A Weekend in Chattanooga - Part Two

[MrFSS]

A Weekend in Chattanooga - Part Two

We awoke the next day of our visit in Chattanooga to pouring down rain. Bad for us, but the area needed the watering it gave.

Our trip on the Tennessee Valley Railroad would start at 10:30 and the train will travel from near Hixson, TN to East Chattanooga, then south to Rossville, which straddles the state line and on to Chickamauga, GA. We would have several hours for lunch and to visit the restored downtown area full of little stores and shops (that’s how I get my wife to go with me).

We arrived at the station about 9:15 as they have a large display of old cars and engines out front.

Bill Haithcoat said this was one of his favorites.

She needs a little work, but a grand looking car.

They have some nice old steam engines and an assortment of passenger cars from days gone by.

This car could be rented for about $1200 a day for your group and hooked on to the rear of any of their excursion trains.

Our train, this day, was pulled by this old diesel.

Again, sorry for the quality of some of these pictures. It was raining when we got there and my wife held an umbrella over me so I could take them.

But, by the time we were ready to pull out of the station, it started to clear a little. I was able to stand in a vestibule with the door open and take pictures from there. That was nice and allowed for some interesting shots.

Just as we left the station, and earlier, short excursion, pulled by an old steam engine came into the station next to us.

A short while after leaving the station we came to some CSX yards in East Chattanooga. We had cross them and sat and waited as a CSX freight cleared the area (sounds like Amtrak).

As that freight passed by us, I saw a camera materialize in the cab and they were taking pictures of me taking pictures of them!

See the next Message for the Continuation of this reprort.

 

[MrFSS]

The weather is getting better, but hot and muggy. Our route will take us past the Chattanooga National Cemetery, second in size only to Arlington in the Washington DC area. Here you can see the memorial and tombstone for the engineer who “stole” The General during the Civil War and was made into a great movie starring Fess Parker.

We rode in a very nicely restored RDC car (used for HEP when they unhooked the engine in GA to turn it) and the seats were very comfortable. The car was only about half full and we could spread out and enjoy the trip. I spent a lot of time in the vestibule taking pictures.

We were the first car behind the engine going down, but were then in the last car going back. So, I was able to stand on the back platform and take pictures from that vantage point, too.

It turned out to be a nice day and I was able to take lots of pictures and enjoy a train ride, even it was only 25 mph most of the way. This tourist railroad owns all the tracks, and several places in the city they had to stop, send a flagman out to stop automobile traffic before crossing the intersection. And, where we had to cross CSX tracks, they had to stop and put the flagman out to throw the switches manually.

If you are interested in riding any of their trains, the website is TNVRR.

If you are interested in seeing all my pictures of this trip, they may be found HERE.

Hope you enjoyed the reports. Question, let me know.

 

[AlanB]

Not to steal any of your thunder MrFss, but if you're curious you can check out this trip report on OTOL from a similar trip that Kevin Korell, his son Michael, and I took back in the summer of 2004.

On that trip, we actually got ride the TVRM out of the Chattanooga train station, over to their main station. Then we got to ride behind steam on a short excursion, before catching the diesel hauled train back to the downtown station.

 

[MrFSS]

Not to steal any of your thunder MrFss, but if you're curious you can check out this trip report on OTOL from a similar trip that Kevin Korell, his son Michael, and I took back in the summer of 2004.
On that trip, we actually got ride the TVRM out of the Chattanooga train station, over to their main station. Then we got to ride behind steam on a short excursion, before catching the diesel hauled train back to the downtown station.

Nice - I wanted to ride the incline, but you couldn't even see the mountain most of the time the weather was so bad! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AlanB]

And I forgot to mention that Bill Haithcoat joined us for all parts of the southern adventures, once we got to Atlanta. Sorry Bill.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I've enjoyed this report Mffss from my home town and thanks, Alan, for referring to the trip we all took several years ago.

One word on that Chickmauga Pine car, my favorite. It it had been made of stainless steel, even if painted, it would not be rusting today. (well, the paint might be peeling!)

However it was made of aluminum alloy. While that takes nothing away from its streamlinng or the luxury of its interior appointments, that does not last as well. Too bad, because that sleeper was from a lot of 29 built in 1953 all named after pine trees which were quite advanced in their design for their day.

It was from the train called, the "Georgian" which mother and I rode countless times from CHA to spend the day in ATL. Still have old menus, napkins, stationary, cocktail stirrers, things to hold club sandwiches together, and syrup bottles from those days!! And all but the syrup bottles have the name of the train on them!

It was an overnight traiin from Chicago to Atlanta (how handy it would come in today) and through sleeper and coach from St. Louis to Atlanta. It was great for business travelers. Right after its importance in carrying a lady and her crazy kid to spend the day at the zoo and shopping at Rich's. :lol:

 

[creddick]

I visited this museum back in the early 80s. It was in the spring and the museum was not open. However, they let me just wander around and go on any equipment I wanted to. It was wonderful. Nobody went with me and I could spend as much time as I wanted and see whatever I wanted to. My wife and son, who was quite young at the time, stayed at the hotel (the Choo, Choo Hilton at the time) and swam and visited the shops. Great trip. I really enjoyed the HO display too.