Here Comes THOMAS!
April 2013
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Day Out With Thomas returns to TVRM over three exciting weekends including April 27 & 28 and May 4, 5 & 11. See more information HERE and a direct link to ticket ordering HERE
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21st Century Steam! in the Spring
February 4, 2013
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Norfolk Southern announced excursions for their 21st Century Steam program today. Trips will originate in Chattanooga, Bristol, Roanoke, Norfolk, Spencer and Asheville. See more information here
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2013: An Exciting Year of Railroading!
January 16, 2013
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Wow, is it 2013 already? The New Years Eve Dinner Train ran on December 31, so it must be! TVRM is gearing up for an eventful Year 2013 (our 52nd Anniversary): The annual calendar is posted, Missionary Ridge Local trains are running every Saturday in January & February (schedule expands in March), Valentine Dinner Trains are planned over several evenings in February, Day Out With Thomas tickets are on sale for the April/May event Apr 27, 28 and May 4, 5 & 11), Summer Camp registration is open for June sessions, and more announcements are coming soon! Click on any of the links below for more information. And don't miss the special video link!
To see the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum on the "silver screen" in 2013, be watching for the April release of the movie "42" which is about groundbreaking major league basball player Jackie Robinson. A majority of the baseball scenes were filmed in Chattanooga at Historic Engel Stadium, but while production crews were in town they took advantage of the vintage railroad resources provided by TVRM. The movie stars Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. In the featurette below, take special notice at the 2 minute mark:
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Don't Miss: North Pole Limited trains and Christmas Dinner Trains
November 28, 2012
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The popular North Pole Limited trips are underway for 2012...our 14th annual event! Most of the Friday & Saturday runs at 5:45 & 7:30 have been sold out for quite some time. Please pick from the 9:15 departures or select another day. There are plenty of dates to choose. For more information and ticket ordering, click HERE.
A unique opportunity to dine by rail! Christmas Dinner Trains run on Saturday evenings in December. For more information and ticket ordering, click HERE. The New Years Eve Dinner Train information can be found HERE.
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Exciting mainline steam trips announced for November 10 & 11
October 8, 2012
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Special steam excursions will be offered out of Chattanooga on Saturday & Sunday, November 10 & 11 as part of Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program. These are "rare mileage" trips and an opportunity which may not be repeated. It is the first time that main line steam excursions have been available along these routes since 1994. Standard coach, First Class coach, and Observation Car seating is available. For more information and ticket ordering, click HERE.
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Halloweeen Eerie Express & Fun House ~ Non-scary fun for the family!
October 7, 2012
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Join us for the annual "Eerie Express" trains with a quirky visit to our exclusive 2,000 square foot 'old time' Fun House!
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Birmingham steam excursion tickets still available
September 16, 2012
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Special steam excursions will be offered in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday & Sunday, September 22 & 23 as part of Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program. Morning roundtrips each day travel to Parrish, while afternoon trips travel to Wilton. These are "rare mileage" trips and an opportunity which may not be repeated. It is the first time that mainline steam excursions have been available in Birmingham since 1994. For more information and ticket ordering, click HERE.
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TVRM featured in music video
September 15, 2012
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Country singer Eric Church recently filmed the music video for his song Creepin' at TVRM. Catch several glimpses of steam locomotive #630, East Chattanooga Depot, Missionary Ridge Tunnel, and various trains.
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Tickets! Get your Tickets!
August 7, 2012
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Tickets are now available for a number of upcoming events that you won't want to miss! RAILFEST* will take place over Labor Day weekend. Halloween Eerie Express & Fun House is right around the corner, Summerville Steam Specials are scheduled, and even our popular North Pole Limited tickets have been on sale for quite some time! And of course don't forget about scenic Hiwassee River Rail Adventure trips which operate frequently through the Hiwassee River Gorge out of Etowah, Tennessee.
*Note that during RAILFEST, steam locomotive #630 will be heading mainline excursions to Cleveland over the Norfolk Southern line toward Knoxville.
SEPTEMBER 1 & 2
SEPTEMBER 1 & 2 and SEPTEMBER 22 & 23
OCTOBER 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27
OCTOBER 6, 13, 20, 27 & NOVEMBER 3
SELECT EVENINGS IN NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
MANY DATES IN SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER & NOVEMBER
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21st Century Steam! -- Tickets still available from Roanoke on July 7
June 28, 2012
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To order tickets CLICK HERE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2012
21stCentury Steam excursion train trips scheduled for June in North Carolina and Virginia
NORFOLK, VA. and CHATTANOOGA, TN. – If you have been waiting to ride a train behind a century-old steam locomotive, here is your chance.
As part of the 21st Century Steam program of Norfolk Southern and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, a number of excursions are being offered in June in North Carolina and Virginia behind steam locomotive 630.
June 16-17, Spencer to Barber, N.C,, and return
· Host: North Carolina Transportation Museum
· Train departs from Museum: 9 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. each day
· Route: Norfolk Southern “S-Line” between Spencer and Barber, 24-mile round trip
· Power: steam locomotive 630 only (no diesels assisting)
· Equipment: air-conditioned coaches with reclining seats and large picture windows
· Fare: $35 adults, $25 children ages 3-12. Kids ages 2 and under not occupying seats do not require tickets.
June 23, Spencer to Winston-Salem, N.C., one way (bus return)
· Train departs North Carolina Transportation Museum: 10 a.m.
· Train arrives Winston-Salem: 2 p.m.
· Bus arrives North Carolina Transportation Museum: 3 p.m.
· Route: Norfolk Southern main line Spencer-Greensboro; NS“K-Line” Greensboro-Winston-Salem
· Power: steam locomotive 630 with diesels assisting
· Equipment: air-conditioned coaches
· Fare: $80. Includes box lunch and bus return to North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer.
June 24, Winston-Salem, N.C., to Roanoke, Va., one way (with bus connections from Roanoke and to Winston Salem)
· Train departs Winston-Salem: 10 a.m.
· Train arrives Roanoke: 3:30 p.m.
· Route: Norfolk Southern “Punkinvine” line, Winston-Salem-Roanoke
· Power: steam locomotive 630 with diesels assisting
· Equipment: air-conditioned coaches
· Fare: $95. Includes box lunch and bus transportation. For Roanoke-originating passengers, bus will depart Roanoke 7 am; for Winston-Salem-originating passengers, bus will depart Roanoke within a half hour of train’s arrival in Roanoke.
Tickets for all trips are available through the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s website at www.tvrail.com.
Additional one-way excursions are planned in July and September. Keep checking TVRM’s website or call 423-894-8028 for the latest information.
Southern Railway 630, the steam locomotive featured on these trains, is a Consolidation-type locomotive built in 1904 at the Richmond, Va., works of the American Locomotive Company. Number 630 pulled freight trains during the first half of the last century, mostly in North Carolina, and in the 1970s and ‘80s traveled extensively in excursion service throughout the Southeast. Small of size but big in character, this locomotive underwent an exhaustive ten-year rehabilitation at TVRM’s Soule Shops complex in East Chattanooga before returning to service in 2011.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded in 1961 in Chattanooga to create an interpretive operating museum of historic equipment and artifacts in an authentic setting. Today it operates an extensive schedule of historic and scenic trains in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, supported by its East Chattanooga locomotive and shop complex. TVRM is the largest operating historical excursion railroad in the Southeast.
Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port
in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.
21stCentury Steam is a partnership between Norfolk Southern and TVRM to operate steam-powered excursions throughout the territory Norfolk Southern serves.
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Is it Spring or Summer?
May 1, 2012
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Things are heating up at TVRM. Our first weekend of "Day Out With Thomas" was a great success...and quite a bit of ice cream was consumed! There are still two more weekends, so get your tickets now and don't miss out! More information is available HERE. And for now, enjoy these photos from the first weekend:
TVRM will again feature a Railroad Summer Camp this year. The formerly announced Camp week in June has sold out, and now a second week has been added! The new session will be held on July 9-14. Sign up now while it is still available. First come, first served! Call 894-8028, extension 13 to make a reservation for your young railroader. More info HERE.
Maybe it is time to take an excursion through the Scenic Hiwassee River Gorge? Trains run every Saturday from Etowah! See more info HERE
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Spring has "Sprung" at TVRM!
March 27, 2012
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A special commemoration will be held over the weekend of April 14 & 15 to mark the 150th Anniversary of a Civil War event called the Andrews Raid (more commonly known as The Great Locomotive Chase.) Click HERE for more infomation.
Tickets are still available for some of the best times/days of TVRM's "Day Out With Thomas" event which will be held April 28 & 29 and May 5, 6 & 12. As an added bonus, you can use discount code DOWT4SUN when ordering tickets for Sundays April 29 or May 6. Be sure to get them while they're still out there. For more information and ticket ordering, click HERE.
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Additional Valentine Dinner Trains added!
February 2, 2012
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Due to demand, a second departure of Valentine Special Dinner Trains has just been added on the evenings of February 11 & 14, departing at 8:00 for a two-hour excursion featuring a dining experience from days gone by.
Missionary Ridge Local trains are running on Saturdays in February! This week, the schedule expands with departures at 10:40, 12:05, 1:15, 2:25 & 3:35.
Here is a quick update from TVRM's Soule Shops ~ Restoration continues on Southern Railway 2-8-2 #4501, currently focusing on the firebox. This is a major undertaking as most of the firebox is being replaced. The following photos were taken last week giving an idea of the breadth of ongoing work.
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Day Out With Thomas tickets now on sale for April 28, 29 and May 5, 6 & 12!
January 19, 2012
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Get your tickets now for the popular "Day Out With Thomas" event! This year will feature a total of three consecutive Saturdays and two Sundays; April 28 & 29 and May 5, 6 & 12. Don't miss out on seeing Thomas the Tank Engine!
Missionary Ridge Local trains are running on Saturdays in January & February! January departures are 10:40 & 12:05, while in February they expand to 10:40, 12:05, 1:15, 2:25 & 3:35.
Valentine Dinner Trains are planned for the evenings of February 10, 11, 12 & 14, departing at 5:30 for a two-hour excursion featuring a four course meal. Tickets are limited.
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