"Population Density"

[TVRM610]

I'd venture to say that the chances of using the old Terminal Station as a station are zero. That place is a working hotel, restaurant, and semi-museum, and its tracks and platforms out back are now parking lots and railcar exhibits.

Perhaps things have changed since my visit, and Bill Haithcoat may know if they have, but as of a few years ago there was still one track at the station that could be accessed by trains. Bill & I, along with another friend, boarded the TVRM's Downtown Arrow at the station for a ride out to their musuem. That train has since been discontinued, but that had more to do with the fact that the train essentially shut down the mainline as it crossed from the station side over to the track leading to the musuem.

The track is still there, and still connects to the main. TVRM can still operate trains into the Choo-choo for special events and charters. And actually Amtrak has run a train into the Choo choo.. the Post Office exhibit train about 10 years ago.

 

[MattW]

I'd venture to say that the chances of using the old Terminal Station as a station are zero. That place is a working hotel, restaurant, and semi-museum, and its tracks and platforms out back are now parking lots and railcar exhibits.

Perhaps things have changed since my visit, and Bill Haithcoat may know if they have, but as of a few years ago there was still one track at the station that could be accessed by trains. Bill & I, along with another friend, boarded the TVRM's Downtown Arrow at the station for a ride out to their musuem. That train has since been discontinued, but that had more to do with the fact that the train essentially shut down the mainline as it crossed from the station side over to the track leading to the musuem.

The track is still there, and still connects to the main. TVRM can still operate trains into the Choo-choo for special events and charters. And actually Amtrak has run a train into the Choo choo.. the Post Office exhibit train about 10 years ago.

If it's the track that runs along the north side of the property, I'm not exactly sure that's revenue quality. I don't mean by FRA track class or anything, but it just doesn't scream modern well-used passenger rail to me. If I were building a new Chattanooga station, I'd either try to figure out something on that industrial spur running diagonally across TN-8, Cowart St., and US-64, but then you run into the problems of platform length and blocking major roads. The only other option I see is to do a backup move into the spur track in the block defined by W. Main, US-64, Chestnut, and W 13th St., but again, you're looking at blocking major roads and doing a slow backup move into and out of the station. You may wonder why I'm basically throwing out the historical Choo Choo. Last time I was there, and you can sort of tell by looking in Google, the neighborhood didn't strike me as the best for having a great train station. Now, I haven't been around there for quite a while, so I might be mistaken about the area around the Choo Choo, but even so, the best you could get with the Choo Choo unless you do some major reconstruction is a single platform on a single track.

 

[ACVitale]

I was at the Choo Choo in May 2010. It would still work. There is a single track as mentioned that could definately work (Or use the trolley track). While parts of the neighboorhood were in need of gentrification the Choo Choo is located next door to the local transportation center and the immediate neighborhood was quite nice.

We also visited the TVR and they have a lovely station that is just too far away in the middle of no where.

The only issue I could see with the Choo Choo would be parking. It might actually increase room sales and f and b sales as well.

 

[George Harris]

The major problem with the whole Bristol - Knoxville - Chattanooga - Atlanta service is that the elapsed times of the Tennessean and Georgian: 3 + 2.4 + 3 was pushing the envelope of practical minimum speeds due to the curves. These times is far slower than driving times, and a significant factor in the lass of patronage on these lines as I-81 and 75 opened.