depleted or shifted toward secondary growth harvesting, large-scale logging declined across the Cumberland Plateau. The Werner family, however, retained ownership of extensive timberlands long after the mill’s most active years.

In 1974, descendants of Sam Werner sold large portions of the family’s land in Savage Gulf to the State of Tennessee. The property helped form part of what is now South Cumberland State Park, preserving thousands of acres of forest that had once been part of the company’s timber holdings.

Additional land sales in 1997 expanded protected areas around the Fiery Gizzard Trail, further contributing to conservation efforts on the plateau.

Historical Significance

Although the Sam Werner Lumber Company is not widely documented in modern industrial histories, it remains an important part of Grundy County’s early economic development. Through its sawmill, logging railroads, and large timber holdings, the company helped shape both the landscape and the community of Tracy City.

Today, its legacy survives not only in local historical records but also in the protected forests of the South Cumberland Plateau—land once harvested for lumber that has since been preserved for public recreation and conservation.

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