Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Southern Railway 4501, one of the museum's famous steam locomotives.
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Established	1960 (1960) / 1961 (1961)
Location	4119 Cromwell Rd. Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) is a special kind of museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It's not just a place to look at old trains; it's a heritage railroad, which means you can actually ride on historic trains that have been carefully restored.

The museum was started in 1960 by a group of friends who wanted to save old steam locomotives and train cars from being scrapped. They believed these amazing machines were an important part of history. Today, the museum is a popular attraction where families can experience what it was like to travel by train long ago.

How the Museum Began

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1960. At first, the founders stored their collection of old trains in a rail yard in East Chattanooga. When the big downtown train station, Terminal Station, closed to passengers in 1971, the museum was able to store even more equipment there.

A big step forward came in 1969 when the Southern Railway donated land to the museum. This land included the old Whiteside Tunnel, which is almost 1,000 feet long, and about a mile and a half of abandoned train tracks.

Volunteers worked hard to rebuild the track through the tunnel. By 1970, the museum opened to the public. They began running short passenger trips through the tunnel, which goes through a large hill called Missionary Ridge. This allowed the museum to earn money to keep growing.

Saving a Famous Engine

One of the museum's most important projects was saving the Southern Railway 4501. One of the founders, Paul Merriman, bought the huge steam locomotive in 1964. It took two years of hard work by volunteers and professionals to restore it.

Once it was working again, the 4501 became famous. It traveled all over the Southern Railway system, pulling special passenger trains and showing people the power of steam engines. This program helped the museum earn more money and become well-known.

NC&StL GP7 locomotive #710 sits in the museum's railyard in East Chattanooga.

Growing Bigger

In 1977, the museum built a bridge over Tunnel Boulevard, which allowed them to run their trains even farther. The Southern Railway donated more abandoned track, and the museum built a replica of a small-town train station from the 1920s.

During the 1980s, the museum continued to expand. They added more tracks, buildings, and even a repair shop with a turntable to help turn locomotives around. In the 1990s, the museum began running longer trips to Summerville, Georgia.

In 2004, the museum started a new adventure called the Hiwassee River Rail Adventure. These trips take passengers on a scenic journey along the beautiful Hiwassee River.

What You Can Do at the Museum Today

Today, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a busy place. You can take a one-hour, six-mile round-trip ride, often pulled by a real steam locomotive. On weekends from spring to fall, the museum also runs longer trips.

The Hiwassee Loop Trip

One of the most popular trips is the Hiwassee Loop. This half-day adventure takes you on a historic route that corkscrews around a mountain. The train travels along the Hiwassee River and through the stunning Hiwassee Gorge.

Because the tracks are still used by freight trains, visitors take a short bus ride to the starting point. The 50-mile trip is a favorite for its amazing views. There are also full-day trips that stop for lunch in the towns of Copperhill, Tennessee, and McCaysville, Georgia.

More Than Just a Museum

The museum doesn't just run passenger trains. It also operates a real freight service. It moves train cars for local businesses and stores freight cars for other railroads. This helps the museum earn money to support its mission of preserving railroad history.

Bringing Old Trains Back to Life

The museum has its own repair shop, called Soule Shops, where skilled workers and volunteers restore old locomotives and passenger cars. It's like a hospital for trains!

One of their biggest projects was restoring Southern Railway engine #630, a steam locomotive from 1904. It took ten years to completely rebuild it, and it returned to service in 2011.

In 2014, they finished a second major restoration of the famous engine #4501. The museum is always working on new projects, including fixing up old passenger cars so that visitors can ride in them.

The Museum's Train Collection

The museum owns many different locomotives, including steam and diesel engines. Some are fully operational and pull the tourist trains, while others are on display or waiting to be restored.

Locomotives

Locomotive details

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Serial number	Status
10		Steam	2-8-2	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1920	53182	Stored, awaiting cosmetic restoration
80		Diesel	GP38	Electro-Motive Division	1968	33802	Operational
109		Diesel	RS-3	American Locomotive Company	1950	78247	Stored
200		Diesel	VO-1000M	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1941	64258	Out of service
205		Diesel	SD9	Electro-Motive Division	1955	20447	Stored, awaiting potential restoration
349		Steam	4-4-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1891	11994	Display, loaned to the Children's Hospital at Erlanger
606		Diesel	SW1200	Electro-Motive Division	1954	20047	Operational
610		Steam	2-8-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1952	75503	Stored, awaiting restoration
630		Steam	2-8-0	American Locomotive Company	1904	28446	Operational
710		Diesel	GP7	Electro-Motive Division	1950	10551	Operational
814		Diesel	F7A	Electro-Motive Division	1949	5798	Stored, privately owned
913		Diesel	RS-1	American Locomotive Company	1950	77848	Display
1230		Diesel	SD40	Electro-Motive Division	1969	34759	Operational
1824		Diesel	GP7L	Electro-Motive Division	1951	15694	Out of service
1829		Diesel	GP7L	Electro-Motive Division	1951	15699	Operational
3170		Diesel	SD40	Electro-Motive Division	1971	37355	Display, awaiting repairs
4501		Steam	2-8-2	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1911	37085	Operational
5000		Diesel	GP38-2	Electro-Motive Division	1972	5809-1	Operational
5044		Diesel	GP38-2	Electro-Motive Division	1973	7362-35	Operational
5109		Diesel	GP38-2	Electro-Motive Division	1974	73752-2	Operational
6914		Diesel	E8	Electro-Motive Division	1953	19012	Under restoration
7100		Diesel	S-2	American Locomotive Company	1943	70225	Out of service
8669		Diesel	RSS-1	American Locomotive Company	1945	72162	Display
8677		Diesel	RSD-1	American Locomotive Company	1945	72170	Stored
F3060		Diesel	H-16-66	Fairbanks-Morse	1958	16L1157	Display
4073C		Diesel	F6A	Electro-Motive Division	1949	8551	Stored, out of service
4087C		Diesel	F7A	Electro-Motive Division	1949	10151	Stored, out of service

Visiting Locomotives

Locomotive details

Number	Image	Type	Class	Builder	Built	Serial number	Status	Notes
1580		Diesel	SD40	Electro-Motive Division	1966	31899	Operational	Undergoing repaint, owned by the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS
2594		Diesel	GP30	Electro-Motive Division	1962	28564	Operational	Leased from the Southeastern Railway Museum

TVRM on the Big Screen

The museum's historic trains and scenic railway have made it a popular place for filming movies and music videos. Some of the museum's train cars are famous movie stars themselves! For example, the "Clover Colony" sleeping car was used in the classic Marilyn Monroe movie Some Like It Hot.

Here are some of the movies and music videos that have been filmed using the museum's trains:

• Fool's Parade (1971)
• Eleanor & Franklin (1976)
• The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James (1986)
• Fled (1996)
• Mama Flora's Family (1998)
• October Sky (1999)
• The Adventures of Ociee Nash (2003)
• Warm Springs (2005)
• Leatherheads (2008), starring George Clooney
• Water for Elephants (2011), starring Reese Witherspoon
• 42 (2013), the story of baseball player Jackie Robinson
• The music video for Josh Turner's song "Long Black Train"
• The music video for Eric Church's song "Creepin'"

See also

• List of heritage railroads in the United States