bama_ed
It's kind of fun to do the impossible-Walt Disney
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2004
This past weekend I was at a convention in the Chattanooga, TN area and on Sunday morning before heading home I went to visit a family friend.
When my 3 kids were at home, since they were little, we made 2-3 trips a year to Chattanooga from Birmingham (about 2.5 hrs away). It's a good family town to visit and do things. But the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is my/our favorite. It offers rides behind a real steam locomotive which is not something you can do ever day in many places during summer and weekends spring and fall.
It has a short 3-mile line with a wye (Y) turn-around on one end and a turntable in the shop area on the other. The ride includes a brief run through a 1,000' tunnel under Missionary Ridge. It's very pleasant for an hour of your time.
Yesterday I rode behind locomotive 630 (TVRR has 3 steam locos two of which are currently active and one awaiting rehab). Plus several diesels.
Having done this ride many times in the past (we even had a family membership for years), I have a pattern. The best places to experience a ride on a real steam locomotive are at the end of the cars (watching the track disappear into the distance while hearing and smelling the experience). And also at the front of the coach stack (immediately behind the tender/coal car). Closer to the loco than the first location and you can hear the loco and whistle better plus all the squeeks and noises of this metal monster. Out on the outside platform in both directions.
Going thru the tunnel particularly close to the loco can be a smoky, loud experience but it only lasts 15-20 seconds. I also made some mp3 recordings at various points that I have to listen to and edit down. I have a whistle blow from TVRR as an available ringtone on my phone (maybe I will assign it to tiggerdad's number ).
I've ridden most available steam trains over the last decade or two from Florida to Pennsylvania and visited several museums in between. Next year I might be able to head west and ride some there that I have on my bucket list.
Any way, if you get a chance to ride behind a steam loco, do so. They are a piece of American history.
https://www.tvrail.com/ (I rode the Missionary Ridge Local ride).
Bama Ed
PS - and yes we've done the Steam Train tour at MK. But the MK trains don't offer what I would call a real operating railroad experience. But they are a nice piece of Walt's past.
When my 3 kids were at home, since they were little, we made 2-3 trips a year to Chattanooga from Birmingham (about 2.5 hrs away). It's a good family town to visit and do things. But the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is my/our favorite. It offers rides behind a real steam locomotive which is not something you can do ever day in many places during summer and weekends spring and fall.
It has a short 3-mile line with a wye (Y) turn-around on one end and a turntable in the shop area on the other. The ride includes a brief run through a 1,000' tunnel under Missionary Ridge. It's very pleasant for an hour of your time.
Yesterday I rode behind locomotive 630 (TVRR has 3 steam locos two of which are currently active and one awaiting rehab). Plus several diesels.
Having done this ride many times in the past (we even had a family membership for years), I have a pattern. The best places to experience a ride on a real steam locomotive are at the end of the cars (watching the track disappear into the distance while hearing and smelling the experience). And also at the front of the coach stack (immediately behind the tender/coal car). Closer to the loco than the first location and you can hear the loco and whistle better plus all the squeeks and noises of this metal monster. Out on the outside platform in both directions.
Going thru the tunnel particularly close to the loco can be a smoky, loud experience but it only lasts 15-20 seconds. I also made some mp3 recordings at various points that I have to listen to and edit down. I have a whistle blow from TVRR as an available ringtone on my phone (maybe I will assign it to tiggerdad's number ).
I've ridden most available steam trains over the last decade or two from Florida to Pennsylvania and visited several museums in between. Next year I might be able to head west and ride some there that I have on my bucket list.
Any way, if you get a chance to ride behind a steam loco, do so. They are a piece of American history.
https://www.tvrail.com/ (I rode the Missionary Ridge Local ride).
Bama Ed
PS - and yes we've done the Steam Train tour at MK. But the MK trains don't offer what I would call a real operating railroad experience. But they are a nice piece of Walt's past.
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