The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman and Robert M. Soule, Jr., along with a group of local railway preservationists. The organization was established to preserve steam locomotives and railway equipment. The museum operates tourist excursions from stations in Chattanooga and Etowah, Tennessee.
History
Founded in 1960 and incorporated in 1961 by DuPont electronic engineer Paul H. Merriman and General Railway Signal Company field representative Robert M. Soule, Jr., the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum originally stored equipment at the Western Union pole yard, which was located adjacent to the Southern Railway classification yard on Holtzclaw Avenue in East Chattanooga. After the termination of passenger service to the Southern Railway's Terminal Station in 1970, additional cars and locomotives were stored at this facility in downtown Chattanooga.
In 1969, the TVRM received a land donation from the Southern Railway, consisting of a property located in East Chattanooga on North Chamberlain Avenue. This donation included the -long Whiteside Tunnel and about of abandoned right-of-way.
On May 7, 1972, the museum opened a new permanent facility to the public in East Chattanooga. At the time, it had no structures on site. Volunteers had constructed a railyard for the storage and repair of equipment and had rebuilt the abandoned rail line through the Whiteside Tunnel. The reconstructed line ended at Tunnel Boulevard, as the original bridge over this road had been removed some years earlier.
With the reconstructed rail line, the museum had the ability to produce a small amount of income by operating a heritage railroad. They ran passenger excursion trains through Whiteside Tunnel (commonly referred to as Missionary Ridge Tunnel, because it went through Missionary Ridge).
Additional income was derived from mainline excursions operated biannually via the Southern Railway's Steam Program. The Southern Railway's Steam Program was created by the Southern Railway, led by W. Graham Claytor, Jr., in 1966. Merriman had purchased the former Southern Railway 4501 in 1964 from the Kentucky & Tennessee Railway in Stearns, Kentucky for $5,000 of his own money. By 1966 the 4501 had been restored during a 2-year process, conducted at Lucey Boiler Company in Chattanooga. After many volunteer hours by TVRM members as well as paid Lucey Boiler employee work, the 4501 was operated throughout the Southern Railway System.
thumb|right|NC&StL GP7 710 at the East Chattanooga Yard of the museum
In 1977, the TVRM constructed a bridge over Tunnel Boulevard. The Southern Railway donated an additional mile and a half (2.4 km) of abandoned rail line. The next major task of the museum was to build the East Chattanooga Depot. This depot is a reconstruction of a typical small town depot of the 1920s.
The TVRM was named to the National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 1980. That was followed during that decade by expansion of the organization, and acquiring more land donated by Southern Railway. During the 1980s, the TVRM gradually added more track and buildings. The Grand Junction Depot, the TVRM Administration Building, and the National Model Railroad Association were starting to take shape during the decade, as well. At the East Chattanooga facility, a repair shop and a turntable were added to provide facilities for locomotive repair and maintenance. Beginning in the 1990s, TVRM started running trains to the Chattanooga Choo Choo (called the Downtown Arrow, now discontinued) and excursions to Summerville, Georgia on the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway.
In 2004, TVRM and the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association partnered in acquiring part of the former L&N Hook and Eye line between Etowah (Gee Creek, Tennessee) and Copperhill. Following the acquisition, the TVRM established two operating divisions: the Chattanooga Division and the Hiwassee Division. Crews and sometimes equipment are often switched between the two.
The museum celebrated 50 years during the Labor Day weekend of 2011. Norfolk Southern Railway also debuted their new steam excursion program during the event until 2015.
Current operations
The TVRM operates local freight service and regular passenger excursions. The museum runs a regular one-hour, round-trip excursion. Mainline excursions operate on weekends from April through November.
In 2004, the TVRM introduced regular excursions over the Hiwassee Loop around Bald Mountain near Farner, Tennessee. These operations originate at the station in Etowah, Tennessee, located northeast of Chattanooga. Passengers transfer via bus to the Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park due to freight traffic on the CSX mainline. The route runs east along the Hiwassee River through the Hiwassee Gorge to Farner, while extended day routes continue south to Copperhill, Tennessee and McCaysville, Georgia.
This route is that of the former Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway and is also called the Hiwassee Route. The remainder of the AK&N (later L&N and then CSX) line in Georgia is operated by the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, with subsidiary Blue Ridge Scenic Railway operating another heritage railroad from McCaysville to Blue Ridge, Georgia, and GNRR freight running south of there.
TVRM also handles freight. On TVRM's Chattanooga Division, there is one industry, Allied Metals. TVRM handles switching operations, under the wholly owned subsidiary Tyner Terminal Railway Company, at Enterprise South Industrial Park (ESIP), location of the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant. Even though there are no major industries along the Hiwassee Division, TVRM has the capability to store several hundred cars at the Copperhill yard for other railroads.
Restoration work
TVRM has a working locomotive and car repair shop complex, Soule Shops, named after co-founder, Robert M. Soule, Jr. In March 2011, TVRM completed restoring Southern Railway Ks-1 class 2-8-0 630 to operational status. In September 2014, TVRM completed the second restoration of Southern Railway Ms class 2-8-2 4501 for another excursion career with Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam Excursion Program. At present, 3 passenger cars are undergoing restoration. One is No. 1877, a former Chessie / Chesapeake and Ohio, later Denver & Rio Grande Western round end dome-lounge-observation, being restored from long static condition. Another is 1917 Pullman built office car No 98. The 98 was built for Baltimore & Ohio President Daniel Willard and after leaving B&O ownership in the 1960s came to TVRM in 1977, having been a fixture ever since, hence the need for a thorough restoration after decades of service. Next is Southern Railway 832, a 52-seat passenger coach built in 1949 by the Budd Company. Along with the 3 passenger cars, 1953 built EMD E8, Southern Railway 6914, is undergoing restoration as well. Other projects move in and out of the shop as needed as well as routine inspections on the museum's steam locomotives. The project lasted ten years and constituted the most extensive restoration completed by the museum workshop.
Equipment
Locomotives
{|class="wikitable"
|+Locomotive details
!Number
!Image
!Type
!Model
!Built
!Builder
!Serial number
!Status
|-
|10
|frameless|263x263px
|Steam
|
|1920
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|53182
|Stored, awaiting cosmetic restoration
|-
|80
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|GP38
|1968
|Electro-Motive Division
|33802
|Operational
|-
|109
|
|Diesel
|RS-3
|1950
|American Locomotive Company
|78247
|Stored
|-
|200
|
|Diesel
|VO-1000M
|1941
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|64258
|Operational
|-
|205
|
|Diesel
|SD9
|1955
|Electro-Motive Division
|20447
|Stored, awaiting potential restoration
|-
|349
|175px|frameless
|Steam
|
|1891
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|11994
|Display, loaned to the Children's Hospital at Erlanger
|-
|606
|
|Diesel
|SW1200
|1954
|Electro-Motive Division
|20047
|Operational
|-
|610
|175px|frameless
|Steam
|
|1952
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|75503
|Stored, awaiting 1,472-day inspection and overhaul
|-
|630
|frameless|175x175px
|Steam
|
|1904
|American Locomotive Company
|28446
|Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul
|-
|710
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|GP7
|1950
|Electro-Motive Division
|10551
|Operational
|-
|814
|
|Diesel
|F7A
|1949
|Electro-Motive Division
|5798
|Stored, privately owned
|-
|913
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|RS-1
|1950
|American Locomotive Company
|77848
|Display
|-
|1230
|
|Diesel
|SD40
|1969
|Electro-Motive Division
|34759
|Operational
|-
|1504
|175px|frameless
|Steam
|
|1919
|American Locomotive Company
|59314
|Stored, awaiting restoration or cosmetic restoration
|-
|1824
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|GP7L
|1951
|Electro-Motive Division
|15694
|Out of service
|-
|1829
|175x175px
|Diesel
|GP7L
|1951
|Electro-Motive Division
|15699
|Operational
|-
|3170
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|SD40
|1971
|Electro-Motive Division
|37355
|Display, awaiting repairs
|-
|4501
|175px|frameless
|Steam
|
|1911
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|37085
|Operational
|-
|5000
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|GP38-2
|1972
|Electro-Motive Division
|5809-1
|Operational
|-
|5044
|
|Diesel
|GP38-2
|1973
|Electro-Motive Division
|7362-35
|Operational
|-
|5109
|
|Diesel
|GP38-2
|1974
|Electro-Motive Division
|73752-2
|Operational
|-
|6914
|frameless|175x175px
|Diesel
|E8
|1953
|Electro-Motive Division
|19012
|Under restoration
|-
|7100
|
|Diesel
|S-2
|1943
|American Locomotive Company
|70225
|Out of service
|-
|7467
|frameless|175x175px
|Diesel
|VO-1000
|1943
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|67738
|Cosmetic restoration
|-
|8669
|
|Diesel
|RSD-1
|1945
|American Locomotive Company
|72162
|Display
|-
|8677
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|RSD-1
|1945
|American Locomotive Company
|72170
|Stored
|-
|F3060
|175x175px
|Diesel
|H-16-66
|1958
|Fairbanks-Morse
|16L1157
|Display
|-
|4073C
|175x175px
|Diesel
|F7A
|1949
|Electro-Motive Division
|8551
|Stored, out of service
|-
|4087C
|
|Diesel
|F7A
|1949
|Electro-Motive Division
|10151
|Stored, out of service
|}
Visiting units
{|class="wikitable"
|+Locomotive details
!Number
!Image
!Type
!Model
!Built
!Builder
!Serial number
!Status
!Notes
|-
|1580
|
|Diesel
|SD40
|1966
|Electro-Motive Division
|31899
|Operational
|Undergoing repaint, owned by the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS
|-
|2594
|175px|frameless
|Diesel
|GP30
|1962
|Electro-Motive Division
|28564
|Operational
|Leased from the Southeastern Railway Museum
|}
Former units
{|class="wikitable"
!Number
!Image
!Type
!Model
!Built
!Builder
!Notes
|-
|1
|frameless|175x175px
|Steam
|
|1920
|H.K. Porter
|Built by H.K. Porter in 1920 for the Cherokee Brick and Tile Company in Macon, Georgia. Purchased by the National Railroad Historical Society in 1964 and ran excursions in South Carolina. The unit was later retired and sold to the museum but was determined to lack the power and speed needed by the museum. The unit was purchased by the Cowan Railroad Museum in 1979 and was moved to Cowan, Tennessee where the unit remains on display.
|-
|3
|
|Steam
|
|1924
|American Locomotive Company
|Built by the American Locomotive Company in 1924 for the Southern Wood Company in Chattanooga. Retired 1961 and sold to Paul Merriman. Sold to the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio in 1994. Currently on static display.
|-
|35
|
|Steam
|Shay Class C
|1910
|Lima Locomotive Works
|Built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1910, it was sent to a heritage railway in Australia in 2014.
|-
|36
|
|Steam
|Shay Class C
|1911
|Lima Locomotive Works
|Built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1910, it now resides at the Cass Scenic Railroad.
|-
|203
|
|Steam
|
|1928
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in January 1928 at Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad #402. Sold to the Gainesville Midland Railroad in 1946 and renumbered to 203. Retired in 1959 and later donated to the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society in 1961. Arrived at TVRM on January 8, 1964. It was to be repaired and used for excursions but paperwork supporting its transfer to TVRM was never completed. It remained on static display for over 25 years until being sent back to Atlanta. It is currently on static display at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.
|-
|509
|frameless|175x175px
|Steam
|
|1913
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in April 1913 as Louisiana and Arkansas Railway #403, later renumbered to 509. Sold to the Louisiana Midland Railroad in 1950 where it was later involved in a collision with an L&A 2-8-2 in 1952. Sold to the Rapides Gravel Company and hauled gravel there until retirement in 1966. Sold to a railfan named John Thompson in 1968 who later sold it to the Whitewater Valley Railroad in 1974. Arrived at TVRM in 1982. Sold to the Cookeville Depot Museum in 2002. Currently on display, disguised as Tennessee Central Railway #509.
|-
|611
|
|Steam
|2-8-0
|1943
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1943 as U.S. Army #2628. Later renumbered to 611 in 1951. Sold to the Texas State Railroad in the 1970s. Arrived at TVRM in 1991. Sold off to Bill Miller Equipment Sales in 2010.
|-
|722
|frameless|175x175px
|Steam
|2-8-0
|1904
|Baldwin Locomotive Works
|Built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in September 1904. Sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad in 1952 and renumbered to 208. Retired in December 1967 and sold to the Southern to participate in the steam program. Leased and operated at TVRM from 1980 – 1985, put on static display due to a cracked firebox. Transferred to the Asheville Chapter NRHS in 1992. Sold to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City, North Carolina in December 2000, currently under restoration to operating condition.
|-
|5288
|frameless|175x175px
|Steam
|
|1919
|Montreal Locomotive Works
|Initially constructed for the Grand Trunk Railway before ownership of the engine was obtained by the Canadian National Railway. In 1961, the engine was sold to F. Nelson Blount for his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection, and the engine would be put on display in Bellows Falls, Vermont before it was eventually moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 2001, 5288 was sold to the TVRM, where it was put on display near the Chattanooga depot. It would later provide parts for Southern 4501's restoration. In 2023, the engine was acquired by the Colebrookdale Railroad.
|-
|Flying Duchess
|175px
|Steam
|
|1952
|Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
|Built in North East England in 1952 and worked at the Meaford Power Station in Staffordshire, England. Later sold to the Boyne City Railroad in Boyne City, Michigan. Operated at TVRM from 1978 to 1980. Currently on static display in La Grange, Kentucky.
|}
Rolling stock
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Rolling stock details
- Fools' Parade (1971) (Southern 4501 as B&O 4501)