Tweetsie Railroad is a family-oriented

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

and

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

amusement park located between Boone and

Blowing Rock, North Carolina Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,397 at the 2021 census. The Caldwell County portion of Blowing Rock is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropo ...

, United States. The centerpiece of the park is a ride on a train pulled by one of Tweetsie Railroad's two historic

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

steam locomotives. The park also features a variety of amusement rides, live shows, a zoo and other attractions geared towards families with children. The park also hosts a variety of special events throughout the year including their Halloween and Christmas-themed events.

Park history

Opened on July 4, 1957, Tweetsie Railroad began as an excursion train ride pulled by coal-fired steam locomotive #12, the only surviving narrow-gauge engine of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC). Built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, #12 is a narrow gauge coal-fired locomotive that ran from 1918 to 1940 carrying passengers and freight over the ET&WNC's line through the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

from

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Joh ...

Boone, North Carolina Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster a ...

. The name "Tweetsie" was given to the original ET&WNC by area residents as a verbal

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of its initials, but also referring to the shrill "tweet, tweet" of the locomotive whistles that echoed through the mountains. The nickname stuck with the railroad and its trains and became more identifiable than the railroad's official name. On February 9, 2017, Locomotive #12 celebrated its 100th Birthday. An official ceremony was held for the locomotive during Tweetsie Railroad's Heritage Weekend on August 26, 2017. Two years after the narrow-gauge portion of the ET&WNC ceased operations in 1950, the locomotive was purchased by a group of railroad enthusiasts and taken to Penn Laird, Virginia to operate as the Shenandoah Central Railroad, which opened in May 1953. Rains from

Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and Sout ...

washed out the Shenandoah Central in October, 1954, and Locomotive #12 was once again put up for sale. Cowboy actor and singer Gene Autry optioned the locomotive with the intent to move it to California for use in motion pictures. However, Autry ultimately determined that the transportation and restoration costs made his plan impractical. Grover Robbins, an entrepreneur from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, purchased Autry's option and bought the locomotive in August, 1955. Robbins moved the #12 locomotive back to its native

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

as the centerpiece of a new "Tweetsie Railroad" tourist attraction. One mile of track was constructed near

, and on July 4, 1957, the locomotive made its first public trip over the line. In 1958, the track was extended to a 3-mile loop around the mountain, and the trains at Tweetsie Railroad have traveled that circuit ever since. Grover Robbins' brothers, Harry and Spencer, were also involved with the operation of Tweetsie Railroad, and the park is still controlled and operated by the Robbins family. In 1960, Tweetsie acquired another coal-fired steam locomotive, USATC S118 Class #190, the "Yukon Queen" from Alaska's

White Pass and Yukon Route The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rai ...

. Also built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1943 for the US Army, the engine was part of an 11-locomotive fleet of "MacArthur" 2-8-2s originally purchased for use overseas. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the locomotives were sent to Alaska for use on the White Pass and Yukon. Locomotive #190 celebrated its 75th birthday in 2018.

Tourist attraction

Tweetsie Railroad became a popular tourist attraction, and quickly evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina—and one of the first in the nation. A western town and saloon were built around the original depot area. A train robbery and cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride, playing off the

theme that was very popular at the time on television and in movies. The theme was enhanced by regular visits from Charlotte's

WBTV WBTV (channel 3) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located off Morehead Street, just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter i ...

television personality/singing cowboy

Fred Kirby Frederick Austin Kirby (July 19, 1910 - April 22, 1996) was an American country-and-western recording and performance artist and song writer. Life and work Among Kirby's better-known works are "Atomic Power" (1946) and "When That Hell Bomb Fa ...

, who hosted a popular children's show. In 1961, a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

and

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

area was constructed on the central mountain inside the rail loop, and over the decades the park has been expanded with additional rides, attractions, shops, zoo and restaurants. In 2017, Tweetsie Railroad's 60th anniversary season, the park introduced the "Tweetsie Christmas" holiday-themed event.

Dollywood

In 1961, Grover and Harry Robbins built another train ride and tourist attraction called "Rebel Railroad" in the

Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee– North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ri ...

near

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Par ...

. Originally featuring a Civil War theme, the park was renamed "Goldrush Junction" in 1966 and re-themed to a Wild West concept very similar to Tweetsie Railroad. The Robbins brothers sold Goldrush Junction in the late 1960s, and it subsequently went through various owners. In 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend of

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...

bought the Pigeon Forge facility and redeveloped it as "

Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson and Branson West. The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Silver Dollar City opened on May 1 ...

". In 1986, country music star

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

became a part-owner with the Herschends and the theme park became today's

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...

. The railroad continues to run as the Dollywood Express.

General information

Tweetsie Railroad is located on

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...

between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Tweetsie Railroad's Wild West-themed operating season is from April to October, The park is open weekends in the spring and autumn, as well as daily from

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

weekend until mid-August. In addition, the park is open on Friday and Saturday nights from late September through the month of October for the very-popular "Ghost Train" Halloween event. The park then closes for daytime operations; then re-opens on select evenings starting in around Thanksgiving for "Tweetsie Christmas", which runs through the month of December. Other special events are held throughout the season, including a large fireworks display on the Independence Day Fourth of July, and Railroad Heritage Weekend in August, which focuses on the history of Tweetsie Railroad's narrow-gauge locomotives. Tweetsie Railroad is open from early April through October, and on select nights in late November through December for the Tweetsie Christmas event. In addition to the Wild West train adventure and the amusement rides, Tweetsie Railroad has a variety of live entertainment shows featuring talented performers selected from the immediate area and from the Southeast. The park hosts numerous special events each season, including Letterland-themed days in May for school groups, visits by

Thomas the Tank Engine Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British ''Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the series, ...

and a very popular nighttime "Ghost Train" Halloween event in October.

Locomotive workshop

Tweetsie Railroad also has its own locomotive workshop to maintain its two locomotives as well as overhauling other steam locomotives from several different theme parks such as

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

, Busch Gardens,

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any a ...

and Dollywood Express.

Rides and attractions

Rides at Tweetsie Railroad include: * "Free Fall" Drop Tower ride * Round Up * "Tornado" spinning ride * Carousel *

Tilt-a-whirl Tilt-A-Whirl is a flat ride similar to the Waltzer in Europe, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals, in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Larson International of Plainview, Texas. Des ...

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

* "Tweetsie Twister" scrambler ride *

Chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

* "Turnpike Cruiser" ride *

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

*Little Drummer Boy, a classic

teacups Teacups is an amusement ride characterized by cup-shaped spinning vehicles atop a turntable-like floor. Typically, each set of six teacups has a center bearing mounted underneath, similar to a car wheel bearing mounted on a circular floor capab ...

ride (Tweetsie Christmas only) *Mouse Mine Train ( narrow gauge child-oriented train ride loop through a tunnel that houses an animatronic show) *Several small children's rides: *F-80 Jet Planes *Kiddie Boats *Red Baron planes and helicopters *Bikes & Buggies Other attractions at Tweetsie Railroad include the Tweetsie Palace Saloon and Diamond Lil's Can-Can Revue, other live shows, gold panning and gem mining, Deer Park zoo, a variety of specialty shops and food service locations, and a game

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

Model railways

ET&WNC #12 is notable in the modeling world as being the prototype for the famous Bachmann "Big Hauler"

G scale Large scale or G scale (, G gauge) is a track gauge for model railways which is often used for outdoor garden railways because of its size and durability. G scale trains use a fixed track gauge of to accommodate a range of rail transport m ...

4-6-0, which has been in production (with many revisions) since the 1980s and has long been one of the most popular models in the

garden railroad A garden railroad or garden railway is a model railway system set up outdoors in a garden. While G is the most popular scale for garden railroads, 16 mm scale has a dedicated and growing following especially in the UK. Model locomotives in t ...

hobby. Bachmann also produces an On30 scale version of the model.

Locomotive roster

References

External links

*
"Tweetsie Comes Home"
article in the October, 1957 issue of ''Ties'', the Southern Railway System magazine. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tweetsie Railroad 3 ft gauge railways in the United States 1957 establishments in North Carolina Amusement parks in North Carolina Amusement parks opened in 1957 Appalachian culture in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Watauga County, North Carolina Heritage railroads in North Carolina Landmarks in North Carolina Narrow gauge railroads in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Watauga County, North Carolina Railroads of amusement parks in the United States Tourist attractions in Watauga County, North Carolina Railway vehicles on the National Register of Historic Places Rail transportation on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Western (genre) theme parks