RAILFEST CELEBRATES Golden Age of Railroading
Here’s a big clue someone is a railroad romantic. His favorite scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” is not Cary Grant running from a killer across the giant faces of Mount Rushmore. No, the railroad fan loves the scenes in which Grant hoists his girlfriend into the bunk of an Amtrak superliner suite.
Anyone who cherishes the days when train travel was essential, exciting and sometimes elegant can unleash their love at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Railfest 2016, scheduled Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10-11.
The nonprofit museum, a reflection of love’s labor and the dedication of an army of volunteers, is reason enough to make the drive to 4119 Cromwell Road for a visit. This annual celebration offers plenty of additional entertainment: food vendors, balloon animals, bouncy houses, petting zoos, blacksmith demonstrations, pony rides, coloring books (with train pictures) and live music, plus model trains and miniature golf.
The Norfolk Southern Lawmen will present their brand of rocking country both days of the festival. The Red Hot Longhandles also will entertain on Saturday, and Slim Pickins performs classic bluegrass on Sunday.
Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club, Coosa Valley Model Railroad Association, Georgia Garden Railway Society and Chattanooga Modular Modelers will have miniature trains zipping along tracks past detailed tiny towns and tabletop landscapes.
Holes to Go will provide a miniature golf course, and Mr. Adam’s Hand Car Rentals will be on hand for kid-powered crank car rides.
The biggest draw, naturally, is the chance to ride a historic and lovingly rehabbed steam locomotive.
Museum spokesman Steve Freer says there will be new goodies for 2016’s Railfest.
“The recently-restored TAG Railway (Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia) diesel locomotive No. 80, “the John A. Chambliss,” will be dedicated and on display,” he says. “Mr. Chambliss was very instrumental in purchasing and reorganizing the TAG Railway in the 1920s. Originally it was the Chattanooga Southern, Chattanooga’s only hometown railroad.”
The No. 4501 will be offering rides. It made a cameo appearance in Johnny Cash’s masterpiece video “Hurt.” The very dark video offered a brief glimpse of a sunshiny Cash, leaning out the 4501’s window, hair blowing in the breeze. The train was rescued from the scrapyard to haul troops and coal in World War II. The museum finished restoring it to full splendor in 2014.
The historic No. 630 locomotive and No. 4501 will both rotate in service as Missionary Ridge Locals. The Local runs from Grand Junction through Missionary Ridge Tunnel to East Chattanooga then returns. Departures are are at 10:40 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:25 p.m. and 3:35 p.m., with an additional 9:30 a.m.