Tweetsie Railroad facts for kids
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| Location | Blowing Rock, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 36°10′15″N 81°38′57″W / 36.170930°N 81.649029°W |
| Opened | July 4, 1957 |
| Owner | Tweetsie Railroad, Inc. |
| Theme | Wild West |
| Operating season | April - December |
| Area | 200 acres (81 ha), 30 acres (12 ha) developed |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 16 |
Tweetsie Railroad is a super fun family park located between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in the United States. It's a special place that combines a historic train ride with a Wild West-themed amusement park. The main attraction is a 3-mile (4.8 km) train ride. This ride is pulled by one of Tweetsie Railroad's two amazing old narrow-gauge steam locomotives.
The park also has lots of exciting amusement rides, live shows, and even a small zoo! It's designed for families with children. Tweetsie Railroad also hosts cool special events all year, like their popular Halloween and Christmas celebrations.
Contents
Park History: How Tweetsie Began
Tweetsie Railroad first opened its doors on July 4, 1957. It started as a train ride pulled by a coal-powered steam locomotive named #12. This engine is very special because it's the only surviving narrow-gauge train from the old East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC).
Locomotive #12 was built in 1917. It's a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge train that ran from 1918 to 1940. It carried people and goods over a 66-mile (106.2 km) line through the Appalachian Mountains. The train traveled from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone, North Carolina.
The name "Tweetsie" came from local people. It sounded like the initials of the ET&WNC railroad. But it also sounded like the "tweet, tweet" whistle of the trains echoing through the mountains! This nickname stuck and became more famous than the railroad's real name. On February 9, 2017, Locomotive #12 turned 100 years old! A special party was held for it in August 2017.
The Journey of Locomotive #12
After the narrow-gauge part of the ET&WNC stopped running in 1950, Locomotive #12 was sold. Some train lovers bought it and took it to Penn Laird, Virginia. There, it became part of the Shenandoah Central Railroad, which opened in May 1953. But a big storm, Hurricane Hazel, caused floods in October 1954. The Shenandoah Central was washed out, and Locomotive #12 was for sale again.
Famous cowboy actor and singer Gene Autry thought about buying the train. He wanted to move it to California for movies. But he realized it would cost too much to move and fix it.
Then, Grover Robbins, a smart businessman from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, bought the train in August 1955. Robbins brought Locomotive #12 back to its home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He wanted it to be the main attraction of a new "Tweetsie Railroad" park. One mile of track was built near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. On July 4, 1957, the train made its first public trip. In 1958, the track was made into a 3-mile loop around the mountain. Tweetsie trains have been traveling that loop ever since! Grover Robbins' brothers, Harry and Spencer, also helped run the park. The Robbins family still owns and operates Tweetsie Railroad today.
In 1960, Tweetsie got another coal-fired steam locomotive. This was USATC S118 Class #190, also known as the "Yukon Queen." It came from Alaska's White Pass and Yukon Route. This engine was built in 1943 for the US Army. It was one of 11 "MacArthur" 2-8-2 trains meant for use overseas during World War II. These trains were sent to Alaska for the White Pass and Yukon. Locomotive #190 celebrated its 75th birthday in 2018.
Becoming a Theme Park
Tweetsie Railroad quickly became a very popular place to visit. It grew into the first theme park in North Carolina, and one of the first in the whole country! A western town and a saloon were built near the train station. A train robbery show and a cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride. This fit the Wild West theme, which was very popular on TV and in movies back then. A TV personality named Fred Kirby, who was a singing cowboy, often visited and added to the fun.
In 1961, a chairlift and an amusement ride area were built on the mountain inside the train loop. Over the years, the park has added more rides, attractions, shops, a zoo, and restaurants. In 2017, for its 60th anniversary, Tweetsie Railroad started a new holiday event called "Tweetsie Christmas."
The Story of Dollywood
In 1961, Grover and Harry Robbins also built another train ride and park. It was called "Rebel Railroad" and was near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains. It first had a Civil War theme. In 1966, the park was renamed "Goldrush Junction" and changed to a Wild West theme, much like Tweetsie Railroad.
The Robbins brothers sold Goldrush Junction in the late 1960s. It then had several different owners. In 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend bought the park. They changed it into "Silver Dollar City". In 1986, country music superstar Dolly Parton became a part-owner with the Herschends. That's how the park became today's famous Dollywood!
Locomotive Workshop: Keeping Trains Running
Tweetsie Railroad has its own special workshop for trains. Here, they take care of their two locomotives. They also fix and rebuild other steam locomotives from different theme parks! Some of these parks include Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, and Dollywood Express.
Visiting Tweetsie Railroad
Tweetsie Railroad is located on US 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
The Wild West-themed season runs from April to October. The park is open on weekends in the spring and fall. It's open daily from Memorial Day weekend until mid-August. In the fall, the park opens on Friday and Saturday nights from late September through October for the very popular "Ghost Train" Halloween event. After that, the park closes for daytime visits. It then re-opens on select evenings from Thanksgiving through December for "Tweetsie Christmas."
Many other special events happen throughout the season. These include a big fireworks show on the Fourth of July. There's also Railroad Heritage Weekend in August, which celebrates the history of Tweetsie Railroad's narrow-gauge trains.
Besides the Wild West train adventure and rides, Tweetsie Railroad has many live entertainment shows. Talented performers from the area put on these shows. The park hosts lots of special events each season. These include Letterland-themed days for school groups in May. You might also see visits by Thomas the Tank Engine!
Exciting Rides and Attractions
Tweetsie Railroad has many fun rides for everyone!
- "Free Fall" Drop Tower ride
- Round Up
- "Tornado" spinning ride
- Carousel
- Tilt-a-whirl
- Ferris wheel
- "Tweetsie Twister" scrambler ride
- Chairlift
- "Turnpike Cruiser" ride
- Himalaya
- Little Drummer Boy, a classic teacups ride (only during Tweetsie Christmas)
- Mouse Mine Train (a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge train ride for kids that goes through a tunnel with an animatronic show)
- Several small children's rides:
* F-80 Jet Planes * Kiddie Boats * Red Baron planes and helicopters * Bikes & Buggies
Other cool things to do at Tweetsie Railroad include:
- The Tweetsie Palace Saloon and Diamond Lil's Can-Can Revue (live shows)
- Gold panning and gem mining
- Deer Park zoo
- Lots of unique shops and places to eat
- A game arcade
Famous Model Trains
ET&WNC #12 is very well-known in the world of model trains. It's the real-life train that inspired the famous Bachmann "Big Hauler" G scale 4-6-0 model. This model has been made since the 1980s and is one of the most popular models for garden railroads. Bachmann also makes a smaller On30 scale version of the model.
Locomotive Roster: Tweetsie's Trains
| Number | Builder | Type | Wheel Arrangement | Build date | Serial Number | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Steam | 4-6-0 | 1917 | 45069 | Operational | Originally built for the North Carolina Railroad, which ran from Johnson City, Tennessee, to Boone, North Carolina. Purchased by the Tweetsie Railroad in 1957. |
| 190 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Steam | 2-8-2 | 1943 | 69425 | Operational | Originally built for Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon Railway, which linked the port of Skagway, Alaska. Purchased by the Tweetsie Railroad in 1960. |
Images for kids
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Tweetsie Railroad logo
