For the first time in almost three months, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is running passenger trains this weekend.
Officials are playing their reopening by ear, but current plans call for TVRM to be open and operate passenger trains every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the foreseeable future.
Saturday, the crowd of more than 200 passengers included railroad aficionados – young and old, casual and devoted – from the Gulf Coast and up and down the eastern seaboard.
Vehicles from Tennessee on TVRM’s parking lot were joined by cars and trucks bearing faraway license plates: Florida, south Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia.
One excited fan drove more than 800 miles from New York, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, just to attend the reopening and ride the Missionary Ridge Local.
Also on hand were dozens of local fans such as lifetime TVRM members Mary and Robert Duncan (Mr.
Duncan is coordinator of TVRM’s Hiwassee River Rail Adventure) who arrived eager to buy t-shirts and snacks as well as ride the trains.
“It’s the reopening,” Mrs. Duncan explained. “We wanted to be part of it.”
Passengers’ enthusiasm came as very good news to TVRM employees such as George Walker, general manager of passenger operations.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” he said candidly.
When passenger train rides and museum visits were suspended in mid-March due to concerns over COVID-19, Mr. Walker recalled, “we initially thought it would be for two weeks. It turned out to be more than two months.”
Lost revenue from ticket sales left TVRM strapped for cash, he said. The museum reluctantly furloughed about half of its normal work force of 60-70 people.
Luckily, TVRM subsidiaries were able to continue freight operations, he said. The facility’s locomotive and car repair workshop also stayed open, and a federal Payroll Protection Protection grant enabled the railroad museum to start bringing back some of its furloughed employees.
Some worked from home; others, actually at their worksite, wore masks – sewn specially for them by TVRM seamstress Wanda Smith – and were subject to temperature checks.
It’s not TVRM’s first brush with hard times.
The heritage railroad and railroad museum was founded in 1960 by Paul Merriman and Robert Soule Jr. as a chapter of the National Railway Historic Society. Two decades later, it began its transformation into an organization that could repair its equipment and produce revenue.
The project, largely funded by a $1 million Industrial Development Bond obtained in the mid-1980s, was plagued with construction delays, underfunding and inadequate revenues. In the late 1980s TVRM reluctantly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Despite its financial woes, TVRM – blessed by dozens of enthusiastic volunteers willing to work hard and get dirty – persevered with construction of new depots, locomotive and equipment restoration shops and other improvements at both its Cromwell Road and East Chattanooga sites.
Their combined efforts led to significant increases in revenue and in 1998, about 18 months early, the Industrial Development Bond was retired.
Now, watching rail fans – unfazed by social distancing and the masks they must wear during train rides – eagerly board railway coaches and snap up merchandise at the TVRM gift shop, Mr. Walker is optimistic that the organization also will survive the setbacks caused by COVID-19.
Preparation for the reopening began weeks ago, Mr. Walker said, with emphasis on developing protocols that comply with health guidelines and protect both visitors and crew members. TVRM officials brought in Hamilton County Health Department inspectors, for example, to inspect their delicatessen and make sure it was in compliance with all regulations.
Rather than running five trains a day, TVRM’s daily schedule now calls for four passenger trains to leave at two hour intervals, starting at 9:30 a.m. Since excursions last only about 55 minutes, he said, that leaves plenty of time between trains to sanitize the coaches.
Due to social distancing, trains – which used to carry 150 to 200 passengers – now can only handle a total of 86. Passengers must wear masks and sit in assigned seats during the rides. Visitors also are asked to stay at least six feet apart when visiting the gift shop and snack bar.
Masks are provided for passengers who arrive without one, and sanitizing stations have been set up throughout the property.
All foot traffic is one-way. Signs and directional arrows are posted, and every passenger is provided with a flyer featuring a map that shows which pathways to use and which direction to walk.
For more information, call (423) 894-8028, or visit http://www.tvrail.com.