The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has a new fall line-up of rides in their vintage trains. The schedule includes old favorites and new rides to make the biggest offering ever.
Rides departing from Grand Junction Depot in Chattanooga:
Missionary Ridge Local
The Missionary Ridge Local takes passengers on a six-mile round trip from Grand Junction Station to East Chattanooga Depot and back. Departing regularly from Grand Junction, the train travels along the original right-of-way railroads used to arrive at Chattanooga. Along the way passangers get to experience one of Tennessee's oldest horse-shoe tunnels. Arriving at East Chattanooga Depot, see how a locomotive is turned around using a turntable and take a tour of our maintenance and restoration shop.
Location of event: Train departs Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road
Steam All The Way
Relive the glory days of steam. Take a 100 mile round-trip excursion to Summerville, Ga. Thanks to the newly installed turntable, steam locomotive 610 will lead the way there and back. Includes lunch on the Diner.
Date: Sept. 27
Location of event: Train departs Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road (departs 9 a.m. returns 7 p.m.)
Autumn Leaf Specials
Experience the Golden Days of Railroading while traveling through the Georgian fall scenery. Includes lunch on the Diner.
Dates: Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 2, and 8
Location of event: Train departs Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road (departs 9 a.m. returns 7 p.m.)
Halloween Eerie Express
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has partnered with Rock City Gardens to provide a Halloween experience. Passengers will hear spooky legends of ghosts wandering the Chickamauga Battlefield in search of their souls while they ride along into the night, straight into Rock City Gardens' Forest of Fear and Enchanted Maize Maze. When passengers arrive, they will have access to all the fall festivities at the 10-acre labyrinth of trails, including the Spooky Acres Maze, a historic birdhouse barn, hayrides, kiddie hay maze and bonfire.
Dates: Oct. 18, 24, 25, and 31
North Pole Limited
Since 1999, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has been carrying all the good boys and girls of Chattanooga and surrounding areas to the North Pole for a visit with Santa Claus.
Dates: Nov. 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 and Dec. 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21
Location of event: Train departs Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road (trains depart 5:45 and 7:30 pm)
Chickamauga Christmas Dinner Special
Take a leisurely trip by rail through northwest Georgia while enjoying a four-course meal aboard a restored 1924 dining car.
Dates: Dec. 6, 13, and 20
Location of event: Train departs Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road (departs 5:30 p.m. returns 10 p.m.)
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Rides departing from Etowah, TN:
Hiawassee River Rail Adventure
Since the late nineteenth century, passengers and train crews have had the pleasure of traveling along one of the most beautiful river gorges in the U.S. as the railroad tracks hug the Hiawassee River. In the 1960s, the last scheduled passenger train traveled the line ending the ability of the public to view the landscape from the comfort of the rails except for a period during the steam excursions of the 1980s and 90s. In 2001, the last freight train traveled the Old Line as CSX ceased operations and the rail line was thought to have been abandoned for good. This changed in 2004. The Tennessee Overhill Association and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum partnered together for a to bring passenger excursions along the gorge back to life.
The Hiawassee River Rails Adventure trains are again set to depart with an expanded schedule. In addition, with further improvements made to the railroad, the trip has been lengthened to include riding to the top of the Great Hiawassee Loop. At the top passengers will be passing over a bridge 62 feet above the tracks on which they’ve just traveled as the rails negotiate a spiraling formation. The Loop track has been known by many names, Great Hiawassee Loop, Bald Mountain Loop, and Hook & Eye to name a few.
Three and 1/2 hour Loop Trip Dates: Sept. 26, 27, Oct. 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23. 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, Nov. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, 28, 30
Day Long Loop plus extended trip to Copperhill Dates: Sept. 28, Oct. 11, 17, 25, Nov. 8, 21, 29 and Dec. 6
Location of event: Etowah, Tn.
For more information on any of these trips, contact the TVRM office at info@tvrail.com, 894-8028, or at www.tvrail.com.