Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad | |
---|---|
Reporting mark | GSM |
Locale | Western North Carolina |
Dates of operation | 1988–Present |
Predecessor | Southern Railway |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Length | 53 miles (85 kilometres) |
Headquarters | Bryson City, North Carolina |
Website | www.gsmr.com |
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (reporting mark GSM) is a freight and heritage railroad in Western North Carolina.
Background
The railroad owns 53 miles (85 kilometres) of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway, between Dillsboro and Andrews. The route passes through fertile valleys, a tunnel, and across river gorges in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Several miles of the line near Andrews are currently out of service.
In addition to running tourist excursions year-round, the railroad also moves freight via an interchange with the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Sylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing. In 2003, the railroad ran 963 excursions.
Roster
The railroad has four diesel-electric locomotives, #711, #777, #1751, & #1755. In addition, the GSMR owns two steam locomotives; 2-8-0 Consolidation #1702, and former Southern Railway 2-8-0 #722. Both of these locomotives require extensive restoration before they can operate again. Locomotive #1702 has been out of service since the end of the 2004 season. The 722 was never operated by the GSMR.
GSMR had purchased a third steam locomotive, a former Swedish State Railways 4-6-0 #1149, in 2010 from the defunct Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. This engine was originally slated to be moved to the GSMR in spring 2011. However, the engine continued to remain on the B&ML for two more years. Ultimately, the GSMR deemed the engine's move too costly and instead sold the engine to the Discovery Park of America, which is currently under construction in Union City, Tennessee.
Towns and attractions served
Smoky Mountain Trains Museum
The railroad operates the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum in Bryson City, North Carolina. The museum features a collection of over 7000 Lionel model engines, cars and accessories, a large model train layout, a children’s activity center, and a gift shop.[1]
Popular culture
The famous train wreck scene in the 1993 Warner Brothers blockbuster movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed in Dillsboro along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The wreckage set can still be viewed on eastbound Tuckasegee River Excursions departing from Bryson City.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of 1996 Warner Brothers comedy My Fellow Americans starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.
Train scenes in the 1999 DreamWorks SKG film Forces of Nature starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock were also filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
See also
References
- ↑ "The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and Model Train Museum part 1". YouTube. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
External links
- Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website
- American Heritage Railways
- North Carolina Railway Association
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