No 12 - Tweetsie Railroad - Complete Ride

During our visit to Dollywood this past year over Thanksgiving holiday, the engineer for the Dollywood Express told us about Tweetsie; a train he had engineered before joining the team at Dollywood. We made sure to add Tweetsie Railroad to our list of trains to visit and explore. On June 30th 2018 we traveled to Boone, NC to see No 12, one of two locomotives for the Tweetsie Railroad located just outside of Boone in Blowing Rock, NC. Upon our arrival we found a very inviting Old West themed park that reminded us of a 50's style roadside attraction that was built to preserve this piece of local railroad history. Tweetsie No 12 is a 4-6-0 narrow gauge, 36-inch wide, coal burning locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia in 1917. The locomotive is 54 feet long, 9 feet wide and 12 feet tall with a weight of 80 tons. The narrow gauge, 36-inches verses the standard gauge, 56 ½-inches, enables the train to handle 30-degree curves; necessary to pass through the mountains. Yes, Tweetsie No 12 has celebrated her 100th birthday just the year before. However, looking at her, you would never know her true age. The team at Tweetsie Railroad keep her looking spotlessly clean and running well. In 1992, the U.S. Department of Interior placed No 12 in the National Register of Historical Places. Tweetsie Railroad has another locomotive there for the days Tweetsie needs her rest. A 2-8-2 White Pass & Yukon locomotive, No 190, the “Yukon Queen”. She was built by Baldwin in 1943 for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. and was brought to Tweetsie Railroad shortly after its opening. We are told despite her age, No 12 services her guest on most days the park is open. Tweetsie No 12 is a sole survivor of the original 13 locomotives used by the Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina railroad, ET&WNC. This narrow-gauge railroad was the first means to connect the small mountain towns in East Tennessee and West North Carolina to the rest of civilization. It began in 1881 and stretched from Johnson City, TN to the iron mines at Cranberry, NC. Shortly after the Civil War, they begin to build this railroad that took passengers and freight through the Appalachian Mountains. The name “Tweetsie” was given to the locomotives by the locals due to their high pitch “tweet, tweet” sound their whistles created as they traveled through the mountain valleys. It was not until the roads were built in the early forties that the trains were threatened by other means of transportation. With WWII, the use of the train was extended until the 1950’s when the railroad’s operation was discontinued. Despite the many locomotives that were either scrapped or sent to other developing countries, No 12 was spared when it was purchased for a tourist attraction in Harrisonburg, VA in 1953 called the Shenandoah Central Railroad. The attraction ended just one year later due to damage sustained by hurricane Hazel. No 12 was saved once again when Gene Autry bought her with the intentions to move her out to Hollywood, CA. Due to the cost to relocate her, this idea was dropped and she was bought by another train enthusiasts, Grover C. Robbins, Jr., a native of Blowing Rock who felt Tweetsie needed to come home and be preserved for generations to come. A tourist attraction was begun by building her initial 3-mile oval track to provide joy rides for her customers. These were the early beginnings for the amusement park that exists today. During our visit, the train departed the station roughly every 25 minutes to travel it's 2 3-mile journey around the park; stopping twice during its trip to allow the local cowboys and Indians to give the guests a light-hearted comedy and stunt show. We found the employees very friendly and the park as clean as Disney standards. We were particularly impressed how the park’s theme centered around the railroad as its main attraction. Fun was had by both young and old. If you have a love for trains or just have a nostalgic twitch to remember a time when having fun was simpler, we highly recommend Tweetsie Railroad. Disclaimer – I do not claim to be an expert on the topic of steam trains or a professional videographer. I just have a real passion for steam trains. My grandfather worked his entire career for the Central of Georgia and Southern Railroad from the 1920’s until the 1960’s when he retired from the railroad as a Conductor. From his many stories and tales of his life while with the railroad he shared with me as a kid, installed upon me my love for steam trains and the way life used to be. My videos are long and for most people probably too detailed. But my purpose was to capture as much of the occasion during the time I was there and for limited access I was able to obtain during my visit. I hope you enjoy my train experiences as much as I did. For now, enjoy the ride!