Best way to Pigeon Forge?

[Bill Haithcoat]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the 50's and 60's were already hitting the heavily destructive years for passenger rail travel in the US?

Well, it was a process, not all happening at the same time. Some lines gave up much earlier than others. Company attitudes were hard to guage sometimes but what I go by is how fat the timetables were. They continued to be "fat" into the late 50's in most cases. Some lines were still trying. For example, slumbercoaches were not invented until then. A brand new Denver Zephyr was put into service about 1956. But other lines, like Southern Pacific, gave up much earlier.

By the 60's it was getting bad. The loss of the the mail contract happened during that era.

In response to the question I had it mind when some service of some sort was still available, even if of declining quality.

Keep in mind that passenger train modernization was delayed during WW 2. So the late 40's and early 50's were largely positive.

 

[Ispolkom]

In 1936 there was a daily-except-Sunday train on the Tennessee and North Carolina Railway (a very small railroad). It left Knoxville at 5:30 a.m. and ran the 30 miles to Sevierville in a blistering 2-1/2 hours, arriving at 8 a.m. Returning, it left Sevierville at 12:05 p.m., arriving in Knoxville at 3:15 p.m. I imagine actual operations rarely kept to this timetable, and that this was a mixed train (though the Official Railway Guide doesn't say that).

So we can rest assured that this was one location that was never well-served by railroads.

 

[mercedeslove]

I agree on the flying into Knox part and driving into PF.

I use to live in Gatlinburg so I now there are no trains near by, Amtrak wise. Which always made me sad. =(

However you do not need a car to get to Dollywood, they have buses which take you there and to Gatlinburg with a transfer. Same thing for sevierville.

When would you be going. This time of year traffic on the Parkway is a bit@h! Unless you know the back roads. But thanks to GPS no tourons are using them as well making it pain to get anywhere. Your best bet would to go after Labor Day.

 

[mercedeslove]

Welcome to Amtrak-less Tennessee! And sliding along the Western border at night to Memphis is not really Tennessee. Memphis is more Mississippi or Arkansas. As a life long resident of Nashville I alway fly from Nashville to catch a train. Unfortunately, Tennessee is a motor vehicle type State. Without a car in Pigeon Forge would be absolutely no fun. You even need a car to get to Dollywood -- which is a very good place to visit especially if you like "American" music of the fifties to the eighties -- no hard rock or rap. There is also a lot of craft exhibits and "way of life" in the mountains experiences. I enjoy my occasional visits but be sure to experience Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede shore and many other shows. If you have been to Branson, MO, you have experienced Pigeon Forge. From an attractions and entertainment point of vies both cities are identical copies of each other. And you gotta have a car to visit Branson also.

With the poorly maintained freight rail tracks, insufficient Amtrak funds, and total lack of interest by Tennessee State legislatures, I doubt Amtrak or any other passenger rail service will be restored to Middle and East Tennessee ever. Our federal congressmen have for decades promoted and "begged" for a Florida train from Chicago to Florida via Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The discontinued Chicago to Florida train came through Nashville but then took a doomed to failure route through Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama. The interstates and population available to ride the trains are in Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon and the I-75 corridor to Orlando, Tampa and on to Miami.

The buses AKA trolley's can take you to and from the park. You can actually go from the corner of Winnfield Dunn and 441 all the way to downtown Gatlinburg via trolley.

Lasttime I rode them they most they cost was like 75 cents each way, with some being as low as 25 cents.

I also was a local and had a pass for the Gatlinburg bus and they were all 25 cents

 

[greatcats]

Please heed the advice you are getting here! You do NOT want to be walking the dark in the middle of the night in a small Southern City to a dubious motel! (Bates Motel? )There is no bigger advocates for passenger rail than the posters here, believe it when we tell you to fly/drive from convient/daytime cities that have been mentioned already!

Some years ago I drove into Gastonia when I lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Bare bones station in a desolate area - not necessarily terrible in terms of safety, but this is not like being in New York City where a mile walk on city streets is something normal. Such areas like Gastonia are in areas that are simply not pedestrian friendly - face it, the country runs on cars. I would not travel to a place like Gastonia arriving in the middle of the night unless I arranged for a friend to pick me up or had arranged a reliable taxi in advance. But I agree with the others - don't bother trying to take the train to Tenn. in this case. ( Charlotte station is an OK place. )

 

[Devil's Advocate]

face it, the country runs on cars.

Only because someone once refused to face it that the country ran on trains. Say what you will about the practicality of this plan of action, but I like the guy's moxie. Who wants just another boring old trip report full of queues and cars. Sometimes it's fun to go against conventional wisdom. And besides, it's not like it will impact any of us.

 

[kentuckian1977]

face it, the country runs on cars.

Only because someone once refused to face it that the country ran on trains. Say what you will about the practicality of this plan of action, but I like the guy's moxie. Who wants just another boring old trip report full of queues and cars. Sometimes it's fun to go against conventional wisdom. And besides, it's not like it will impact any of us.

Great points, daxomni.

This is a great case-in-point example of why restoring Chicago - Florida service via Chicago-Louisville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Jacksonville would be a great idea, as much discussed on here. I think one way to achieve this would be to build several individual corridors that would interconnect to form a long distance route between these cities. The amount of "snowbird" traffic this could pull of I-65 and I-75 would be potentially great, especially as more boomers hit retirement age all the time, as would other passenger traffic between each of the individual metro areas mentioned above. It would also be good to have an Ohio 3C Corridor to Cincinnati-Lexington-Knoxville-Chattanooga route as well to compliment this. Unfortunately, it'll probably never happen, simply because Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia are all sadly mired in outdated, right-wing, and thoroughly anti-rail thinking...and the next time you're stuck in traffic for hours on I-75, remember that.

As for Pigeon Forge, there was talk a few years back about doing light rail from somewhere in the Knoxville area (maybe from both the airport and downtown, I think) to Sevierville, and then down the "strip" in Pigeon Forge, but I don't think the idea went anywhere.

Finally, in the here-and-now, if our OP is mainly looking for an epic Amtrak journey, and is willing to end it with a fairly lengthy rental car trip to Dollywood, he could also do Texas Eagle to Chicago and then Cardinal through the gorge to Staunton, VA, then a straight shot down I-81 in a rental car to Pigeon Forge.

 

[railiner]

Another alternative is the Eagle to Chicago and then a same day transfer to the Cardinal to some station like Prince (Beckley), or Clifton Forge if there is car rental service available.

Oh, I just now saw the second page of replys. Actually the post above has probably a better idea in going on to Staunton.

 

[caravanman]

Oh, I see... Pigeon Forge is a place? I thought it was a way of making a pretend pigeon... So please ignore my earlier post on that subject!

Ed

 

[KYRR]

I agree with the Cardinal to Staunton and rental car, then down the Blue

ridge Parkway to Cherokee NC. Cross over the Smoky Mountains to Gatlinburg and into Pigeon Forge. Lots of beautiful mountain scenery but don't know how much time you have allotted for the trip. Maybe leave the rental car in Knoxville and fly back home.

 

[domefoamer]

Best way to Pigeon Forge? Get hold of a dove and some spray paint, perhaps?

Ed

Bravo, C-man! That's the best laugh I've gotten out of this forum in forever, probably.

To the H-man: If you're determined to go to PF and ride a train along the way, why not fly to Chattanooga and ride one of the fine excursion rides from the Tennessee Valley Railroad museum down there. Spend a night in a luxury "sleeping car" at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo terminal hotel. Then rent a car and drive a few scenic hours to the forge. That's what I do, but I'm not afraid to fly. Are you?

 

[hippyman]

Best way to Pigeon Forge? Get hold of a dove and some spray paint, perhaps?

Ed

Bravo, C-man! That's the best laugh I've gotten out of this forum in forever, probably.

To the H-man: If you're determined to go to PF and ride a train along the way, why not fly to Chattanooga and ride one of the fine excursion rides from the Tennessee Valley Railroad museum down there. Spend a night in a luxury "sleeping car" at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo terminal hotel. Then rent a car and drive a few scenic hours to the forge. That's what I do, but I'm not afraid to fly. Are you?

Hey, its been awhile since I've posted on this forum, and I think I've finally figured it out. I think I can take the TE, from FTW-SAS, then SL, from SAS-NOL, then the Crescent, from NOL-TCL. From there, I'm gonna rent a car to get to my condo. My main problem is, when I try to book the trip, I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it? This seems to be my only problem, so once I solve this, I'm home free. Please help.

 

[p&sr]

I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it?

You just have to tell Amtrak to hold the Crescent for you, so it no longer leaves NOL at 7:05 in the Morning. Tell them to hold it until the arrival of your Sunset Limited (ideally at 2:55 PM but don't count on it).

Of course this might throw off the timing for your arrival in Tuscaloosa.

If they're not willing to acknowledge your request, then you have two choices:

a) spend the night and catch the train in the morning along with everybody else, or

b) go another way. (eg Fly like everybody else has already advised.)

 

[guest]

Hey, its been awhile since I've posted on this forum, and I think I've finally figured it out. I think I can take the TE, from FTW-SAS, then SL, from SAS-NOL, then the Crescent, from NOL-TCL. From there, I'm gonna rent a car to get to my condo. My main problem is, when I try to book the trip, I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it? This seems to be my only problem, so once I solve this, I'm home free. Please help.

If you are really determined to go by rail, and have an unlimited enough budget in both time and money, there is only one good option for this trip. Take the TE to CHI, the Cardinal to CVS, rent a car and drive from there to Pigeon Forge. Would be a nice trip, you'd get to see the New River Gorge from the Cardinal, plus if you want to you could take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Charlottesville to Western North Carolina and then cross the mountains from Cherokee to Gatlinburg. Or just take I-81 if you want to for that part. Either way, driving from CVS (or Staunton, if you prefer to get off the Cardinal there instead) would not be a lot farther than driving from TCL I don't believe. And TCL is out unless you want to spend a night in NOL to connect to the Crescent, as has already been pointed out.